Using Early Modern French Archives
This presentation demonstrates how to use early modern archives from a very basic starting
point. This is in part because, when I started my PhD, I had never conducted archival
research in France. I found the prospect of visiting new archives particularly daunting before
I went out, and even when I was in France!
Our research is specialised – each researcher, even already narrowed down to the early
modern period, has different sources to pursue, and therefore they must be sought in a wide
array of institutions. This includes both private and public collections. For the sake of
reaching as wide an audience as possible, I have elected to concentrate on three particular
groups of archives. These are: the national archives situated in Paris, the departmental
archives in the provinces, and the municipal archives in cities and towns.
The two most important archives in Paris, which you will no doubt have to utilise at some
point during your research abroad are the Bibliotheque nationale de France [SLIDE TWO]
and the Archives nationales. The BnF is composed of four main sites, which are the FrançoisMitterrand (or Tolbiac), the Richelieu-Louvois, Opéra and Arsenal. [SLIDE THREE]

François-Mitterrand – largest site, here you will find the secondary sources that you
may wish to consult, particularly if they cannot be found in the UK. Most notable is
the extensive collection of nineteenth century provincial journals, which are largely
composed of archaeological and archival research which you may find useful. It is
also the home of the department for Rare Books, which are usually transferred to
either microfilm or microfiche, but can be reserved in their original state when
necessary.

Richelieu-Louvois – home to the department of Money, Medals and Antiques, and the
department of Manuscripts and Arts du Spectacle, so this will be one of the most
important sites I imagine, because most of the manuscripts are kept here. These can be
consulted in their original form, or in microfilm in the dedicated Microform
consultation room.

Opéra – home to material related to performance, including opera, ballet and music;
much of the early modern material in this genre will be located in the Arts du
spectacle, but you may have recourse to visit here.

Arsenal – home to printed books and periodicals, manuscripts, maps and sheet music.
I used this less often than the Richelieu, but many of you may come to use this as one
of the principal sites.
All of these sites can be investigated via the BnF website, with most including titles of
catalogues of the collections, which should be consulted before you go so you know if the
site and its collections hold anything of interest to you. There is also general and manuscript
catalogues to the BnF that can be consulted online. [SLIDE FOUR] Another resource for the
BnF is, of course, Gallica, where some of the collections have been digitized and there is a
concerted drive to improve availability of these documents. [SLIDE FIVE]
The second major institution in Paris is the Archives nationales, which has three sites, but the
one in Paris is the most likely that you will visit. [SLIDE SIX] It holds all the manuscripts
related to the Ancien Régime, described by the institution as Archives des institutions et des
services de l’État des Mérovingiens à 1958, including Minutes des notaires de Paris depuis le
XVe siècle. Here is a list of its holdings on the website, under their categories and prefixes.
[SLIDE SEVEN] And here is the list of prefixes to the Ancien Régime in full. [SLIDE
EIGHT] Much of these are on microfilm rather than in the original, so be prepared for that.
As a round off to this Parisian section, you may find this PDF useful, located on the AN
website. It details the holdings off all the major archives and libraries in Paris, and will better
familiarise you with the resources on offer there. [SLIDE NINE]
We’ll move on now to the archives départementales, which are obviously scattered
throughout the country, but you will need to visit them if you plan to carry out research that is
department-specific, as none of the original documentation for these areas are kept in Paris.
They are obliged by law to be preserved in local institutions. [SLIDE TEN] This is an
example of the website of the archives départementales du Rhone, which as you can see, is
styled in a similar way to the Parisian websites. There was a time when these archives did not
have an online presence, but all the ones I’ve wanted to check have similar access to this one.
Much like Gallica, there is a concerted effort to put French history – national and regional –
online. In the archives départementales, you will find documents from the Ancien Régime
that have been claimed since 1796, documents relating to the department since the Revolution
(particularly decentralized government actions in the locality), notary archives from the
department, and private collections deposited in the archives through gift, legacy or sale. The
class system for early modernists is as follows. [SLIDE ELEVEN] Some of the more
popular documents will be available online, while the rest can be searched for using an online
catalogue.
The archives municipales are more numerous because they are attached to individual towns
and cities. Here is an example from Toulouse. [SLIDE TWELVE] Their collections are
comprised of all matters relating to the running of the city and its population, on the same
grounds as those of the archives départementales. Although there is variation across the
country in terms of these archives’ organisation, the archives municipales de Toulouse have
listed their classmarks as follows, and this is generally the pattern elsewhere. [SLIDE
THIRTEEN] For me, the archives municipales are the real jewels in France’s archival
crown. The relevant material is more concentrated than in the major archives, and they tend
to be managed by extremely knowledgeable archivists.
As a finale note, here are a few recommendations I would make to those of you who will
venture out into the French archives.

Fiddle around with the websites of the archives you are going to visit. Try to ascertain
the references to the documents you want, or see if they are already online. Get in
contact with the archives before you visit and tell them what you would like to consult
– then they can alert you to any problems before you make the trip out there. All of
this will save you valuable time in the archives.

Take a camera with you, so you can photograph the manuscripts rather than transcribe
them. But make sure you ask permission as you will often be obliged to sign a form
granting you this.

Make sure you are familiar with how to operate microfilm and microfiches before you
leave the UK. For both rare books and manuscripts, you will find the majority are in
these media.

If a document is unavailable, ask why. Persist in ascertaining its whereabouts whether
it is genuinely out of action, or only waiting to be digitized or reserved by another
person.

Always speak to the archivists in French, as it lets you start off on the right foot. If
you are struggling and they speak English (as many do), they may switch and most
will appreciate your effort.

Don’t be embarrassed about not knowing your way around new archives, or how to
operate their different request systems. You’ll get used to it eventually!

Always ask for help – the archivists are trained to preserve and provide access to
these collections, so they are best placed to tell you what you might find or what
might be of use.
Most importantly, enjoy it! You’re in France!
Linda Briggs
University of Warwick
March 2013