Petercsák Tivadar: Nemesi és paraszti közbirtokosságok Heves Megyében (XVIII-XX. század) - Studia Agriensia 23. (Eger, 2003)
NOBLE AND PEASANT JOINT TENANTRY IN HEVES COUNTY (18th-20th CENTURY)
consequently in Heves County activities and the way they were organised were influenced by common law. The general assembly (Hung.: közgyűlés) not only decided upon all important economic questions but chose who should make up the membership from whom the functionaries were elected. The leader of the noble joint tenantry in Heves County was the director (Hung.: igazgató, Lat.: director), or the governor (Hung.: kormányzó). It was the task of the treasurer (Hung.: pénztárnok, számtartó, Lat.: perceptor) to see to the housekeeping and the handling of money. All noble joint tenantries had a notary (Hung.: jegyzó', Latin.: nótárius), and elected officials for the woodland, fields and pastures depending on the local circumstances. The noble village joint tenantry in Besenyőtelek was characterised by some curious internal regulations and individual official posts. Here the village law was already in place by 1769, which provided the one and only reference point for civil, public order and property cases. Woodlands tended to be in the joint custody of the gentry. From the 18th century, however, the joint tenants are frequently seen regulating the use of woodland by its members, peasants and cottagers in the interests of forest protection. The joint tenantry allowed peasants to collect dry wood for burning, their pigs to root out acoms, animals were allowed to graze in the woods and people could go and pick flowers. In return they were expected to do feudal service or give their landowners a tenth of their fatted pigs. A justice of the forest (Hung.: erdőbiró) was appointed from amongst the ranks of the nobility to ensure that the above took place properly, something for which he employed keepers (Hung.: kerülök:). Despite the constant reviewing of the forest regulations both the joint tenants and the peasants still managed to destroy the woodland. The joint tenantry also regulated the use of the common pastures. They marked out pastures for the various types of animals, the pasturage which could be used on a temporary basis, as well as what should be left fallow and what should happen to the mowed meadows and harvested cornfields. The collective regulated pasturage rights stipulating the number of animals each tenant was allowed to graze. Those responsible for animals which were found grazing on forbidden 293
