TABLES
Table 16.1 Financial Profile of the Amsterdam Burgerweeshuis Inventories
(asset and debt values in guilders)1
Panel a.
Positive net worth—N
Column percentage
Median net worth
Negative net worth—
N
Column percentage
Median net worth
No valuation—N
Column percentage
Median net worth
Males
109
26.6%
69.4 guilders
251
Females
143
28.5%
77.8 guilders
276
Total
252
27.6%
76 guilders
527
61.2%
-73.5 guilders
50
12.2%
N/A
55.0%
-42.7 guilders
83
16.5%
N/A
57.7%
-54 guilders
133
14.6%
N/A
Males
181
81.0
110.4
202
49.5
93.6
28
48.3
58.6
Females
97
90.0
124.3
346
31.0
54.5
59
67.3
57.3
Total
278
82.6
113.6
548
34.3
66.8
87
62.9
57.3
Panel b.
Married—N
Median assets
Median debts
Widow(er)—N
Median assets
Median debts
Never Married—N
Median assets
Median debts
Source: Gemeente Archief Amsterdam, particulier archief 367, oud archief 652–88
1
Those with incomplete inventories are the so-called per memorie records. Typically, the family
information, location of the residence, the date of the bookkeeper’s visit, and the signatures of the
relevant surviving family members were still recorded in the usual fashion. What is missing is the list of
household belongings (presumably there were none) and the debts remaining to be paid (presumably there
were more than enough of these).
Column N
Table 16.2 Characteristics of Native and Immigrant Households
(column shares in percentages and values in guilders)
Both
Both
Man
Wife
Unknow
VOC/
A’dam
immigrant
A’dam
A’dam
n/NA
seafarers
394
53
74
128
264
32
Hansa port
origin
34
Assets < 15
guilders
15 – 200
guilders
> 200 guilders
33.8
18.9
16.2
22.7
24.9
37.5
23.5
45.5
43.4
41.9
53.1
53.2
34.4
44.1
19.8
37.7
41.9
24.2
21.9
28.1
32.4
Evidence of shop
10.7
37.7
21.6
22.7
12.1
12.5
26.5
Number of
rooms
1
62.6
40.6
51.0
59.7
57.7
69.2
59.1
2
17.2
25.0
20.4
10.4
11.7
7.7
13.6
3
3.0
12.5
12.2
7.8
7.2
7.7
13.6
4-12
7.2
21.9
14.3
13.0
9.9
2.1
13.6
10.1
0.0
2.0
9.1
13.5
15.4
0.0
180.3
407.6
282.8
213.6
232.1
193.8
183.6
40.5
93.5
87.3
60.5
56.0
69.0
63.5
336.6
584.5
393.4
596.7
220.8
378.7
305.0
71.8
193.3
108.5
103.3
67.7
62.4
136.2
Unknown
Mean Assets
Median Assets
Mean Debts
Median Debts
Source: Gemeente Archief Amsterdam, particulier archief 367, oud archief 652–88
Table 16.3: Ownership Shares of Exotic (or imitative) Goods by Household Characteristics
% with
porcelain
Full data N=914
% with
tea&coffee
% with
delftware
%with silk
fabrics
% w/chintz
fabrics
% w/cotton
fabrics
37.6
58.5
54.0
22.6
14.6
23.3
Assets < 15 guil.
N=250
4.8
8.0
12.5
0.0
0.4
2.8
15 – 200
guilders N=446
42.2
70.9
66.4
20.2
11.0
26.7
> 200 guilders
N=216
65.6
90.8
76.2
53.2
38.1
39.9
VOC/seafarers
N=32
25.0
43.8
43.8
12.5
6.3
28.1
Hansa port
origin*
N=34
44.1
67.7
55.9
17.7
8.8
26.5
Both A’dam
N=394
38.3
30.9
53.1
18.0
13.4
20.8
Both Immigrant
N=53
43.4
79.3
66.0
30.2
15.1
30.2
Man A’dam
N=74
48.6
78.4
67.6
24.3
20.3
32.4
Wife A’dam
N=128
39.1
64.1
61.7
23.4
16.4
28.9
Unknown/NA
N=264
31.4
48.9
45.5
26.9
13.6
20.4
Wealth groups
*Former Hansa towns from which individuals migrated: Bergen (2), Bremen (5), Copenhagen
(2), Danzig (2), Emden (10), Gothenburg (2), Hamburg (4), Koburg (1), Koningsburg (1), Lubeck
(1), Stettin (2), and Straalsond (1).
Table 16.4 Quantity of Porcelain and Coffee and Tea Goods
(as assessed for households with at least one of each item)
N of
households
w/porcelain
Full data set
Mean
pieces of
porcelain
Median
pieces of
porcelain
N of
households
w/tea&coffee
Mean
pieces of
tea&coffee
Median
pieces of
tea&coffee
343
28.9
11
534
9.8
3
12
2.1
2
20
1.2
1
15 – 200 guil.
188
16.9
8
316
5.8
3
> 200 guilders
143
47.0
23
198
17.0
6
VOC/seafarers
8
14.8
2
14
5.2
3
Hansa port
origin
15
17.2
12
23
10.3
5
Both A’dam
151
30.9
12
223
9.4
3
Both Immigrant
23
17.3
12
42
7.2
4
Man A’dam
36
17.3
9
58
5.9
2
Wife A’dam
50
25.4
11
82
5.9
2
Unknown/not
married
83
35.6
10
129
11.7
3
Wealth groups
Assets < 15
guil.
Table 16.5 Asset Thresholds for Possession of Exotic (or imitative) Goods
(all asset values in guilders)
porcelain
tea&coffee
delftware
silk
chintz
cotton
VOC/seafarers
lowest asset value
**density value
29.0
29.0
29.0
29.0
7.0
7.0
313.2
313.2
107.5
only 2
total
31.9
122.5
16.0
16.0
Hansa port origin
lowest asset value
density asset value
26.7
122.5
14.5
14.5
13.0
13.0
64.5
154.0
273.8
only 3
total
62.5
237.0
14.5
14.5
Both A’dam
lowest asset value
density asset value
0.5
35.0
5.8
13.0
6.0
10.8
30.5
61.0
12.0
58.5
10.8
26.0
10.0
10.0
Both Immigrant
lowest asset value
density asset value
26.7
88.0
9.5
9.5
14.5
14.5
60.1
232.8
69.5
352.2
31.5
31.5
14.5
14.5
Man A’dam
lowest asset value
density asset value
14.5
120.0
14.0
22.0
13.0
13.0
107.5
257.5
95.0
243.0
14.5
32.0
13.0
13.0
Wife A’dam
lowest asset value
density asset value
3.5
72.0
16.0
29.2
9.5
9.5
49.5
112.5
48.5
98.4
25.0
58.5
14.0
22.8
Notes:
* Lakens were the traditional woollen fabric characteristic of high quality, yet ordinary clothing
for the Low Countries and the North German lands.
** The asset value at which ownership becomes ‘dense’ is measured separately for each item
depending on the density of possession for that item in the total sample. For example,
delftware is considered to have reached a density of ownership only when at least half of the
households in the given sample possess at least one piece. By contrast, silk is considered to
have achieved density when one-third of the households possess at least one item.
*lakens