Maintenance Expenses of a Piarist College Student in the Mid-18th Century (Based on the Example of Chelm)

Abstract

In research into the history of Piarist education in Poland, little attention has been paid to the material conditions of pupils in colleges run by this order. This was mainly due to the lack of useful sources for this issue, as there are none in school records. They can be found in various records, an example of which is the register of expenses incurred by Aleksander Dunin for the stay of his stepson Stanisław Go-ski in Chełm in the years 1749–1753 in connection with his studies at the local Piarist college. The author entered the register in the Lublin municipal records during a court case with other stepchildren. They were probably courting their stepfather for things left over from their brother's untimely death in 1770. It turned out that 185 zlotys had to be spent on a student's stay there during the school year. This amount included payment for housing, clothing, footwear and fuel for his board and that of the stall supervisor (‘headmaster’) and also his salary. This amount was relatively high and only the rich and middle-class nobility could afford to spend it. It could buy 5-6 horses or a couple of oxen. Involving a pedagogue to supervise a pupil during the time outside the college was probably burdensome for him or her, but it served to more effectively achieve the didactic and educational goals while studying at the college.