Page 112 - Changing Living Spaces

Josef Grulich

Church in České Budějovice. These were used to identify cases of migra-
tion that arose in connection with marriages. Besides the place of ori-
gin, these registers also recorded the place of temporary residence of the
groom, the bride, and their parents. On the basis of these parish registers
it was possible to trace the change of overlord, because feudal allegiance
was noted down for every married couple. Each person was identified via
allegiance to his or her own family and to the overlord.
Cases of serf migration were analysed for the whole estate of České
Budějovice, which consisted of one town (České Budějovice, see fig-
ure 1), one small mining town (Rudolfov), and 48 villages (see figure 2).
Information about migrants was sought in the records for one urban par-
ish and 18 rural parishes. Additional information on the migrant’s mar-
riage partner (first name, surname, marital status, social status, and
occupation) was obtained from the marriage registers.10 In the case of
younger or dependent persons, data on their parents were also tran-
scribed. The marriage registers made it possible to obtain information
that was not included in the release letters.

The Estate of České Budějovice – Population And Economy
This study focuses on the migration strategies of individuals who were
serfs of the estate of České Budějovice, located in the south of Bohemia
(see map 1). The year 1751 saw the formation of the administrative region
of Budějovice and the establishment of the so-called regional office. The
town also became the seat of the Bishop and the centre of the newly es-
tablished Diocese of Budějovice in 1785. So it came about that the mu-
nicipal, regional, and episcopal administrations were located in the same
place. The spatial expansion of the town is evidenced by the increasing
number of houses – from 494 in 1757 to 632 in 1789. Exact population
numbers do not survive, but estimates based on the number of commu-
nicants suggest that the town had 4,000 inhabitants in 1750 and 5,400 in
1785 (Grulich 2013, 122–5).

10 These parish registers are held in SrAt, PrrC, PD (Borovany 3, 10; Boršov and
Vltavou 3, 4, 15; České Budějovice 7, 8, 13, 14, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 82, 91, 93, 97,
98; Černice 5; Číměř 10; Dobrá Voda u Českých Budějovic 19, Dolní Slověnice 4;
Doudleby 2, 3; Dubné 2, 3, 7; Hluboká and Vltavou 9, 24; Horní Pěna 11; Hosín
14; Jílovice 5; Kamenný Újezd 25, 26; Lednice 1, 2, 3; Lišov 3; Mladošovice 4;
Nákří 2; Němčice 5; Nová Bystřice 19; Pištín 13; Rudolfov 3; Římov 4; Soběnov 3;
Štěpánovice 1, 6; Střížov 3, 4, 19; Trhové Sviny 14, 15, 16; Velešín 4, 9; Žumberk
4, 5). For digital copies see Digital Archives (n.d.).

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