Metadata: Castle court records/Registers of Biecz (Acta Castrensia Biecensia)
Collection
- Country:
- Poland
- Holding institution:
- National Archives in Krakow
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archiwum Narodowe w Krakowie
- Postal address:
- ul. Sienna 16, 30–960 Kraków
- Phone number:
- (+48 12) 422 40 94; (+48 12) 4212790; (+48 12) 421 68 81
- Web address:
- http://ank.gov.pl/
- Email:
- sekretariat@ank.gov.pl
- Reference number:
- PL 29/4
- Title:
- Castle court records/Registers of Biecz (Acta Castrensia Biecensia)
- Title (official language):
- Księgi grodzkie bieckie (Acta Castrensia Biecensia)
- Creator/accumulator:
- Court and castle office of Biecz
- Date(s):
- 1426/1783
- Date note:
- Documents date from 1426–1458, 1493–1502 and 1511–1783.
- Language:
- Latin
- Polish
- Extent:
- 48.6 linear metres (505 units)
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The district (poviat) of Biecz was situated in the south-eastern part of the Voivodeship of Krakow, as part of the Kingdom of Poland (‘the Crown’) until 1772; afterwards, Biecz was in what was called Galicia under Austrian rule (until 1918).
The type of the notes entered in the castle court books, or registers, was based on what section they belonged to. The registers for criminal cases have disappeared almost completely, although the court-of-law was originally established to handle such cases. Beginning with the 16th/17th century, each series of these registers had its record (protocollon) and a final draft or fair copy (inducta). The records feature the signatures of the parties, including Jews, most of whom would have used the Hebrew alphabet.
The entries were initially made chronologically within one register; from the 1560s series of inscriptions and reports were specified, as were those of the office’s and court’s decrees (1561–1688).
As opposed to the practice followed in other courts, decrees in Biecz were not separated into those of the court and of the office. The date the decrees began being officially recorded is not known; the extant records were made in a rather late period (protocollon decretorum iudicii et officii, 1682–1778).
The inscriptions (inscriptiones; 1614–1750) and the reports (relationes; 1614–1782) were mutually separated, though at a later date than in other castle courts.
The inscriptiones comprise perpetual entries, mainly referring to landed and real properties. ‘Perpetual’ capital investments in Jewish communities, and sometimes loans, were also entered. The inscription record was kept between 1624 and 1782.
The relationes included all the other types of entries; as they were numerous, these reports were officially recorded from the beginning (1614–1783), which also held true, shortly afterwards, for the empowerments (1636–1783), suits/actions filed (1705–73), and manifestations (1710–40).
Jewish-related records in Biecz castle court books include privileges or charters, moratoria, safe-conducts, universal proclamations, lawsuits brought by/against Jewish communities. Much more numerous are the suits concerning private persons, some of them submitted against or by Jewish residents; decrees in cases against communities and (many more) in cases concerning private persons; enforcements of verdicts; distraints (objects and things or realties seized); intromissions (admissions into possession of real property), forensic examinations of the (wounds of the) injured; manifestations in cases concerning the communities (such as unpaid taxes, etc.); manifestations/protestations regarding private persons, representing the most numerous Jewish-related items; empowerments/powers-of-attorney, presentations (of persons and things in the office), oaths, and testimonies. Among the most numerous entries one encounters agreements, contracts, so-called [cor]roborations (confirming legal actions or the facts), receipt acknowledgments concerning the communities and, mainly, private persons.
The entries in the Biecz court mainly concern Jews from the localities of Dukla and Żmigród. Compared to Krakow, the Jewish communities in this region date from a later time: smaller in size, they were less active in trading or financial operations.
Jewish items can be confirmed in the following units (Castrensia Biecensia – CB): Inscriptiones (inducta), CB 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79; Inscriptiones (protocollon) CB 139, 140, 141, 142; Relationes (inducta) 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216; Relationes (protocollon) 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307; Plenipotentiae, CB 421, 422; Relationes (copiae), CB 350, 351, 352, 353, 354; Decreta officii, CB 480, 481; Decreta officii (protocollon), CB 482, 483.
An estimated 2,000–3,000 notes concerning Jews can be encountered in the castle court registers of Biecz.
- Archival history:
- The archive was kept at the local castle since the 16th century. 1770 saw the Russian troops destroy a considerable portion of the archive. Following the First Partition of Poland (1772), the Austrian authorities dissolved the castle courts in 1784, the files were moved to Lwów and subsequently bound, paginated, and furnished with indices. The files were stored at the local Bernardine Archive. The Galician authorities took over the archives in 1877 from the Austrian central government. In 1882, the Biecz castle court books were moved to the Archive in Krakow. The catalogue of the archival fond was published in 1909. Since 1949, the fond has been kept at the Wawel facility, Section 1.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- In operation since ca. 1380, the jurisdiction of the castle court of Biecz extended to the district of Biecz, encompassing criminal cases, four articles (attack on one’s house, arson, assault in public road, rape of woman), cases of landless noblemen (so-called gołota), safety of courts of law and enforcement of verdicts; the court also handled cases brought based on the choice of court. The adjudication was exercised by the starost, the jury being joined by a judge and a castle scribe, which at session operated altogether as a court. The castle office, headed by the subprefect (podstarości) initially settled lesser cases and received entries on a daily basis; since the late 16th century, the latter included perpetual entries related to real properties. Under the Austrian rule, the court was reorganised in 1778, into the subprefect, the judge and the scribe exercising adjudication on a collegial basis (on Monday and Friday). In 1780, the right of the court to receive realty entries was barred. The court was eventually dismantled in 1784.
- Access points: locations:
- Biecz
- Małopolska
- Subject terms:
- Crime
- Jewish community
- Legal matters
- Privileges
- System of arrangement:
- The collection is composed of several series of books/registers: Entries (inscriptiones), 1426–1760, Castr. Biec. 4–7, 9–101, 104–167; Reports (Relationes), 1561–1783, Castr. Biec. 168–347, 349–419, 493, 502; Empowerments (Plenipotentiae), 1636–1783, Castr. Biec. 420–428; Manifestations (Manifestationes), 1710–40, Castr. Biec. 348; Verdicts and decisions of the court and the office (Decreta iudicii et officii), 1561–1783, Castr. Biec. 429–492, 503–509; Registers of the cases (Regestra causarum), 1601–1783, Castr. Biec. 494–500.
- Access, restrictions:
- If a copy (microfilm, scan, photocopy) of a document exists, this is what will be made available. Access to the originals requires the consent of the Director.
- Finding aids:
-
Inventory available online.
See also:
Katalog Krajowego Archiwum Aktów Grodzkich i Ziemskich w Krakowie. Wydał Dr. Stanisław Kutrzeba, Kraków 1909, s. 31–63, 197–208.
Materiały źródłowe do dziejów Żydów w księgach grodzkich dawnego województwa krakowskiego z lat 1674-1696, opracował Adam Kaźmierczyk, Tom I, Lata 1674-1683, Kraków 1995.
Kutrzeba, Kraków 1909, s. 31–52, 157–187.
Materiały źródłowe do dziejów Żydów w księgach grodzkich dawnego województwa krakowskiego z lat 1674-1696, opracował i wstępem opatrzył Adam Kaźmierczyk,Tom II, Lata 1683-1696, Kraków 2009.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute
- Author of the description:
- Janusz S. Dąbrowski; Kraków; 2015
