„Mein Leib ruht in der Gruft, bis Jesus ihn verkläret...” Z dziejów samopomocy w cechu szyprów gdańskich w XVIII wieku

• Authors: Ewa Łączyńska

Title variants

EN

„Mein Leib ruht in der Gruft, bis Jesus ihn verkläret...” The history of mutual help in the guild of Gdańsk skippers in the 18th century

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

In the face of death and illness people could rely on their own savings or the support of their professional corporation. Guild aid took a form of direct subsidy coming from the common resources of the guild or money collections among members of the guild. The guild as an institution did not give large sums of money to one person. If somebody in a difficult financial position was given help, the financial aid was marginal. Traditionally, in November widows and children of skippers were given alms which never exceeded an average of 4–5 FL Alms were also given to other people who did not belong to the guild, but who turned for help due to their poverty or handicap. In 1752 2 FL was given to an unknown Isaac, 6 FL to “eine Blinde Frau Tarnedgradsche”, and as much as 10 FL to Frau Wincklersche – perhaps because she had a function of a guild courier. Fire victims, war refugees and other poor people without the means to live could count on help. The guild financed St. James’ s Church from its own means and voluntary money collections. In the church lonely and sick skippers found shelter. From 1767 in the accounting book of the funeral budget the names of skippers who remained in the church were recorded. In the years 1767–1773 three distinguished skippers stayed in the church. In 1782 the number of skippers living in the church rose to 12 people. In the following years the number of skippers was slightly lower – about 10 people a year. For many of them, the church was their last and only home, which can be proved by funeral benefits recorded in the budget. An important task of a guild was to help to organize a funeral through lending funeral devices, and making its members take part in the ceremony. There existed a funeral budget, which financed benefits for skippers and their wives. According to the procedure money from various members – the elders, widows, skippers and people who had paid to belong to the guild – was paid to the budget. | e preliminary payment to the funeral budget was added to the fee paid for the admission to the guild and it amounted to 12 FL The membership fee for three months was 18 grosz and 9 grosz for a skipper and a widow correspondingly. A courier called Verbotter collected membership fees. In the second half of the 18th century fees were collected by a woman-courier – Verbotterin. Fees were registered every quarter of the year in the main budget. A receipt was given every time a benefit was paid. The funeral benefit from 1722 1792 was 30 fl, next 40 FL, and from 1802 60 fl, which meant that the budget was in a good financial condition. Membership fees and preliminary payments to the budget constituted an important part of the guild’s income.

• Publisher: Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu
• Journal: Zapiski Historyczne
• Year: 2009
• Volume: 74
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 7-18

Contributors

author

Ewa Łączyńska

• Instytut Historii, Akademia Pomorska w Słupsku