History and portrayal of Charłupia Wielka property in hands of the Walewskis, Kolumna court of arms, in the second half of 17th and in 18th century according to the inventory

Abstract

The villages of Charłupia Wielka, Rowy and Drzązny constituted the Charłupia Wielka estate, which lay in the Sieradz Voivodeship in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Until the 17th century it belonged to the house of Świnkowie, Malscy of the Nałęcz coat of arms and Zapolscy of the Pobóg coat of arms. As a result of marital contracts and legal lawsuits the lands came into the hands of Jan Franciszek Walewski, the pantler of Sieradz and his wife Bogumiła Konstancja of the Zapolscy family. In the 18th century the consecutive members of the Walewscy family of the Column coat of arms were the owners, namely Jan and Franciszek, the castellans of Rosprza as well as Jan Nepomucen, the Grand Standard Bearer of Sieradz. On the basis of the surviving inventories from the end of the 17th and from the 18th centuries one can follow the fortunes of Charłupia Wielka, Rowy and Drzązny. These domains, which thrived in the time of the Sieradz pantler, deteriorated at the beginning of the 18th century due to problems with creditors. The subsequent owners acquired the goods and undertook the repayment of liabilities. Throughout the century they invested in the properties, hence raising their value. Descriptions of the manor and land buildings show how much changed over the years. The manor became the seat of this Walewscy family line, and the variety of buildings showed that apart from farm work income, the owners drew financial gains from sheep farming and horse breeding. An important matter was also populating the goods, which underwent changes. Having overcome the crisis at the beginning of the 18th century, the number of dependent population increased, and so did the income from agricultural production. The fortunes of the Charłupia Wielka estate show how noble properties of the Sieradz Voivodeship tried to rise after the period of destruction of the Northern War as well as how the problem of debts and management was handled in different periods of economic situation.