Bern, Switzerland documents collection

This collection consists of original documents and a volume of copied documents pertaining to the city of Bern, Switzerland, and to Cormont Commune, covering the years 1476 to 1798. The French seized Bern on March 5, 1798, and it subsequently became part of the Helvetian Republic under French control. It seems likely that these documents were compiled and copies made during or shortly after 1798 as a result of the change in government.

The majority of the documents, which are all in French except for a few German items, are copies making up the single-volume manuscript record of decrees, ordinances, and statutes of the Bern city council and chancellery. Copies of two fifteenth-century items are included, with the remainder dating originally between 1652 and 1795. The volume seems to have been compiled shortly after the occupation of the city.

The balance of the collection consists of original documents relating to military expenditures of Ormont (a commune in the Vaud canton) and Bern during the 1700s, and includes accounts, records of loans between the two governments, receipts for funds paid, and a document canceling outstanding debts due to loss of records during the struggle with the French.