Sergey Alexandrovich Nikonov,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Murmansk Arctic University, Murmansk, Russia, e‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Account Books of Bogoyavlensky Ukhtostrov of the 17th − First Half of the 18th Century (Composition and Features of Clerical Work of the Church Parish of the Russian North)
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2026-2-8
The article examines the complex of account books of Bogoyavlenskaya Ukhtostrovskaya volost of the 17th − first half of the 18th century, held in the collections of the State Archive of the Arkhangelsk region. The books were kept by elected church elders (clerks), and contained records of monetary and grain transactions. The article analyzes the degree of preservation of a set of documents, the procedure for record keeping, and reporting. Attention is drawn to the codicological features of the manuscripts. The significance of the identified source lies in the fact that it reveals the internal life of the peasant volost of the Russian North. Studying the books will help to understand the parish’s economic activities, identify the main sources of cash and in-kind revenues, and outlines the most typical items of expenditure for the purchase of necessary goods, construction and repair of churches, and residential buildings of the parish clergy. In addition, the sources provide material for the study of the religious life of the Epiphany Ukhtostrovsky parish (relations with the clergy, church holidays, especially revered in the area), reveal the interaction of the peasant world with higher secular and ecclesiastical authorities. The article highlights the specifics of volost record-keeping and the circulation of handwritten account books. In particular, the evolution of the document form is shown, and it is suggested that the diocesan authorities increased control over parish life at the end of the 17th century as a reason for the emergence of new types of parish documentation − debt collection books from former church clerks.
Publishing: 28/04/2026
The article has been received by the editor on 11/11/2025
How to cite: Nikonov S.A. Account Books of Bogoyavlensky Ukhtostrov of the 17th − First Half of the 18th Century (Composition and Features of Clerical Work of the Church Parish of the Russian North) // Historical Courier, 2026, No. 2 (46), pp. 119−128. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2026/ISTKURIER-2026-2-08.pdf]
Links: Issue 2 2026
Keywords: account books; Bogoyavlensky Ukhtostrov; church elder (clerk); Russian North