Lifetime Care in Peasant Families in the Final Period before Enfranchisement in the Kingdom of Poland, Based on Notarial Deeds

The article presents an analysis of lifetime care contracts in peasant families in the Kingdom of Poland during the final period before enfranchisement (1857–1862), when the land lords still had power over the peasant population. It presents various survival strategies of seniors in rural communities, indicating the place of lifetime care among them. It discusses the legal regulations according to which such provisions were made. The analysis included lifetime care contracts concluded in three poviats of the Kingdom of Poland located in the west (Konin poviat), in the centre (Grójec poviat) and in the south of the country (Stopnica poviat), which allowed for presenting the regional differences within the analyzed institution. The criterion for selecting individual poviats was the advancement of rental reforms occurring in their territory. A preliminary comparison was also made of the situation in this respect in the same poviats at the turn of the first and second decade of the 19th century. The article is based on notarial deeds prepared by offices operating in the abovementioned administrative units. The concluded agreements were subjected to a detailed analysis, with an emphasis on the standard of living that elders could achieve thanks to them. Additionally, the methods of dividing property and the wealth owned by peasant families were examined, because the signing of lifetime care agreements accompanied donations of real estate along with its value estimation. The analysis concerns primarily peasant families with rental farms, because they were the ones who made such records in notary offices.