Case File Documents Explained
There are many different numbers and stamps on the pages because different offices/books were keeping control of the same transaction. These are the most important ones:
The Acten-Designation / Designatio Actorum — the case file’s own “table of contents”
The Acten Designation or Designatio Actorum is the table of contents for the case file.
When a case file was opened (here, 1841–1842), a clerk wrote a contents list with brief titles. Each numbered entry in the contents list is composed of one or more documents; for example, the contents list has these two documents listed under entries #2 and #3:
Number |
Documents |
1. |
|
2. |
|
〃 |
|
3. |
|
〃 |
|
〃 |
Cross-Referencing the Contents List to Its Documents
For each number in column one of the contents list, the first document listed will have this number written in the upper right corner of the first page. This first document for #2 in the able above is the Bericht Amts Bückeburg (Report of the Bückeburg Office); in the upper right corner of its first page, 2 is written:
Numbering Systems of the Rentkammer in Schaumburg-Lippe (Mid-19th Century)
Overview
During the mid-19th century, the Rentkammer (Chamber Treasury) in Schaumburg-Lippe used parallel numbering systems to track petitions, reports, rescripts, and related acts. Each number served a distinct bureaucratic purpose and helps reconstruct the flow of a case file.
The “Nr pr. ####” Numbers — Protocol / Register Numbers
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Definition: The entry number in the Rentkammer’s Protokollbuch (protocol book), a line-by-line ledger recording decisions and actions.
A protocol number was assigned once when the case was formally undertaken by the Rentkammer. In the case involving Johann Heinrich Krückeberg request for a loan, Nr pr: 1274 was written on the bottom of the first page of the of his Octoboer 2, 1841, Petition. Every subsequent document in the case (reports, cover slips, rescripts, replies) still belonged to that protocol entry — but the number itself didn’t need to be re-written on every single sheet. So, “Nr pr. 1274” is the umbrella identifier under which the whole Krückeberg loan matter was logged in the protocol book.
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Variants: Appears as Nr pr. or Num pr., with identical meaning.
The “NC ####” Numbers
The NC #### numbers appear in the upper left corner of the first page of each major document. They are merely sequential numbers assigned by the Rentkammer as items were logged and handled during a given year. The numbers increased throughout the year marking the chronological order of handling.
"N.C." or "NC." stand sfor "Numerus Cammeralis" (sometimes written No. Cam. or Nr. Cam.), which literally means "Chamber Number."
That same number was recorded in a register book (Register der Kammer-Acta) with a short note about what the document contained.
Distinction Between the Two Systems
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The NC number was simply a running number the Rentkammer gave to each document as it came across their desk.
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The Nr pr. was a protocol number, assigned upon entry into the official ledger.
Conclusion
The Rentkammer’s dual numbering system — NC docket numbers and Nr pr. protocol entries — provided both an operational sequence of handling and a permanent ledger reference. Together they allow today’s researcher to trace the administrative life-cycle of a petition from initial submission, through treasury handling, to final rescript or repayment closure.
Meaning of "ad NC ####"
ad NC #### or ad Num Cam #### means “in reference to NC ####”. It links a later follow-up document to an earlier one. In the image below, for example, ad appears above Num: Cam: 5702, and the meaing is: "concerning the Rentcammer document numbered 5702".
Rentkammer Document Terms: RC, Concept and Rescript
What is the difference between the “RC” text and that of Cpt/Concept? And what does Rescript mean?
RC
“RC” (or “R.C.”) on Rentkammer documents marks internal notes written on the incoming document itself. These are the Rentkammer’s instructions or decisions about how to proceed with the case (e.g., “send back to Amt for valuation,” “prepare rescript,” etc.). They are dated and signed by the Rentkammer official or clerk.
In summary: RC = internal decision note written on an incoming document;
Cpt/Concept
“Cpt” / “Concept” marks a draft of an outgoing communication (a rescript, instruction, approval, refusal, etc.). It is the text that will be sent out, but still in draft form, usually before being copied cleanly and issued officially. → Draft of what the Rentkammer will send outward.
In summary: Cpt/Concept = draft of the outgoing reply produced as a result of that decision.
“Cpt/Concept” only Appears on Certain Document
It only appears when the Rentkammer is preparing an outgoing response. If no outgoing letter is needed, you will see RC notes only, with no Concept.
It appears only when the Rentkammer is issuing an outgoing communication (a Rescript, an Order, a Decree, a Request for further information, etc.). You will not see “Cpt” on petitions, Amt reports, contracts, or receipts — unless some clerk reused the back of those sheets to draft something (which occasionally happens).