This 1868 publication contains transcriptions of 549 Latin charters from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries relating to the early history of the Benedictine abbey of Saint Étienne de Baigne, in south-west France. The thirteenth-century manuscript containing them had been bought after the French Revolution by the bishop of Angoulême, to whom the edition is dedicated. The texts record details of property bequests, donations, land use and taxes, and provide valuable data on the economics and politics of medieval France. The substantial introduction (in French) sets the documents in context, and the book ends with a comprehensive index of names and places, a detailed chronological table keyed to the relevant charters, and a glossary giving the location and modern names of the places mentioned in the charters, with additional notes on their history. The editor had planned to edit two further cartularies, but died in 1867 while completing the index.
