Der Aufsatz von Stefan Sonderegger im Archiv für Diplomatik 2013 steht nicht Open Access zur Verfügung.

http://dx.doi.org/10.7788/afd.2013.59.jg.433

Abstract:

"Archives contain numerous mentions of loss of charters. There has been
speculation about the amount of charters lost, but precise figures have been
lacking so far. Thanks to systematic registration and the availability of copies,
losses of charters from St. Gallen originating between approx. 1350 and
1450 have, for the first time, been quantified for sample cases. The evidence
reveals significant differences between the town’s Benedictine monastery,
the urban hospital as a feudal landowner, and the municipal administration
regarding the percentage of charters lost. Over 95 % of the charters issued
by the monastery as ecclesiastic landowner have been lost, whereas for the
hospital as secular landowner, the loss rate of charters documenting the
lease of land amounts to just 31 %. As far as the municipal administration is
concerned, only 17 % of all charters have been preserved. This low proportion
of surviving charters is due in particular to the fact that not a single
charter issued to private individuals remains. The following text also looks
at the reasons behind these striking differences in the rates of preservation."