Villein Households of the Palóc Population, 1836–1843

Abstract

The structure of villein households and families of thirteen villages is analyzed with the help of relatively reliable data, which contain information for the period 1836–1843. The Palóc population forms a distinct ethno-cultural group, located approximately 50–120 kilometers northeast of Budapest in a separate region. In creating a typology of villein households, we took into consideration the real household structure. The Laslett categories were not used. In the thirteen villages, the proportion of nuclear families was very low (22 percent) until the mid-nineteenth century and joint families, involving direct and collateral relatives, were extremely important. The proportion of strangers, servants and unrelated individuals living in the family was insignificant. The size and structure of households and families was significantly determined by the age of household or family head. These structures were supposedly the result of the indivisibility of villein land, as well as other traditional factors.