Oud Archief Suriname: Raad van Politie

Item

Country: SR
Name of institution (English): National Archives of Suriname
Name of institution (official language of the state): Nationaal Archief Suriname
Language of name of institution: dut
Contact information: postal address: Jagernath Lachmonstraat 174, Paramaribo
Contact information: phone number: 00597 430035
Contact information: web address: https://nationaalarchief.sr/
Contact information: email: info@nationaalarchief.sr
Reference number: SR-NA-1.05.10.02
Type of reference number: Archival reference number
Title (English): Old Archives of Suriname: Police Council
Title (official language of the state): Oud Archief Suriname: Raad van Politie
Language of title: dut
Creator / accumulator: Raad van Politie; Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie
Date(s): 1669/1828
Language(s): dut
Extent: 994 storage units
Type of material: Textual Material
Physical condition: Poor
Scope and content: This archive contains minutes of ordinary and extraordinary meetings of the Raad van Politie, later Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie (Court of Police and Criminal Justice), placards, publications, notifications, incoming and outgoing documents, petitions, memorandums containing decisions taken, and procedural documents concerning political and criminal matters.
Considering the importance of the Jewish communities established in Suriname and the jurisdiction matters of the Raad van Politie (Police Council) and the Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie, this collection contains relevant information on Sephardim dispersed throughout its holdings. It is the case, for instance, of a discussion on a letter by Samuel C. Nassy taken in a meeting of the Hof van Politie on October 7, 1689, which was recorded in the minute book of 1689-1692 (no. 1).
Archival history: The Town Hall at Kerkplein in Paramaribo, where the secretariat and the archive of the Hof van Politie were located, was destroyed by a fire in 1821. However, the archive was saved and transferred to the Gouvernementshuis (Government House). After the dissolution of the Hof van Politie in 1828, the archive was kept with the archives of the Government Secretariat.
Part of the archives of the Hof van Politie was arranged in Paramaribo in 1899 by A. Telting, deputy national archivist, who published a list of the documents in the "Verslagen omtrent 's Rijks Oude Archieven" (Reports on the Kingdom's Ancient Archives) in 1900. The archive was transferred to the Logeergebouw in 1908 for the proper preservation of the records.; (source: Bijlsma, R. 1919 (new version 2021). Inventaris van het digitaal duplicaat van het archief van het Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie en voorgangers, in Suriname, 1669-1828.)
Administrative / Biographical history: In February 1669, the Raad van Politie (Police Council), whose members had been appointed by Governor Lichtenberg, began to work. In addition, there was a separate Raad van Justitie (Council of Justice). After the death of Governor Heynsius in April 1680, the two councils were merged into one college. The establishment of the Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie (Court of Police and Criminal Justice) was determined by the patent of 1682 concerning Suriname. The governor had supreme authority in all matters of a political and military nature. Still, in important matters, he was obliged to convene the Hof van Politie and implement its decisions.
The court used to hold its regular meetings four times a year on the ground floor of the Town Hall (also Reformed Church) at Kerkplein in Paramaribo, where the secretariat of the court and the archives room were located.
The Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie was dissolved in 1828.; (source: Bijlsma, R. 1919 (new version 2021). Inventaris van het digitaal duplicaat van het archief van het Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie en voorgangers, in Suriname, 1669-1828.)
Access points: locations: Joden Savanna (Suriname); Paramaribo (Suriname); Suriname
Access points: persons, families: Nassy, Samuel C.
Access points: subject terms: Sephardim in the Caribbean; Jewish-Christian relations; Land; Legal matters; Trade and commerce; 17th century; 18th century
Access points: document types: State records
System of arrangement: The collection is organised by type of documents and chronologically.
Access, restrictions: Digital copies are available on:; The Nationaal Archief (The Hague) website
Links to finding aids: Bijlsma, R. 1919 (new version 2021). Inventaris van het digitaal duplicaat van het archief van het Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie en voorgangers, in Suriname, 1669-1828.; Inventaris van het archief van het Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie en voorgangers, in Suriname, 1669-1828
Existence and location of copies: Digital copies of this collection are available on the National Archives (The Hague) website:; Inventaris van het digitaal duplicaat van het archief van het Hof van Politie en Criminele Justitie en voorgangers, in Suriname, 1669-1828
Author of the description: Carla Vieira, 2023
Bibliography: Ben-Ur, Aviva. 2020. Jewish Autonomy in a Slave Society: Suriname in the Atlantic World, 1651-1825. Early Modern Americas. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.; Vink, Wieke. 2010. Creole Jews: Negotiating Community in Colonial Suriname. Leiden: Brill.

Item sets: WSD Roadmap; WSD Roadmap finais; WSD Roadmap Caribbeans

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Nationaal Archief Suriname