THE JOURNAL OF REGIONAL HISTORY V.3 No.1 The Zemstvo Police in the Northern Governorates of the Russian Empire in the First Half of the 19th Century: The Size and Composition

Abstract

The article describes the size and the composition of the zemstvo courts of three governorates in the European North of Russia (Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Olonets) in the first half of the 19th century. Comparing the staffing charts and the accounting materials in relation to the officialdom bureaucracy, the author attempts to determine the available resources of the zemstvo police and concludes that, although the number of employees during the period under research was gradually increasing, even by the middle of the century it was still insufficient. Based on the data obtained from the grouped records of service, the composition of employees at the local zemstvo courts by class origin, age and level of education was analysed. The obtained figures show that during the period under research, in the northern Governorates, with a general shortage of qualified personnel, the career prospects of the police officials largely depended on their class origin, work experience and personal traits.

Keywords

• staffing
• zemstvo court
• officialdom (noble bureaucrats)
• civil service
• the arkhangelsk governorate
• the vologda governorate
• the olonets governorate
• european north of russia
• first half of the 19th century