Dutch term – Poorter

2 February 2015 by 2 Comments

A poorter was a burgher or freeman of a chartered town. Being a poorter conveyed several privileges:

  • Guild membership was often limited to poorters
  • Poorters often were exempt from paying tolls
  • Being a poorter was a requirement for many public offices

People could become poorters by being born to a poorter, by marrying a poorter’s daughter or by paying a fee. For some cities, the poorterboeken [burgher books] for people who paid to become poorters have survived and can give information about the place of origin.

Row of books with names of poorters

Index of poorterboeken, Amsterdam City Archives. Photo by author.

Filed Under: Dutch terms
About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer in the Netherlands. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certification of Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials. Yvette served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. Yvette has been doing genealogy for over 30 years. She helps people from across the world find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

Comments

  1. Sherrie Todd says
    11 February 2015 at 9:50 pm

    Trying to do a Name Meaning report for my step-father Karl Krauter Poorter… he is turning 90 in March…Is Poorter a Dutch name or a German Name. What is the meaning of Krauter?

    Reply
    • Yvette Hoitink says
      20 March 2015 at 2:56 pm

      Hi Sherry,
      Poorter sounds Dutch (citizen). Karl and Krauter sound German. I don’t recognize the word Krauter, but I do know the German word Kräuter, which means herbs.

      Reply

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