A Békés Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 33. (Békéscsaba, 2009)
Seres István: A pestis Kötegyánban és Sarkadon 1738-ban
A pestis Kötegyánban és Sarkadon 1738-ban PAPP 2003 Papp Sándor: Rákóczi József hatalomra kerülési kísérlete és a Porta. In: Tamás Edit (szerk.): A Rákóczi-szabadságharc és Közép-Európa. Tanulmányok a Rákóczi-szabadságharc kezdetének 300. évfordulójára. I. SRMF, 45. (2003) 243-247. ZSILINSZKY 1872 Zsilinszky Mihály: Szarvas történelme és jelen viszonyainak leírása. Pest, 1872. The pest in Kötegyán and Sarkad in 1738 (Data to the resettlement of Kötegyán)- István Seres - Resume Our study presents, primarily based on archive sources not used so far, the depopulation of Remete (Köteremete) village located in Bihar County and the repopulation of Kötegyán through the records remained on the pest epidemic raging countrywide between 1738 and 1743. The epidemic broken in Transylvania spread over Bihar County from south-western direction, the region of the neighbouring counties (Arad, Békés, Zaránd), first reaching Kötegyán and Sarkad. Despites the authorities’ steps for effective protection the epidemic soon became widespread, claiming 252 victims in Kötegyán and 452 in Sarkad. Details of the examined reports and a remained testimony contribute to clarifying the approximate time and circumstances of Kötegyán’s repopulation. This village was one of the region’s settlements coming into existence no earlier than the large-scale repopulation movements started after the Turkish were expelled and devastating impacts of Rákóczi’s independence war faded away from the region. In the region of the today Békés County more settlements stopped to exist or revived between 1731 and 1748. Primarily the permanent flood danger led to the depopulation of Fás, Gerla and Ne- meskereki and the establishment of Endrőd. Similar reasons may have caused the disappearance of Remete (Köteremete), located next to Sarkad, in the winter of 1737- 1738 when the local population moved to the plain of Kötegyán used by them earlier. Seres István MTA-ELTE Közép-ázsiai Kutatócsoport H-1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/D E-mail: istvan.seres@gmail. com 135 I
