The number and location of serfs in the European North of Russia in the late 1850-s

In the process of implementing the 1861 reform, in a number of uyezds of the northern provinces, regional authorities encountered difficulties caused by the small number of landowners’ possessions, which were not only scattered over their territory at a considerable distance, but were also small-scale. In order to reflect the general picture of the settling of the serf population in the European North of Russia, the author turned to the analysis of the quantitative composition of the categories of serfs listed on the eve of the abolition of serfdom in the Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Olonets provinces and the specifics of their settlement. The study is based on statistical data contained in the published work of A. Troinitsky, as well as in the office documentation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Vologda and Olonets governors. These materials were based on the results of the X People’s Census (revision) conducted in 1858. As a result, it was established that five groups of the serf population lived here, among which landowner peasants and household people significantly prevailed. It was revealed that the main concentration of serfs was observed in the Vologda province, while in the Arkhangelsk province they were practically absent. The highest percentage of them was concentrated in three southwestern uyezds of the Vologda province and in two southern uyezds of the Olonets province. The remaining part was scattered across six uyezds of the first and four uyezds of the second region.