Deputant

The deputant was a farm worker at the beginning of the 19th century who was obliged to work all year round and lived in manor apartments for free or for a low rent. In addition to a low cash wage, which was paid either as a daily wage according to the number of working days or, like the rabble's wages, as a fixed annual wage, he received a so-called deputate , which means that instead of the meals prepared for the unmarried servants , he received the corresponding natural produce. The amount of these natural produce was calculated to cover the needs of food for the worker himself and his family, whose cooperation in the form of a second worker was regularly used.

source

Max Weber: Developmental tendencies in the situation of the East Elbe farm workers. In: Marianne Weber (Ed.): Collected essays on social and economic history. Tübingen 1988 (at www.zeno.org )