Archives 1815-1830

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Belgium

Holding institution:: Provincial Archival Service of West Flanders

Holding institution (official language):: Provinciale Archiefdienst West-Vlaanderen

Postal address:: Provinciaal Archiefgebouw, Gistelse Steenweg 528, 8200 Sint-Andries

Phone number:: +32 (0)50 40 72 90

Web address:: http://www.west-vlaanderen.be/genieten/archiefdienst/

Email:: archiefdienst@west-vlaanderen.be

Reference number:: PASWFl-SAndries-Archief 1815-1830

Title:: Archives 1815-1830

Title (official language):: Archief 1815-1830

Creator/accumulator:: Provincie West-Vlaanderen; Province de Flandre Occidentale; Province of West Flanders

Date(s):: 1812/1830

Date note:: ca. 1814-1830

Scope and content:: In this fonds we note (in Series 1) the file no. 375b related to the “supervision of Jews” (1817-1819); the file includes lists of Jewish inhabitants of Bruges and Ostend. In Series 2, no. 541a we note a file containing i.a. instructions concerning the Jewish religion (1827). Series 5, no. 145b contains i.a. a royal decree (27th of May 1818) related to providing social assistance (onderstand) to Jews.

Administrative/biographical history:: The present division of Belgium into provinces dates back to the French period, when the Southern Netherlands were split up into nine départements (decree of 14 Fructidor, year III). Since the division of the province of Brabant in 1995 Belgium has ten provinces. For almost 150 years, the Provinciewet of 1836 remained the legal framework. The constitutional reforms of 1970 and 1980 also affected the provinces, who escaped elimination but were thoroughly reformed (law of 6 July 1987). Since 1 January 2002 the organic law regarding the provinces is a competence of the Regions; both the Flemish and Walloon Regions have since issued their own provincial decrees. A province is headed by a governor. He/she is assisted by a provincial executive (bestendige deputatie; today called ‘deputatie’ in Flanders, ‘collège provincial’ in Wallonia) selected from the provincial council. The tasks and competences of the provinces were only vaguely described in the Provinciewet. In practice, the provincial executive and the governor primarily supervise(d) lower administrations including municipalities, the Public Centres for Social Welfare and church councils (kerkfabrieken). The province also has the authority to create certain institutions such as schools. The governor is responsible for keeping the peace, public order and security; for this purpose he is authorised to call upon the Gendarmerie (Federal Police, since 1998). As a consequence of these tasks and competences, provincial archives contain documents on a wide range of subjects such as public works, public health, finances of the municipalities and local institutions, elections, provincial education, public order etc. Among the general sources we notably mention minutes of meetings but also the (published) Bestuursmemoriaal in which the decisions, circulars, regulations etc. of the provincial bodies are included. Relevant for this guide are the documents resulting from the organisation and supervision of recognised religions (incl. budgets, accounts, appointment and housing of rabbis, works to synagogues). Provincial archives also contain documents regarding policy during the Second World War, including material on the anti-Jewish ordinances, registration of Jews, deportation, spoliation etc. (P. van den Eeckhout, “De provincies”, in P. van den Eeckhout & G. Vanthemsche (ed.), Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e – 21e eeuw. Tweede herziene en uitgebreide uitgave, Brussel, Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis / Commission Royale d’Histoire, 2009, pp. 105-138.)

Access points: locations:: Bruges; Ostend

Subject terms:: Jewish community records; Privileges; Vital records

Finding aids:: There is an unpublished inventory, for the most part imported into the database of the Provinciaal Archief.

Yerusha Network member:: State Archives of Belgium

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