Grossweibel (Bern)

Samuel Küpfer (1687–1765), gross woman. Portrait of Johann Rudolf Huber (1732)

Grossweibel, Sepia by Sigmund Freudenberger (1783)

The Grossweibel (French: grand sautier ) was the governor of the mayor , master of ceremonies and councilor in the city and republic of Bern .

The gross woman carries the court staff and accompanies the incumbent mayor, is master of ceremonies for the Easter celebrations and shakes the ballot sack during the elections. Together with the town hall administrator and the court clerk, he serves the Grand Council.

As the governor of the governing mayor, the Grossweibel presides over the city court, which primarily exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in the city of Bern, the four parishes and some districts of the four regional courts. As a justice of the peace he judges and mediates minor offenses and disputes. As a criminal judge, he leads the investigation. There was no criminal law in the Ancien Régime. Gottlieb Emanuel von Haller stated in his remarks on the office of the gross woman: Since there is not the slightest guidance on how a criminal procedure should be instructed, I am giving here a sketch of how I should proceed. The purpose of any criminal procedure is to discover the real truth. For this one should use lawful ways and never put a noose on the criminal. The big woman had to look after prisoners for twelve weeks, at times he had to pay the executioner from his income.

From 1406 onwards, the gross woman has the duty to go to the city watch on specified days and close the city gate.

As a rule, the gross woman was assigned one of the lucrative bailiffs after his term of office had expired.

Known public officials

Samuel Frisching (I.) (1605–1683), mayor of Bern
David von Büren (1614–1659), Grossweibel in 1637
Johann Anton Kirchberger (1623–1696), mayor of Bern
Niklaus Dachselhofer (1634–1707), General
Christoph Steiger (I.) (1651–1731), theologian, mayor of Bern
Gottlieb Emanuel von Haller (1735–1786), historian

swell

Grossweibel and court clerk book, 15th century-18th century Century (AI 759) in the catalog of the State Archives Bern .
Register for the Grossweibel land register from 1760 (AI 759a) in the catalog of the Bern State Archives .
Johann Rudolf Steiger, Defense Speeches as Grossweibel 1668–1671 (Mss.hhL72) in the catalog of the Burgerbibliothek Bern

literature

Karl Geiser: The constitution of old Bern . In: Festschrift for the VII. Secular celebration of the foundation of Bern, 1191–1891 . Schmid, Francke and Co., Bern 1891.
Hans Haeberli: Gottlieb Emanuel von Haller. A Bernese historian and statesman in the Age of Enlightenment 1735–1786 Bern 1952.
André Holenstein: Grossweibel. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Web links

Directory of Grossweibel 1337–1730 . In: Johann Rudolf Gruner , Deliciae urbis Bernae. Merckworthiness of the hochlöbl. City of Bern. Compiled from mostly unprinted authentic writings , Zurich 1732, pp. 155–160.
Grossweibel in the German legal dictionary

Individual evidence

↑ Ballots are small balls that are used to vote. Those entitled to vote reach into the ballot sack with gloves and put the ballot into the corresponding opening of the ballot truck (container).
↑ Geiser 1891, p. 128.
↑ Muri, Stettlen, Bolligen and Vechigen.
↑ Haeberli 1952, p. 187.
↑ Haeberli 1952, p. 189.
↑ SSRQ BE I 1/2, p. 192.

[1] Ballots are small balls that are used to vote. Those entitled to vote reach into the ballot sack with gloves and put the ballot into the corresponding opening of the ballot truck (container).

[2] Geiser 1891, p. 128.

[3] Muri, Stettlen, Bolligen and Vechigen.

[4] Haeberli 1952, p. 187.

[5] Haeberli 1952, p. 189.

[6] SSRQ BE I 1/2, p. 192.