From here on, the historical pattern of those farm places had been established and recorded fairly well: Proof can be found in the “Registers”of the compulsory tax for the year 1543 A.D. with details about the tax contributions of the two Hollenberg families as shown below:
Contribution to Church and Crown
During the year 1543 A.D. the two Hollenberg estates had to make the following obligatory payments based upon existing records:
Hermann ton Hollenberg
Joan ton Hollenberg
Geldpacht (lease-pay)
2 Gulden
2 Gulden
Herbstschatzung (tax
assessment on fall-harvest )
9 Schillinge
9 Schillinge
Markengeld (tax on acreage)
1 Ort=1/4 Gulden
1/2 Gulden
A little later, in the year of 1603, the payment of “Markenrente” (= annuity for acreage) is, documented for both: -- Erich Hollenberg and Luike Hollenberg --.
Again, 20 years later – 1623/24 –, the “Inventarium” of the archives of the Prince of Solms list the place of “Jo-han to Hollenberge” and “Lueke tom Hollenbergh” (=Niederste Hollenberg).
At that time, both were subject to tithe payments to the Count of Tecklenburg.
In 1707 A.D., the Kingdom of Prussia acquired the County of Tecklenburg, and that included the Parish of Cap-peln. Consequently, that whole district became subject to tithe to the King of Prussia.
Another listing from the year 1770 A.D. shows the parish of Westerkappeln with 106 farms (of a given size) all subject to the tithe to the King of Prussia.
As a consequence of the “tithe” obligations which the operating family farm had to fulfil against the authorities (Church and Crown) and the change of the general economic climate due to the upcoming industrialization, the tenant farmer (“Heuerling”) were caught in between – without their fault.
This forced them virtually to look for additional income on the side in order to make a living: For some time, the handcrafted linen production in the area served this purpose, whereby special “linenkeepers” kept the trading routes on foot open into nearby Holland and the coast-line.
The invention of the spinning and weaving machinery brought this activity to a near halt and intensified the emi-gration across the Atlantic for this kind of workers and their families.
Another side effect of the “obligation to the landlord” was that practically all farms had to deliver local services to the community within their parish. It meant e.g. providing horse-drawn vehicles when needed to build roads or transport material and equipment. Each parish had to bear the cost for his roads. (incl.: stone-breaking, excavati-on, side-ditches etc.). The cost of those projects was distributed and billed against the farmers.
It took nearly another 100 years, after Napoleon had shaken Europe, that all those different mixtures of obliga-tions against Church and Crown could be revoked by making a one time payment in hard money (Rtlr. = Reichs-taler) to the authorities. Only now was the famer totally free to deal with his possessions at will.
The amount involved for this “Freikauf” (= payment for release) could easily go into several thousand Rtlr. which many farms had difficulties to manage. The sum of this ”payment for release” added up to a factor of 20 to 30 times of all taxes, services and some soft-historical rulings, like getting marriage permission from the landlord.
Thus and in total, it was a chance – even a costly one – for the family farms in our region to free themsenves of those obligations of serfdom which had been levied upon them throughout the feudalistic period in the Middle Ages.
Some details of the two Hollenbergs in the locality of Hambüren, taken from the same register in 1770 A.D. are presented below:
Now the two names had been firmly established:
---- Niederste Hollenberg
---- Oberste Hollenberg
The size and other particulars oft the two Hollenberg estates are around 1770 A.D. as follows:
---- Stephan or Oberste Hollenberg --- (around 1770 A.D.)
Size oft he farm: 265 Scheffel, 34 Ruten, 1,5 Fuß.
Livestock: 8 cows.
Payments to the „Tithe“ owner: (= King of Prussia): 98 Rtlr., 9 Ggr., 11 Pfg.
Plus: 1 “ Leibzucht” = small house or hut where a farmer was allowed to spent his retirement.
Plus: 2 “Heuerhaus” = small house or hut with a minor lot of land which was rented to families of Farm laborers.
In 1862 A.D. Jörgen Heinrich Oberste Hollenberg was Colonus.
In 1907 A.D. Wilhelm Oberste Hollenberg was Colonus with 4 “Heuerhäuser” belonging to the farm.
---- Luike or Neerste Hollenberg (Niederste Hollenberg) --- (as of 1770 A.D.)
Size of farm: 249 Scheffel, 36 Ruten, 7 Fuß.
Livestock: 9 cows, 5 young bovine cattle.
Payments to “Tithe” owner: (King of Prussia): 106 Rtl., 21 Ggr.,
Plus: 1 “Leibzucht” = (see above!)
Plus: 3 “Heuerhäuser” = (see above!)
In 1862 A.D. Gerhard Wilhelm Niederste Hollenberg was Colonus.
In 1907 A.D. Colon Niederste Hollenberg had 1 “Heuerhaus” and 2 Leipzucht-owners: Nr. 10b, miner