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20:10 Sep 9, 2011
German to English translations [PRO] History / Genealogy
German term or phrase:Hufen and Instenstellen
In a list of freed serfs who acquired land / property upon the abolition of serfdom in northern Germany, the list is categorized according to "Hufen" and "Instenstellen". I've read elsewhere that "Hufen" were farmers who acquired fairly large parcels of land, but would like a more accurate translation of both terms.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 13 hrs (2011-09-10 09:27:18 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Under Dane Law the terms used for parcels of land included oxgang, virgate, carucate and bovate. I don't know whether there are any equivalences with the German terms, but you may find something here useful:
I'm not sure whether youre looking for the units of land or the people who farmed them.
If you go to the end of the Wiki article theres quite a bit about English measurements too, and from there Googling oxgang, virgate, villein, feudal system etc, should help you further.
What does seem clear is that Hufe were "bigger and better" than Instenstellen.
Hufe - refers to a unit of land. different sizes (Klein-, Land-, etc.) average seems to have been around 30 to 40 ha. (Landhufe listed as 30 Morgen) - often leased to one family over generations. - possibilites freeholders, villeins, copyholders etc.
...(the villeins) who each held and farmed a virgate (30 acres) or a bovate (15 acres) consisting of many scattered strips or selions of arable land... The villeins were anciently bound to provide large amounts of labour on the lord’s farm... This labour service was replaced by an annual rent, probably by c.1200. ...
.... Freeholders enjoyed a higher status than the customary tenants (copyholders). They were required to attend the lord’s court and swear loyalty to him but owed him no fee or labour service... www.leicestershirevillages.com/uploads/part1.landandpremise...
Instenstellen - either a few acres of land or just a garden, so definitely lower down the ladder than the Hufe - see
Insten (Gutsarbeiter, Knecht) - cottager, sharecropper.
...the bordars were cottagers and smallholders and they may have been the workforce of the villeins and freemen....
A ‘virgater’ would thus be a peasant who occupied or worked this area of land [30 acres], and a ‘half virgater’ would be a person who occupied or worked about 15 acres
I think this was from Wiki... have to check ;)
for a general translation I dont think many lay people would necessarily know what a virgater is tho most would be familiar with cottager and freeholder etc.
sorry - that all looks a bit confused when I look at it, most of the examples are from the leicestershirevillages.com link. Mainly just wanted to list some options that can be googled:
freeholder, villein, virgater, bordar, cottager, sharecropper, smallholder etc. and the units of land already mentioned.
The translation workplace 
