Dynamics of social and demographic development of rural settlements of the Central Black earth region in the 18th – first quarter of the 19th centuries

Abstract

Introduction. The article deals with socio-economic issues of the local history of the Central Black earth region in the 18th - first quarter of the 19th century. The demographic processes that took place in the village of Panikovets, Yelets district and the village of Pikalovo, Livensky district. The gender and age characteristics of the rural society are given, as well as statistical data on the forms of organization of family and clan groups.Materials and methods. This article is the result of a study of mass sources relating to the 18th – the first quarter of the 19th centuries. The materials for the work were the Landrad census of 1716, revision lists of 1782 and 1811, as well as “Economic notes on the plans for general land surveying” (1795 and 1832). Analytical comparison of information from the above sources is the main task of the study.Results. The subject of the study was aspects of the social development of two large settlements of the modern Lipetsk region. The authors come to the conclusion that the decrease in the inhabitants of the village of Panikovets in the epoch of Peter I exceeded the birth rate. In the future, stable improvements in demographic indicators were recorded in both villages. A significant increase in the population was observed in the second half of the 18th - first quarter of the 19th centuries.Conclusion. The predominant social group both in the village of Panikovets, and Pikalovo were odnodvortsy, who settled in this area back in the 17th century. The agricultural activities were hampered by the insufficient number of the peasants. The mention of the owner's peasants is found only in the sources of the end of the 18th century. The study made it possible to establish that in the beginning of the XIX century both in Panikovets and in Pikalovo, there was a tendency to expand the yards and increase the number of families. For a hundred years, there was an increase in the number of children in families. The local society was constantly integrating into the socio-economics of the nearest settlements. The rural society was a dynamic social organization.