Natalis de Wailly


Natalis de Wailly was a French archivist, librarian and historian.
In 1841, as head of the Administrative Section of the Royal Archives, he wrote a ministerial circular, issued by Count Tanneguy Duchâtel, Minister of the Interior, stating that records should be grouped according to the nature of the institution that has accumulated them and formulating the principle of respect des fonds.
In 1854, he was appointed head of the manuscript department of the Bibliothèque impériale.
A member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres since 1841 and of several learned societies, he was a renowned paleographer and published scientific editions of medieval chroniclers.

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