[split] Those Scribbles

[Helmut Winkler]

...Was a signature a thing back then?

Yes, people had to sign legal documents (deeds of property, inheritance, trade deals, etc.). They also signed letters.

Since only a percentage of the population was literate, some people signed with an X. But if they were literate and had money, a scribe would write the letter and the person dictating it would usually sign it (although I think there were exceptions to this). In Spain an interesting monogram was usually also included on legal papers, each person with a distinction drawing. Other places had monograms, but in Spain they were especially popular.

At the time they used seals, not signatures, if you did not have your own seal, you let some institution seal the doccument