Lepel district gentry at the turn of 18th–19th centuries

Abstract

The question of the distribution of the Belarusian gentry in cities, towns and rural settlements is poorly understood in Belarusian historiography. Specific data on the level of mobility of the Belarusian nobility are missing in the scientific literature. This determines the relevance of this study. The aim of the article is to clarify the place of residence of the Lepel district gentry of the Viciebsk province of the Russian Empire at the turn of 18th–19th centuries and to determine their level of mobility. The author of the article on the basis of archival sources comes to the following conclusions. Agriculture was the basis of the gentry’s activities, it identified as the main places of residence of its representatives villages, «okolitsy» and «zastenki» (about 77 % of the gentry of the Lepel district). About 4 % of the gentry of the Lepel district lived in townships. The proportion of gentry in towns was about 3 %. In the landed estates lived about 11 % of the Lepel district gentry. The «okolitsy» met most rarely in Lepel district among the settlements located in the countryside. The gentry changed their place of residence, first of all, in search of more favorable conditions for the lease of land, service in landlord estates, as well as for family reasons. The population of «zastenki», as a rule, did not exceed 20 people. For objective reasons, it was not possible to find out the place of residence of 5 % of the gentry of the district. Szlachta of the Lepel district was distinguished by a high level of its mobility: in the period from 1795 to 1819, at least 24 % of the gentry changed their residence, which seriously hampered the registration of this category of population in the Russian Empire.