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Country
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BE
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Name of institution (English)
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FelixArchief (Antwerp City Archives)
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Language of name of institution
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dut
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Contact information: postal address
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Oudeleeuwenrui 29, 2000 Antwerp
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Contact information: phone number
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0032 33389411
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Contact information: email
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stadsarchief@antwerpen.be
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Reference number
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BE SA 266568
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Type of reference number
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Archival reference number
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Title (English)
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Vierschaar (court) books, also containing the Poorters (burghers) books
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Title (official language of the state)
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Vierschaarboeken (bevatten ook de Poortersboeken)
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Language of title
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dut
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Creator / accumulator
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Hoge Vierschaar
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Date(s)
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1520/1795
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Language(s)
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dut
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Extent
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24 storage units
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Type of material
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Textual Material
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Scope and content
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The Vierschaarboeken (Vierschaar books) are part of the Hoge vierschaar (High Court) series of the Stadsbestuur (City Council) fonds. It comprises judicial information concerning cases judged by that court. This series also contains the Poortersboeken (Burghers' books), in which over 28,000 immigrants were registered after their arrival in Antwerp. These names have been listed and are currently available for an online search. The information available in the archive database refers to the name, place of origin, and in some cases, also the occupation and the father's name of each individual. Florbela Veiga Frade (2006 and 2021) identified 58 burghers of the "Nação Portuguesa" (individuals of Portuguese origin) who were registered after arriving in Antwerp, between 1523 and 1666, mostly using the Poorters books. Some of them were Rodrigo Paz, who had arrived from Andalusia (Poortersboecken, 1533-1538, part I, p. 4), António Fernandes Lopes (Poortersboecken, 1541-1544, p. 2), Manuel Rodrigues, son of Rodrigues de Évora from Lisbon (Poortersboecken, 1533-1544, part II, 1559-1566, pp. 104-105), Diogo Rodrigo de Paiva (Poortersboecken, 1609-1795, part IV, 14/1/1609-24/4/1620, p. 16) and Gonçalo, Duarte and Fernando Ximenes (Poortersboecken, 1609-1795, part IV, 1/3/1620-10/12/1636).
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Archival history
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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.
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(source: FelixArchief website)
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Administrative / Biographical history
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The Vierschaar court dealt with criminal cases, disputes between individuals, and matters such as granting burghership or emancipation affairs. The sessions of this court were held with open doors and the punishments applied could include torture or the execution of the accused.
As to the Poortersboecken (Burghers' books), their creation is related to the fact that all foreigners who arrived in Antwerp prior to 1795 could only become full citizens by buying the "poorterschap" (citizenship). These new citizens were registered under the authority of the Hoge vierschaar (High Court). For the period from 1390 to 1443, the data of nearly 9,000 new Antwerp residents can be found in the Geberderde Daechseelboecken (Leatherbacked books) of the archives of the Hogere Vierspoel. From 1533 to 1795, the new "poorters" (burghers) were registered by an official of the Vierspoel at the Poortersboeken.
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Sources:
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Davies, Charles Maurice. 1851. The History of Holland and the Dutch Nation. Vol. I. London: G. Willis.
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Felix-Archief website: Hoge vierschaar
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Felix-Archief website: Stadspoorters in beeld
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System of arrangement
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The collection is divided into 34 volumes, organised chronologically.
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Author of the description
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Kevin Soares, 2022
