Swe-Eng Genealogy Dictionary

Some old and odd terms I encounter in my ancestral reasearch are very hard to translate to english. Here is an attempt of a list. As you will notice, there are questionmarks. I'd appreciate any help with the questionmarks, or with any errors.

hantverkare = craftsman/craftsmen

lärling = apprentice

gesäll = journeyman

mästare = master

gesällbrev = apprentice letter

mästarbrev – master letter

skrå = guild
burskap = burghership, in cities this was an important social divider, much like land-ownership was on the countryside

snickare, timmerman = carpenter

murare, stenhuggare = mason
konterfejare = contrefait
bildhuggare = sculptor
skomakare = shoemaker
smed = smith, blacksmith
guldsmed = goldsmith
garvare = tanner
sadelmakare = saddler

kyrkan = the church

socken =  parish

kyrkbok = parish register

husförhör = catechetical

husförhörsbok = catechetical record

vigselbok = marriage register

dödbok – death register

dopbok = baptism register

födselbok = birth register

begravningsbok = funeral register

vigselbok = marriage register

vigsel, bröllop = wedding

präst = priest

kyrkoherde = vicar

komminister = curate

klockare = sexton

tionde = tithes

jordbruk = husbandry 

mantal (hemmantal) = The medeaval English term "hide" has the same meaning and use. A measure of the wealth of a farm, not a simple unit of area, as it depends on the productivity of the land, but usually about 6 tunnland (see below), which was about 30,000 square-m. Around 1600, one mantal was considered what was necessary to support one (large) family, including some maids and farm hands. 300 years later the growing population had forced the farms to split in smaller units, averaging 1/4 mantal,, which one could only live on thanks to improved farming methods, and with a tight standard. By then farm of one mantal is a large farm or even a manor. The land tax was related to the number of mantal you owned, so the tax was in effect higher for good farming land, and lower for less fertile land.
tunnland = The amount of field(s) that one could seed with one barrel of seed. In 1630 fixed to be 14000 square-alnar = 56000 square-feet ~4937 square-m. Aln= cubit, or about 0.59m.

hemman = homestead (~farm large enough to support one familly)

hemmansägare = yeoman, to own your land, if even 1/4 mantal, was a very important social divider
hemmans-splittring = Division of homestead, typically because more than one child needed a farm to provide for their families. From 17th to 19th century it lowered the median fram size from 1 to 1/ mantal to 1/4 mantal, but it could go as far as 1/16 mantal. Then the farmer would still proudly call himself "hemmansägare" (even on the grave stone), but the family would be only marginally better of than a crofter (no corvée).

åbo, landbo = Farmer whom lives on and farm someone elses land. Not able to call himself "hemmansägare".
ödeshemman = Abandoned farm. For example, the black death caused a lot of "ödeshemman", some never to be repopulated.

åborätt = Legal and sometimes inherited right to use someone else's land

avraden = Annual fee payed by the leae to the land owner

arrendera = lease

arrendator = tenant, lessee

frälsebonde = Farmer whom leased land from a nobility land owner. Instead of paying tax to the government, they payed an annual fee to the land owner and and had to perform corvée service

frälsehemman = dito farm

kyrkobonde = Farmer whom leased land from the church and payed an annual fee to the church and had to performe corvée service. Before the reformation the owner could also be a monastery.

kyrkohemman = dito farm

kronobonde = leasehold farmer (Farmer whom leased land directly from the government, usually over 6 year periods with annual fees to pay. From the late 17th century the right to lease the land could be inherrited, and from early 18th century the farmers had the right to buy the land from the government.)

kronohemman = dito farm

dagsverk = corvée

avrad = annual fee payed by the farmer whom used the land to the land owner, the government, nobility or church

skattebonde = freehold or fee simple farmer? (farmer whom owns his own land and only pay tax to the central government)

skattehemman = dito farm

undantag = Small part of a farm, either with it's own cottage or 1-2 rooms in the farm-house, where the old farmer and his wife retired, while a new generation took over the farm. One usually agreed on what fraction of the harvest (meat, egg, milk, flour etc) and what help they had right to, and what they should help the younger couple with. The "undantag" was not always on the farm where the old couple had previously worked, but it could be on a farm where one of their children had established him/her self with a family, and enough room and harvest for the older couple, and need of their help with for example the children.

torp = croft (cottage which usually included some land, 1/16 to 1/8 mantal or less)

torpare = crofter (some crofters owned their cottage and land and then payed tax to the government, but most leased the croft from a farmer, often on contracts as long as 50 years, and payed an annual fee and did corvée service)

backstuga = small hut, typically 15 square-m, without any land, often half way built into the side of a hill (like a small hobit house ).

backstugesittare = The people who lived in the hut, often old and poor people, sometimes poor low status crafters, like the parish-cobbler. They may own the hut, but not the land. They payed no tax and served no corvée.

bonde = peasant

husbonde = master

piga = maid, usually unmaried

dräng = farmhand, usually unmarried
husman = Person who owned a house on the country side, but no farming land, and worked as a craftsman or farmhand/maid for farmers in the area. Most common in Skåne, just like "husmand" in Denmark.

tjänstehjon, legohjon, tjänstefolk = servants including maids, farm hands etc

legohjonsstadgan = the law controlling the relation between servants and their masters

slankveckan = Last week in October, the only week in the year when servants were allowed to change master and begin a new contract, so this was the week when a lot of people moved. No payment were received for this week.

statare = contract workers on big farms, brickyards, quarrys etc following legohjonstadgan, payed in-kind mostly with accomodation (very crowded and low quality) and food, allowed to marry

inhyseshjon = person who lives on a property without working at the property

fattighjon = pauper

rotehjon = pauper rotated between the farmers in a ward in order to share the responsibility to feed the person

herrgård = mansion
trädgårdstomt = garden plot  

legal and administrative terms, myndigheter

ålderman = alderman, elected leader/spokesperson of the farmers in a parish
mantal = see above
mantalsskriven = registered for census

mantalsbok = census book

jordebok = cadastre book, register over all land properties and their owners
bouppteckning = estate inventory

dödsbo = estate

myndig = age

omyndig = minor

förmyndare = guardian

änka = widow

änkeman = widower

domare = judge

härad = district

häradsrätt = district court

häradshövding = circuit judge

län = county

landshövding = governor (for a county)

kommun = municipality

arvskifte = inheritance

morgongåva, hemgift = dower

frälse, adel = land tax exemption class, nobility
länsman = bailiff
fjärdingsman = country constableskogsvaktare = forester, gamekeeper
jägmästare = gamekeeper, game warden
hejderidare, heidridare =  Forester on horse, ranger, with special task to watch the oak trees, which all belonged to the king for the navy's need, farmers where only allowed to use the acorns, no parts of the trees, punishments where harch, and the hejderidare could arrest the farmers on spot. Covered larger areas. As far as I've been able to figure out, there were only 2-4 of them in each of Västergötland and Småland counties.

militär = military

generalmönstring = general muster

mönstringslista = muster list

indelningsverket = allotment system

soldat = soldier

ryttare = cavalry soldier

båtsman = boatswain, marine soldier, alloted in certain coastal regions and in the cities

menig = private soldier

rote = ward, ”root”, group of farmers responsible to provide for one soldier

rotebonde = ward farmer

rusthåll = Cavalry arm householder. Farmers in a rote whom provided for the cottage, horse and equipment of a cavalry man. Were exempted from tax. Had a certain status among the farmers.

soldattorp = army soldier's croft

båtsmanstorp = navy boatswain's croft

ryttartorp = cavalry soldier's croft