The Image of Peasants in Serf Lists: South Bohemia in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Abstract

Serf lists are a unique Bohemian archival source, which was originally created by the manorial administration for the purpose of the effective registration of orphans and, from the beginning of the eighteenth century, all serfs. These lists were updated every year and even small children under one year of age were recorded. In estates where these lists were maintained, they tended to be drawn up by manorial officials until the abolition of serfdom in Bohemia in 1848. The serf lists aimed to record all persons with a permanent residence each village. The list for each village record was organized according to the social structure, from the highest to the lowest social stratum. The first section was reserved for full peasant holders, followed by smallholders, cottagers, and inmates. In a final section were recorded widows and orphans. The main purpose of this paper is to present the serf lists as an essential and informative archival source which provides indispensible information for historical and genealogical research. The authors seek to show how the serf lists can be used to study phenomena such as peasant mobility and migration, military service, servanthood, rural social structure, and craft apprenticeship.