Torp (house)
Torp is a Swedish term for a small, isolated farm. Torp has the same linguistic origin from the common Germanic word as the old high German dorf , the English thorp , the old Icelandic þorp and the Dutch dorp . Torp is no longer translated as “ village ”, but comes closest to the German “ Kate ” or “ Hufe ”.
In the early Middle Ages in Sweden , torp was a courtyard that was separated from the common ground of the village and could also be fenced off. Over time, these courtyards could grow into handsome properties and become place names. In combination with, for example, first names or personal names, place names such as Anderstorp , Åstorp , Hillerstorp , Perstorp , Staffanstorp or Teckomatorp emerged, mainly in Götaland .
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the term also included small, unfree yards (hooves) on private land. The user, called torpare ( Hufner ) had some kind to the landowner rent in the form of day works or in kind paid. This procedure was of great importance for the supply of labor in the large estates ( Fronhöfe ). In the military sector, a soldier who had made a name for himself in the war was given a small yard, the soldattorp . There he could feed himself and his family in his free time and spend his old age.
Legislation from 1907–1909 made daily work payments equivalent to cash payments. This strengthened the position of the torpares and many farms were bought free. In 1943, day-to-day work was banned entirely. Today torp is mainly understood to mean a small, older hut in the country, which is often used as a holiday home .
References
- Bonniers Lexikon, Bonnier Lexikon AB, 1997
- Sveriges National Atlas, Kulturminnen och kulturmiljövård, 1994
- Duden Volume 7, The Dictionary of Origin, 2001
- Elof Hellquist: torp . In: Svensk etymologisk ordbok . 1st edition. CWK Gleerups förlag, Berlingska boktryckerie, Lund 1922, p. 993-994 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).