INDELTA BÅTSMÄN
Alotment boatsmen


Christian Andersson


    After the start of Karlskrona Örlog Station in 1680, thougts were expressed that they wanted a large number of boatsmen to be stationed in fairly close proximity to the city so as to be able to gather the men quickly when needed. Therefore they instilled the boatsmen alotment system, that is a system with alotted boatsmen. With the alotment system also smaller estates could be made to keep a boatsman. Instead the Crown subsidised the farmers for keeping the boatsmen by reducing their taxes.

    The first group of alotted boatsmen were picked from the counties furthest away. From the boatsmens districts in Finland and Norrland. From Finland 543 boatsmen were transferred, from Norrland 488, from Gästrikland 56 and from middle and the cities in southern Sweden 301. All in all 1350 boatsmen with families.

    Not all boatsmen took their families to Blekinge and Södra Möre and many returned home after their service ended. Their placement in the different parishhes were not randomly made, language and social aspects was most certainly taken into consideration.

    The Boatsmen were transferred to Blekinge and Södra Möre. This was the biggest forced people transferral during all of this period. The transfer took place in the beginning of the 1680ies.

    After the transfer there was 2300 alotment boatsmen in fairly close proximity to Karlskrona Station. The toughts were to enable it to man the ships quickly in case of war. The system with alotted boatsmen only existed in Blekinge and Södra Möre. On the other hand there was only boatsmen in this area, no alotted soldiers or cavalry.

    In additon to these boatsmen there was 42 boatsmen kept by the nobles and they also had standins. They were part of the same companies as the alotted boatsmen.

    The division below in company and number was valid from about 1719 and onwards. From the beginning Blekinge was divided into three companies. After that a short period followed when they were divided into 9 companies. At the latest 1724 they returned to three companies, probably a couple of years prior to that. Södra Möre boatsmen seems to have been divided into three companies during all of the period when this system ruled.


Read more about alotted boatsmen on Hans Högmans homepage  > > >



2010-09-25    Blekinge och Södra Möre båtsmän  - http://diginpast.se/bmregister   batsman@klaura.se

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