Wiesław Nowosad - Olendrian colonization in estates in Royal Prussia nobility. Sources condition
and research opportunities


Investigations into Olendrian colonization in Royal Prussia have been already undertaken many times. State of preservation and accessibility of sources have however caused emergence in the range of investigators' interest of rural settlements belonging to three greatest landed estates in Royal Prussia, namely Prussian towns, starosties (counties) and bishop's properties. Until now there were no papers presenting state of Olendrian colonization in private estates of Prussian nobility.

Lack of works disables answering today even basic a question about number of villages belonging to the nobility, settled under Olendrian law. The situation is such difficult that since there are even no printed source publication that would provide basis for research works into this issue. Thus present paper demonstrates an attempt at discussing not too abundant and very dispersed source material, which could fill this gap to some extent. For present publication purposes there have been conducted archival inquiries in family-estate complexes of former owners of estates in Royal Prussia. Especially rich in sources concerning colonization turned out to be unusually diverse and abundant materials of one of the most powerful and wealthy Prussian families in seventeenth century - Konopacki, their direct successors - Kruszyński as well as their numerous related families, kept at present at State Archive in Toruń, in fond of Sczaniecki of Nawra Archive. Archival materials located in other family-estate fonds were of marginal importance from the paper point of view. The inquiry has been expanded onto selected series of judicial tomes of courts operating in Royal Prussia as well collections of Polish Academy of Science Library in Gdańsk.

Some facilitation of seeking materials regarding Olendrian colonization in judicial tomes that are now kept at state archives, was certainly "Index of Materials for Rural History", widely known as so-called "rural inquiry". As result of research increased has been register of noble villages, included in Olendrian colonization by several new items, and in most cases there have been found dates of their location (original ones or of contracts renewals), which have been until now in majority of cited publications disregarded.

Present paper is supplemented with inserted texts of a few sources, which to some extent reflect retained until today material concerning Olendrian colonization in noble estates of Royal Prussia.