Processen
Item
Country
BE
Name of institution (English)
FelixArchief (Antwerp City Archives)
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
dut
Contact information: postal address
Oudeleeuwenrui 29, 2000 Antwerpen
Contact information: phone number
0032 33389411
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
stadsarchief@antwerpen.be
Reference number
BE SA 167
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Processes
Title (official language of the state)
Processen
Language of title
dut
Creator / accumulator
Stedelijke rechtbanken (Courts of Antwerp)
Schepenbank
Date(s)
1500/1800
Language(s)
dut
Extent
13 storage units
Type of material
Cartographic Material
Graphic Material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Processen is part of the Rechtspraak (Judiciary) series of the Stadsbestuur (City Council) fonds. It contains judicial information, sentences, and related documentation. The Losse stukken uit processen (Loose pieces from processes) subseries also contains maps, sketches, portraits, and other graphic material.
The processes have been described and are available for online search by names of the plaintiffs or defendants or beginning/ending dates of the trials. Some of them report cases related to Portuguese New Christians in Antwerp. An example can be found in Processen supplement, 6103, which contains judicial information about the judicial inquiry conducted in 1608 against the brothers André Faleiro and António Faleiro concerning their religious practices. These two brothers were later persecuted by the Inquisition of Lisbon (Frade 2021, 281-288).
The processes have been described and are available for online search by names of the plaintiffs or defendants or beginning/ending dates of the trials. Some of them report cases related to Portuguese New Christians in Antwerp. An example can be found in Processen supplement, 6103, which contains judicial information about the judicial inquiry conducted in 1608 against the brothers André Faleiro and António Faleiro concerning their religious practices. These two brothers were later persecuted by the Inquisition of Lisbon (Frade 2021, 281-288).
Archival history
In the 13th century, the city of Antwerp kept its documents in the Town Hal, in a chest about two meters long, named "privilegiekom". The chest had 13 locks, whose keys were distributed among the city officials, and it could only be opened with the 13 keys. The development of the city and the growing complexity of its administration resulted in an increase in the number of documents. Therefore, the "privilegiekom" became too small to store all records. Prior to the French Revolution, the various city institutions headquartered in the Town Hall had the responsibility of keeping their own documents. However, in 1796, a city archivist was appointed to preserve and manage the archives. The city archive remained in the Town Hall until the first half of the 20th century. After that, the archive was moved to several different locations. During World War II, the most valuable documents were secured in a castle near Rochefort. In 1953, the archive was temporarily accommodated at Meirbrug. At last, on December 15, 1956, a new place in Venusstraat was inaugurated, and the city archives remained there for about 50 years. In 2006, the archive moved to the Sint-Felixpakhuis. Since then, it has been called the FelixArchief.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Schepenbank (Court of the Aldermen) was a court usually composed of seven members appointed by the "heer" (lord), under the chairmanship of the "schout" (sheriff), "drossaard" (landdrost) or "meier" (mayor), as the lord's representative. In some cities, as Antwerp, there were "dubbelheerlijkheden" (double lordships), whereby the lordship was divided between two lords, who often jointly appointed the members of the Schepenbank.
The presence of all "schepenen" (aldermen) was only required when pronouncing sentences in criminal cases. For other court hearings, the presence of five or two "schepenen" was sufficient.
That was the case of the Vrijwillige Rechtspraak (Voluntary Justice), which only demanded the presence of two "schepenen". It consisted of matters such as the registration of transfers of ownership, interest transactions, inheritances, etc. The "schepenen" also acted as guardians of orphans, and of mentally disabled or incapacitated people, and acted as protectors of their heritage and interests. They were also responsible for collecting the "belasting" (tax). For this specific task, they were assisted by "bedezetters" (tax officials) and "burgemeesters" (burgomasters).
The presence of all "schepenen" (aldermen) was only required when pronouncing sentences in criminal cases. For other court hearings, the presence of five or two "schepenen" was sufficient.
That was the case of the Vrijwillige Rechtspraak (Voluntary Justice), which only demanded the presence of two "schepenen". It consisted of matters such as the registration of transfers of ownership, interest transactions, inheritances, etc. The "schepenen" also acted as guardians of orphans, and of mentally disabled or incapacitated people, and acted as protectors of their heritage and interests. They were also responsible for collecting the "belasting" (tax). For this specific task, they were assisted by "bedezetters" (tax officials) and "burgemeesters" (burgomasters).
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The Processen series comprises one subseries (Losse stukken uit processen, i.e., Loose pieces from processes) and two units: Detailtoegang op de processen van de schepenbank (a detailed description of the processes composed in 2009, which are digitally available on the archive website) and Processen supplement (processes' supplements).
Finding aids
The Processen supplement subseries contains index cards by person name, place, and subject, available for consultation in the archive's reading room. The loose pieces from processes are individually numbered and described in detail in the archive.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Kevin Soares, 2022
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| FelixArchief (Stadsarchief Antwerpen) | Collections (official language of the state) |