diff --git a/src/rootfilespec/rntuple/RPage.py b/src/rootfilespec/rntuple/RPage.py
index 6e45576..3f6c6db 100644
--- a/src/rootfilespec/rntuple/RPage.py
+++ b/src/rootfilespec/rntuple/RPage.py
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ class RPage(ROOTSerializable):
     """A class to represent an RNTuple page."""
 
     page: bytes
-    """The RNTuple page raw data."""
+    """The RNTuple page raw data, as stored (still compressed if the page is)."""
+    checksum: int | None = None
+    """The page's XXH3-64 checksum, verified against ``page``, or None if it has none."""
 
     # TODO: Flush out RPage class
     @classmethod
diff --git a/src/rootfilespec/rntuple/pagelocations.py b/src/rootfilespec/rntuple/pagelocations.py
index 677b8f1..dc1e7dd 100644
--- a/src/rootfilespec/rntuple/pagelocations.py
+++ b/src/rootfilespec/rntuple/pagelocations.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 from collections.abc import Callable
 from typing import Annotated, cast
 
+import xxhash  # type: ignore[import-not-found]
+
 from rootfilespec.bootstrap.compression import RCompressionSettings
 from rootfilespec.rntuple.RFrame import Item, ListFrame
 from rootfilespec.rntuple.RLocator import RLocator
@@ -13,6 +15,9 @@
 )
 from rootfilespec.structutil import Fmt, OptionalField
 
+PAGE_CHECKSUM_SIZE = 8
+"""A page checksum is an XXH3-64, stored little-endian right after the page"""
+
 
 @serializable
 class RPageDescription(ROOTSerializable):
@@ -30,7 +35,11 @@ class RPageDescription(ROOTSerializable):
     """
 
     fNElements: Annotated[int, Fmt("<i")]
-    """The number of elements in the page."""
+    """The number of elements in the page, as stored.
+
+    Its sign is the checksum flag: negative means an XXH3-64 checksum follows the
+    page. Kept as stored so that the bytes can be reproduced; use ``n_elements``
+    and ``has_checksum``."""
     locator: RLocator
     """The locator for the page."""
 
@@ -43,22 +52,48 @@ def offset(self) -> int:
 
     @property
     def size(self) -> int:
-        """The (compressed) size of the page data."""
-        return self.locator.size
+        """The number of bytes to fetch: the page as stored, then its checksum if it has one.
+
+        The spec's page size, which excludes the checksum, is ``locator.size``."""
+        return self.locator.size + (PAGE_CHECKSUM_SIZE if self.has_checksum else 0)
+
+    @property
+    def n_elements(self) -> int:
+        """The number of elements in the page."""
+        return abs(self.fNElements)
+
+    @property
+    def has_checksum(self) -> bool:
+        """Whether an XXH3-64 checksum is stored right after the page."""
+        return self.fNElements < 0
 
     def read_from(self, buffer: ReadBuffer) -> RPage:
-        """Read the page from the given buffer.
+        """Read the page from the given buffer, and verify its checksum if it has one.
 
-        Pages are wrapped in compression blocks (like envelopes).
+        The buffer holds ``size`` bytes. The checksum covers the page as stored
+        (sealed, possibly compressed), wherever those bytes were fetched from.
+        Pages are wrapped in compression blocks (like envelopes); nothing is
+        decompressed here.
         """
-        #### Read the page from the buffer
-        page, buffer = RPage.read(buffer)
-
-        if buffer:
-            msg = "RPageDescription.read_from: buffer not empty after reading page."
+        if len(buffer) != self.size:
+            msg = f"RPageDescription.read_from: expected {self.size} bytes, got {len(buffer)}"
             raise ValueError(msg)
 
-        return page
+        #### Read the page from the buffer
+        if not self.has_checksum:
+            page, _ = RPage.read(buffer)
+            return page
+
+        data, buffer = buffer.consume(self.locator.size)
+        (checksum,), buffer = buffer.unpack("<Q")
+        computed = xxhash.xxh3_64_intdigest(data)
+        if computed != checksum:
+            msg = (
+                f"Page checksum mismatch at {self.locator}: "
+                f"stored {checksum:#018x}, computed {computed:#018x}"
+            )
+            raise ValueError(msg)
+        return RPage(data, checksum)
 
     def get_page(
         self, fetch_data: Callable[[Locator[ROOTSerializable]], ReadBuffer]
diff --git a/tests/test_page_checksums.py b/tests/test_page_checksums.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf2bed0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_page_checksums.py
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+import xxhash  # type: ignore[import-not-found]
+
+from rootfilespec.bootstrap import BOOTSTRAP_CONTEXT
+from rootfilespec.reader import open_path
+from rootfilespec.rntuple.pagelocations import RPageDescription
+from rootfilespec.rntuple.RLocator import StandardLocator
+from rootfilespec.rntuple.RNTuple import RNTuple
+from rootfilespec.serializable import BufferContext, ReadBuffer
+
+DATA = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "reference" / "root-io-spec" / "data" / "rntuple"
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.skipif(
+    not DATA.exists(), reason="reference/root-io-spec not checked out"
+)
+
+
+def _page_descriptions(path: Path) -> list[RPageDescription]:
+    out: list[RPageDescription] = []
+    with open_path(path) as reader:
+        keylist = reader.keylist()
+        for name in keylist:
+            key = keylist[name]
+            if key.fClassName.fString != b"ROOT::RNTuple":
+                continue
+            rntuple = RNTuple.from_anchor(reader.fetch(key), reader.fetch.buffer)
+            for pagelist in rntuple.pagelistEnvelopes:
+                for cluster in pagelist.pageLocations:
+                    for column in cluster:
+                        out.extend(column)
+    return out
+
+
+def _buffer(raw: bytes, offset: int, size: int) -> ReadBuffer:
+    return ReadBuffer(
+        memoryview(raw[offset : offset + size]),
+        0,
+        BOOTSTRAP_CONTEXT,
+        BufferContext(abspos=offset),
+    )
+
+
+def test_page_with_checksum():
+    """Issue #55: the page at 550 in rntuple/anchor.root, checked against its bytes
+
+    Its fNElements is -3 (the sign flags a checksum), its locator says 12 bytes,
+    and the XXH3-64 of those 12 bytes is stored little-endian at 562..570. The
+    page description's size covers both, so one fetch gets what read_from needs.
+    """
+    path = DATA / "anchor.root"
+    raw = path.read_bytes()
+    (page,) = [p for p in _page_descriptions(path) if p.offset == 550]
+    assert page.fNElements == -3
+    assert page.n_elements == 3
+    assert page.has_checksum
+    assert page.locator.size == 12
+    assert page.size == 20
+
+    assert raw[562:570].hex() == "de3ce2c4a5a407be"
+    read = page.read_from(_buffer(raw, page.offset, page.size))
+    assert read.page == raw[550:562]
+    assert read.checksum == int.from_bytes(raw[562:570], "little")
+    assert read.checksum == xxhash.xxh3_64_intdigest(raw[550:562])
+
+
+def test_corrupted_page_raises():
+    path = DATA / "anchor.root"
+    raw = bytearray(path.read_bytes())
+    (page,) = [p for p in _page_descriptions(path) if p.offset == 550]
+    raw[555] ^= 0x01
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=r"Page checksum mismatch at .*offset=550"):
+        page.read_from(_buffer(bytes(raw), page.offset, page.size))
+
+
+def test_wrong_length_raises():
+    page = RPageDescription(-3, StandardLocator(12, 0))
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="expected 20 bytes"):
+        page.read_from(_buffer(bytes(12), 0, 12))
+
+
+def test_page_without_checksum():
+    raw = b"0123456789"
+    page = RPageDescription(3, StandardLocator(10, 0))
+    assert not page.has_checksum
+    assert page.size == 10
+    read = page.read_from(_buffer(raw, 0, 10))
+    assert read.page == raw
+    assert read.checksum is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("name", sorted(p.name for p in DATA.glob("*.root")))
+def test_every_page_verifies(name: str):
+    """Every page of every root-io-spec RNTuple fixture passes its checksum
+
+    Pages are read by their stored bytes, never decompressed, and several page
+    descriptions may name the same bytes (same-page merging): each still reads.
+    """
+    path = DATA / name
+    raw = path.read_bytes()
+    pages = _page_descriptions(path)
+    assert pages
+    for page in pages:
+        assert page.offset + page.size <= len(raw)
+        read = page.read_from(_buffer(raw, page.offset, page.size))
+        assert read.checksum is not None
+        assert len(read.page) == page.locator.size
+
+
+def test_shared_page_ranges():
+    """rntuple/map.root has page descriptions that name the same bytes"""
+    ranges = [(p.offset, p.size) for p in _page_descriptions(DATA / "map.root")]
+    assert len(set(ranges)) < len(ranges)