Kleinkötter
In the agricultural history of north-west Germany, a serf peasant who was next to last in the village hierarchy was referred to as a small farmer , small farmer or kotsasse . Below him on the lowest social level stood the Hoppenplöcker or street dog. The name was important for tax collection. Kötter were treated according to the principles of Meierrecht and a distinction was made between large, medium, Eget and small kötter. The settlement of new Kötter on a Meierhof had to be approved by the sovereign.
Kleinkötter only had around 1 to 3 hectares of arable land and 1–2 cows or goats, which was nowhere near enough for a living. They had to look for additional sources of income and worked, for example, as shepherds or craftsmen. In return for the provision of the kott and the arable land, they had to provide manual and tensioning services for the landlord, mainly during harvest time, which were mostly done with a scythe, rake or spade.
Those affected often found these services to be a heavy burden and were therefore extremely reluctant to perform. The court files report various disputes about these services, for example about late arrival or lack of work performance. Repeated misconduct even imposed prison sentences.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Keyword: Kleinkötter
- ↑ Kleinkötter ( Memento of the original of September 24, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Vollmeier, Großkötter, Kleinkötter and Hoppenplöcker ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
