I was asked about a map of the regional division for the serfs registers, which was created in 1651. I already wrote a blog post about the administrative system of Czech regions and districts in 2015, but I haven't mentioned the serfs register there.
A map was part of every register book, unfortunately these maps were not scanned to the PDFs. Bohemia, which is covered by the serfs register, was divided to 19 regions. Here is a list of these regions with my notes:
- Boleslavsko
- Hradecko-Bydžovsko
- Chrudimsko
- Čáslavsko
- Kouřimsko
- Bechyňsko
- Prácheňsko - was lost
- Plzeňsko-Klatovsko
- Žatecko
- Litoměřicko - was lost
- Slánsko - was lost
- Rakovnicko
- Podbrdsko - in Berounsko register
- Vltavsko - in Berounsko register
- Loketsko - in Žatecko register
- Pražská města - excluded from the register
- Kladsko - excluded from the register
- Chebsko - excluded from the register
- Ašsko - excluded from the register
Map of Bohemian regions in the half of 17th century.
Are there maps for the Books for Moravia?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, there are no such books as serfs register from 1651 for Moravia.
DeleteIf someone was a Häusler (cottager), is that considered a serf?
ReplyDeleteYes. Almost everyone was considered a serf.
DeleteUnless someone was nobility, clergy or freeman, the rest were serfs. Farmers, cottagers, innmans, everyone.
ReplyDeleteThanks Petr! In the land records I have seen a family that had a mill and it stayed in the family for 200 years, past from father to son though the years. Does the family actually own the mill and the property it is on? Did serfs own property also?
ReplyDeleteThe estate lords owned the land and houses, mills, farms. The tennant had to pay for use of the land/house to the estate but when it was paid for it was "zakoupený" so it could stay in fanily and the estate had little to say in it. It can also be sold to someone and the money would go to the "owner", not the estate. Up until 1781 they were serfs, alter that until 1850 they were only lightly bonded to the estate. In 1850 when estates were dissotioned as a magistates and became just owners of the big farms and the rented houses. The land became actually owned by the people that used it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Petr for the explanation of the land ownership. How did the changes in 1781 and 1850 impact payments from the farmers? During that period it is clear that significant debts were being racked up. Thus a desire to go to American for some of by ancestors.
ReplyDeleteI was unable to find data for Lomnice nad Popelkou, Nová Ves nad Popelkou or Jičín in any of these books, although they were supposed to be in Hradecko-Bydžovsko's book.
ReplyDelete