This study examines and compares the indictable offense of forgery in the legal sources of Hispanic and Anglo-Saxon territories from the 15th to the 18th centuries, including medieval legal background. An attempt is given to determine the origin and development of its distinguishing notes and the interest legally protected, as well as its subject-matter and the offenders' responsibility. Special emphasis is given to the development in the typology of punishment in English and Hispanic territories, providing numerous examples from the Ejecutorias of the Real Audiencia y Chancilleria de Valladolid and the trials held at London's central criminal court from 1674 to 1830.