Ever since the Middle Ages (after the
Reformation and the
time of the Monasteries) the churches took upon themselves the care of
the poor
within their individual parochial boundaries. Every
parish established its own rules for carrying out these
diaconal
tasks. Revenues were, for the most part,
derived from church goods and properties (pastoralia) and at times from
donations. Until the end of the 18th
century, the churches were essentially independent in their
implementation of
poverty relief. However, the time of
Napoleon brought changes to this. It most
certainly brought greater interference by the (local) authorities. The
municipal councils began to appoint the guardians
(usually three) to look after the poor of each village. From
about 1809-1810 these local guardians
had to give a yearly accounting to the “grietman” (mayor) and the
municipal
council, usually after these accounts had first been ratified by the
taxpayers during
a public meeting in the church.
The guardians,
as well as the governors of the poorhouse – without exception belonging
to the upper
socio-economic strata (the elite) of the village – were expected to use
their
own socio-economic theories in their support the needy.
Therefore, some of the poor received a weekly
allowance, others were given support “in natura” (an amount of peat,
payment of
account at the baker’s, the cost of a midwife or doctor, and, when all
else
failed, their burial, etc.). At times
they paid the rent for a house, or provided them a house(usually
small) belonging to one of the
guardians. Sometimes the guardians
arranged for board and lodging for seniors and orphans in other
people’s homes. And so the guardians were
able to meddle
intimately and forcefully in the life and wellbeing of the poor of the
community, and since this was of necessity rather arbitrary at times,
it in
turn gave reason for complaints to the municipal council.
The guardians and the deacons, for instance, decided
on the amount of rent for guardian housing and deaconry dwellings
amongst
themselves, which, of course, could be expected to provide its own
“argewaasje”
(problems).
In the municipal archive of Ferwerderadeel old documents were
found
by Klaas Leen of the various towns showing what the Guardianship of the
poor/Armvoogdij paid to or for the poor in a particular year:
