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John Langton’s Passport

Large Parchment passport for John Langton that he used in 1830 to emigrate to Canada. Certificate is treated in elaborate border, written in French and contains the royal seal.
Photo: Peter Oliver  Used by permission of the Fenelon Museum Board

This is the original French passport used by John Langton when he emigrated to Canada.

The passport measures approximately 56 cm x 41 cm and made of parchment paper. It includes the stamp of France, and John Langton’s signature.

In the 1800s, passports were produced on very thin paper measuring only 0.02 mm. Passports were large folios and folded several times to fit in a pocket or wallet. The wax seal on a passport could be a weak area on the paper and causes it to be very fragile.

The passport is kept in the archives of the Fenelon Museum.