Inleiding

The Zoendincboucen are the court records of a specific legal process: the peace procedures (or Zoen in Middle Dutch). These specific records were produced by the aldermen of the Ghedeele, one of the two colleges of aldermen of Ghent, who oversaw peace procedures. In this context they acted as judges and reached judicial decisions regarding the cases presented to them. The earlier of these registers date from 1349 and peace procedures are recorded until 1795.

Peace procedures where not designed to punish individuals who disrespected the law, like traditional courts of law (including the one operated by the aldermen of the Keure, the other caldermanly college of Ghent), but to mediate conflicts between citizens. They did so by requiring that perpetrators compensate the damages (social or physical) they caused to their victims. As such they imposed two types of punishments: Financial compensations to cover the medical cost of injuries, and expiatory pilgrimages to compensate damages caused to the honour of the victim.

Fysieke beschrijving

Part of a register on paper (394 folios) with later added folio and page numbers and, and underlined names. Cursive handwriting, fairly neat. Occasional added phrases, added at a later date.