Officials and Servants in Towns and Cities of Volhynia in the Second Half of 16th and the First Half of the 17th Century

The article looks into activity of officials and servants hired in the Volhynian towns and cities. Among them scribes played a particularly important role. In smaller towns there was only one scribe, but in larger towns, primarily of the county town status , there were two scribes – one for the council and one for the vogt. In private towns scribes were mostly noblemen, but in royal cities burghers prevailed in the post. Some scribes worked also as lawyers as their side job. Municipal finances were managed by “shafars” and interests of the burghers were secured by the “instigator”. The vogt and municipal servants carried out the instructions and orders of the city council and the court. The announcements in the cities were made by the herald. In emergency cases church bells were used to alert the citizens. Public order in the city was maintained by day and night guards. Punishment in the cities was carried out by the executioner. The articles also makes a mention of lower-ranking city servants , such as: canons, locksmiths, shepherds, and trumpeters.