Sheets to Write On. Production, Distribution and Uses of « Archival » Parchment and Paper in Urban Environments in the Northern Low Countries during the Late Middle Ages

The article sheds light on the production, trade and use of parchment and paper in the northern Netherlands in the 14th and 15th century. Focusing on their use in civic administration, it will investigate the complete cycle of making, distribution and usage of parchment and paper, in particular in two towns located in the eastern part of the Netherlands, Deventer and Zutphen. Through the scrutiny of a very wide array of sources and secondary literature, this contribution reconstructs production centres, investigates processes of selection of writing materials and reveals regional and supra-regional distribution patterns.