85

In central France, the Sancerre area archives provide a remarkable series of rôles de tailles from the early 17th century down to the end of the Old Regime, once the holdings of the notary public funds and those of the tax administration are combined. We picked five rolls demonstrating the large timespan covered as well as the various forms which this source could take: those of Saint-Bouize (1635), Thauvenay (1693), Crézancy (1734), Gardefort (1762) and Couargues (1768). These rolls also reveal certain specific characteristics, such as the contrast between large farms (métairies) and small ones (locatures), the high number of small farmers (manœuvres), the persistence of family-based communities, and the high level of dispersion of housing in the area. Beyond the study of Old Regime administration, these tailles rolls are highly informative sources, both for the history of rural societies and for the history of the family.