Hi Keith The Dutch version is baljuw, but it is a term which has had many variant spellings over the ages: Bailluw, Baliow, Ballif. The linkage to the English term Bailiff can be clearly seen in these variants. A charter granted to the people of Holland on 26.05.1480 by Duke Maximilian notes in article 9 that [Van Leeuwen] "..no baljuw, schout, nor dikereeve, within the towns or villages, shall administer justice except in a public court... " (Source: see 1 below, Van Leeuwen p 353) The baljuw used also to enjoy 1/3 of all forfeitures occurring in their districts in all corporal and criminal cases; and for the other two-thirds they were obliged to account to the Count. (Van Leeuwen, p354) There was also a "Court of Baljuw and well-born men" - the Hooge Vierskaar. The South African Legal Dictionary, quoting Van Leeuwen, makes reference to a Baljuw (or Aesge) in early Frisian law too. (SALD, p 2) Jan Matthyse's Rechtboek v.d. Briel, written in abt 1400, also makes reference to the office of Baljuw. With respect to the word's "ancestry": Baljuw is most probably derived from the Old French Bailie, which in turn is derived from medieval Latin bajulus. Bajulus was i.a. the term for someone who bears burdens, also a letter-bearer (SALD, 60-61) Sources: 1. Van Leeuwen's Commentaries on Roman Dutch Law, Volume 2, translated from the original by JG Kotze (appellate div judge) [Van Leeuwen] 2. South African Legal dictionary, WH Somerset Bell [SALD] Regards Colin

Most Interesting. Thank you Take care, June Harris Reach for the Stars! -----Original Message----- From: south-africa-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:south-africa-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Colin Pretorius Sent: 25 September 2011 08:27 AM To: south-africa@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] Occupation: BALJU Hi Keith The Dutch version is baljuw, but it is a term which has had many variant spellings over the ages: Bailluw, Baliow, Ballif. The linkage to the English term Bailiff can be clearly seen in these variants. A charter granted to the people of Holland on 26.05.1480 by Duke Maximilian notes in article 9 that [Van Leeuwen] "..no baljuw, schout, nor dikereeve, within the towns or villages, shall administer justice except in a public court... " (Source: see 1 below, Van Leeuwen p 353) The baljuw used also to enjoy 1/3 of all forfeitures occurring in their districts in all corporal and criminal cases; and for the other two-thirds they were obliged to account to the Count. (Van Leeuwen, p354) There was also a "Court of Baljuw and well-born men" - the Hooge Vierskaar. The South African Legal Dictionary, quoting Van Leeuwen, makes reference to a Baljuw (or Aesge) in early Frisian law too. (SALD, p 2) Jan Matthyse's Rechtboek v.d. Briel, written in abt 1400, also makes reference to the office of Baljuw. With respect to the word's "ancestry": Baljuw is most probably derived from the Old French Bailie, which in turn is derived from medieval Latin bajulus. Bajulus was i.a. the term for someone who bears burdens, also a letter-bearer (SALD, 60-61) Sources: 1. Van Leeuwen's Commentaries on Roman Dutch Law, Volume 2, translated from the original by JG Kotze (appellate div judge) [Van Leeuwen] 2. South African Legal dictionary, WH Somerset Bell [SALD] Regards Colin ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SOUTH-AFRICA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message