Land organisation in Finnish villages around 1700

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a study of 17th and early 18th century cadastral maps of villages in south-west Finland and Ostrobothnia. The maps have been analysed as to settlement structure, field systems and crop rotation but the focus of interest has been on the division of the land in the villages. Interesting variations in this respect have been found, with solskifte dominating in the south-west and more spontaneous forms of land division further north. The regional distribution of the various forms of landscape organisation by and large corresponds to the historical landscapes/provinces. A discussion of the historical background to these varied forms of land organisation concludes the paper.