notskriften

Notskriften is a term found in Danish and Norwegian legal language that refers to a notarial record or notarial minute produced by a notary public. The notskrift serves to document and certify important statements, agreements, or declarations, such as property transfers, contracts, wills, or witness testimonies, by summarizing the essential facts and identifying the parties involved. The document functions as an official safeguard of authenticity and can be used as evidence in civil proceedings.

Etymology and scope: The word is a compound of nota (note) and skrift (writing or script), reflecting its function as a written note of record. Historically, notskrifts appeared in medieval and early modern Danish law and occasionally in Norwegian administrative practice, where notaries recorded summaries of oral proceedings for archival and evidentiary purposes.

Modern usage: The term is largely historical in everyday Danish or Norwegian, with contemporary practice referencing terms such as notarialprotokol or notarialforretning instead. In archival descriptions, however, “notskrift” may be encountered as a label for a notarial minute within a collection.

See also: Notary public, Notarial act, Protokol, Civil registry.

References: Legal dictionaries and archival guides on Danish and Norwegian notarial practices provide context for notskrifts as historical or archival terminology.