Arrabona - Múzeumi közlemények 31-33. (Győr, 1994)

Dominkovits Péter: A Neuhold család tóközi birtoklásáról

On the Neuhold family's possessions in Tóköz (a historical outline of a medium-sized domain of the 18th-19th centuries in Győr country) Sövényháza, the one-time estate of the Jesuit College of Győr was given by Mária Theresa, in the summer of 1777, to Neuhold János, aulic councillor, for his loyalty and useful services. Thus the son of the Neuhold family was raised to the nobility in 1753. Having had success in his career, his heirs became the propietors of a domain exceeding 7,810 acres and were ranked among the most respected landed gentry of Gyor county. According to data dating back to the beginning of the 19th century, the domain had been continuously leased out, resulting in an annual family income of 20,000 Ft. Only sparse information is available as to the domain husbandry, based on plant growth, hay, the raising of stock and sheep farming. Compilation of this information would be a significant contribution to further research and intensive study, plus detailed analysis of proprietory, economic history, as well as agrarian ethnography of the county. Due to their costly way of life the family ran into so much debt during a period of three generations, that they were compelled to sell the domain of Sövényháza in the early 1840's. At that time Neuhold Ernst's parcel of land alone was encumbered by 185,000 coined forint debt. We have studied tendencies of insolvency and indebtedness plus the circle of creditors. The following conclusion has been reached: while the creditors of Neuhold János, the original land-owner, had ranged from the aristocrats like Count Széchenyi or Baron Splényi, through dignitaries of the Church to the Jewish merchants such as Wertheimer, those of his sons were prevalently from clerical sources (prebendal and foundation funds). This change is also indicative of the transformation in the order of relations, that is the second generation approaching, in many respects, the sphere of, for example, a county court judge in their choice of career. Other chosen careers would have been county administrator or positions in the military. A further transformation was an isolation between family members which occurred contemporaneously. The present essay not only outlines the history of a medium-sized domain, which in consideration of its borders was the most significant of Győr county, but also provides factual data of movement and migration of the county's nobility. Their pauperization was a general phenomenon, both national and local, which ran its course at a surprisingly rapid pace - within the relatively short period of three generations they lost their vast landed estates. Péter Dominkovits 125