Majós, Tolna, Settlement
Contract
Signed on 28th of September 1720
Translated by Rosina T. Schmidt
1: It is through my generosity
that a village shall be erected as per German example. Seventy farming residences
are to be erected where the village stood before.
2: The settlers will have three
tax-free years; no tenth nor working for the manor house, nor monetary taxes.
3: Three years are free of all
taxes. No monetary taxes, no work for the landowner, no paying of the tenth part
of the harvest.
4: After four years each farm
in lieu of working for the manorial house has to pay to the manorial estate four
Gulden. The tenth is to be delivered to the manorial house to Hidas or to Bonyhad.
5:The three free years are
starting with 28th of September 1720 and will be up on 28th
of September 1723. At that time the three free years with the landowner are up. He
will however do his utmost to talk to the county seat for extension of free tax
time with the government.
6: As of April 28th
of 1724 the St. Georg day, two Gulden are to be paid to the landlord from each
house and then again on September 28th, the St. Michael day. This money
is to be collected by the Judge (major) or the
Alderman and has
to be brought on those days to the landlord forever in the future.
7:
The Judge and the Alderman should go out of their ways to ensure that the village
does not burn down or suffers any other harm, so the landlord, as well as the
county and the poor people would be preserved of such calamity.
8: The proceeds of the meat
store and the pub belong from St. George’s day to St. Michael’s day to the
manorial estate; the other halve of the year to the community.
9: All the proceeds of the meat
store are for the good of all the community, and the meat shall always be of the
best quality and offered for reasonable prices, so the poor people will be able to
purchase it. At St. Michael’s day the community is to give to the landlord in
exchange for that privilege three Gulden.
10: The bridges and the roads
are to be tended by the settlers.
11: All the privileges and all
the land given to the community by the landlord cannot ever be revoked or changed.
Each householder has the right to handle to the best of his ability so it will
benefit the community, the landlord and the county also.
12: The settlers can take the
wood from the manor’s forest, where in emergency they can also cut the hay.
13: If the King and the Komitat
do not object, the settlers can have their own pastor at their own expense.
14: The settlers can sell their
property only with the permission of the manor.
15: The Judge and the Alderman
should assure that the vineyards are always kept in the best of conditions, so
everyone benefits from it.
16: The Judge and the Alderman
should remind each householder to work diligently as to prosper accordingly, so in
case he should die before time, his family members would have a livelihood.
17: Sunday is the day of rest.
All the settlers are to attend the church services.
18:
The widows and the orphans have to be respected at all times. At the death of the
householder the Judge and the Alderman should appraise the estate and report to
the landlord, who will be the father of the orphans from then on and assure that
the estate will not be mishandled so the poor orphans will not end a charity case,
even if they have to be raised at the costs of the community.
19: If an orphan inherits
assets outside of the community, he has the right to do with those assets as he
pleases, provided he pays to the landlord three Kreuzer from each Gulden.
20: Should there be a war and
the settlers have to flee, then they or their descendents have the right to return
to their homes after the war.
21: The settlers have the right
to have their pigs forage in the manorial forest. If the harvest is rich then the
fee per pig is 12 Kreuzer, otherwise the fee is seven Kreuzer.
22. Each householder and each
Beisitzer (tenant) is to pay by the end of the year thirty Kreuzer per person of
his household in lieu of work to the landlord.
23: We declare that we will be
following all those points as directed by the landlord.
24: Real-estate sale or
purchase is permitted, but for each Gulden of profit, the fee is three Kreuzer.
25:
We promise in the name of all of the community to uphold this agreement with
signing of our names.
26:
I, the landlord, promise to uphold this agreement myself, as well as all of my
descendents by signing in my own hand.
Signed on 28th
of September 1720
Landowner
Franz Kuhn
German
Settler representatives:
Johann Heinrich
Neun
Andreas Glits
Johan Heinrich
Schneider
Augustinus
Deckmann
