For some time, in diplomatic studies there has been a call to examine more fully the ‘entire life’ of a charter - not only its issuance, but also its preservation and usage. My study of the 13th-century cartulary of Płock Cathedral has demonstrated that its creation was preceded by the process of ‘inventorying’ of charters in the cathedral's possession, during which numerous series of dorsal notes were produced. Further inquiries revealed the presence of such notes in other Polish cathedrals’ collections. This paper aims to shed light on these largely overlooked practices of pragmatic literacy, recorded on the reverse of the charters. The discovered notes offer insight into old charters from the perspective of their medieval users. As I will try to argue, the study of dorsal notes is crucial to broader discussions on the reception of document and its role in wide strategies of memory – the process of formation of its repositories (archives) and shaping of institutional identity.
