Verzameling "raeckt den handel"

Item

Country

NL

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 Antwerp

Contact information: phone number

0032 33389411

Contact information: web address

Contact information: email

stadsarchief@antwerpen.be

Reference number

BE SA 174978

Type of reference number

Archival reference number

Title (English)

"Trade racks" collection

Title (official language of the state)

Verzameling "raeckt den handel"

Language of title

dut

Creator / accumulator

Stadssecretarissen

Date(s)

1315/1791

Language(s)

dut

Extent

29 storage units

Type of material

Textual Material

Scope and content

The Verzameling "raeckt den handel" series is included in the Handel en scheepvaart (Trade and shipping) subcollection. It contains documentation on trade agreements between communities or individuals that lived in Antwerp. Some of these agreements are also related to transactions of specific commodities. Given the importance of the New Christian merchant community in Antwerp, it is possible to find here evidence of their participation in commercial activities in Antwerp. It is the case, for instance, of a book containing information related to the Negro and the Spinola families, both New Christian families of Portuguese origin (1559-1561: N. de Negro en J. B. Spinola).

Archival history

In the 13th century, the city of Antwerp kept its documents in the Town Hall, 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 dealt with 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: corporate bodies

Access points: subject terms

Access points: document types

System of arrangement

The documentation is organised by communities, families, or commodities.

Finding aids

Links to finding aids

Author of the description

Kevin Soares, 2022

Bibliography

Item sets

Linked resources

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is part (item) of
Title Alternate label Class
FelixArchief (Stadsarchief Antwerpen) Collections (official language of the state)