Swedish Occupation: Saltpetersjudare: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:47, 5 January 2024

A Salpetersjudare collected urine soaked earth to assist with the production of saltpeter.

Saltpeter was a key ingredient of black powder (the first gunpowder.) Firearms had been invented around 1400 and required the use of black powder. At the time of Gustav Vasa, the army turned increasingly to the use of firearms. These firearms were charged with powder, which contained 75% saltpeter. Since a high concentration of saltpeter was contained in the earth under the barns, this earth was declared to be royal property. All farmers (the priests made sure that no one was forgotten) had to supply its quota imposed to the nearest salpetersjudare -- it was called the saltpeter tax.

In order to streamline and better control that all the manure soil was obtained during the war years of the "Stormaktstid", special salpetersjudare traveled around among the farming villages. They had the right to even break the stall floor if needed. Moveover, they were to be furnished with food and lodging by the farmer as long as the work was in progress. When they were finished, the farmers had to fill in the new earth themselves and make new floors in the barns. The farmers did not like this forceful practice which was repeated every five years.

After digging up the stable soil, the soil was put in an extraction vat which had a filter layer of sand on the bottom of the vat. The vat was filled with water to separate the soluble components. The Saltpeter solution was then scooped into the reduction pan, a flat copper basin on a hearth. There, the solution was boiled down producing a saltpeter brine. The brine was poured into another vat to crystallize. Copper sticks in this vat collected the crystals. The saltpeter was then scratched off the copper sticks and the rest of the brine went back to the reduction pan again.

From the middle of the 1700s everything that could give saltpeter was taken advantage of and collected, such as waste contents and rotten meat from the households in the cities. The compost was then boiled and leached. Working conditions were very difficult and the staff often consisted of female prisoners under the supervision of the salpetersjudare and guard personnel.

(Note: The correct spelling for saltpeter in modern Swedish is salpeter but in records before the 1900's is often found spelled saltpeter and the occupation as Saltpetersjudare. The correct spelling in English is Saltpeter. Saltpeter can be either potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.)

References:

Svenska wikipedia, Saltpetersjudare, http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salpetersjudare

Ulrich Bretscher’s Black Powder page, Saltpeter, https://web.archive.org/web/20160306081507/http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/saltpeter.html

Wise Geek, clear answers for common questions, What is Salt Peter?, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-salt-peter.htm

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-The Manufacturing of Saltpeter
-There is mention of saltpeter being used by the Greeks as early as ca. 1300 A.D. &nbsp; Saltpeter was one of the ingredients of the first gunpower, black power. &nbsp;Black powder was discovered around 1300 and was first used for fire crackers. Fire arms were invented around 1400 and required the use of black powder. This put a greater need for saltpeter than could be found in the natural form, so saltpeter had to be produced. The best source of material to produce saltpeter was in cow stables in the decomposing material. There the saltpeter boilers a distinctive profession, dug the soil from stables periodically and extracted the saltpeter. The Saltpeter digger would break open the floor of a stable with a pick axe and dig out the soil with the decomposing material (manure). This soil would later be processed.
-The farmers did not like to have the Saltpeter digger come but the diggers were backed by their governments who needed the black powder for defense. After digging up the stable soil, the soil was put in an extraction vat which had a filter layer of sand on the bottom of the vat. The vat was filled with water to separate the soluble components. The Saltpeter solution was then scooped into the reduction pan, a flat copper basin on a hearth. There, the solution was boiled down producing a saltpeter brine. The brine was poured into another vat to crystallize. Copper sticks in this vat collected the crystals. The saltpeter was then scratched off the copper sticks and the rest of the brine went back to the reduction pan again.
+A Salpetersjudare collected urine soaked earth to assist with the production of saltpeter.
-As the demand for more saltpeter increased the formation of Saltpeter plants began which produced the material for obtaining saltpeter as well as processing the saltpeter.
+Saltpeter was a key ingredient of black powder (the first gunpowder.)  Firearms had been invented around 1400 and required the use of black powder.  At the time of Gustav Vasa, the army turned increasingly to the use of firearms. These firearms were charged with powder, which contained 75% saltpeter. Since a high concentration of saltpeter was contained in the earth under the barns, this earth was declared to be royal property.  All farmers (the priests made sure that no one was forgotten) had to supply its quota imposed  to the nearest salpetersjudare -- it was called the saltpeter tax.
-Chemical engineers are now able to produce saltpeter using technical chemistry. It is generally manufactured by treating sodium nitrate, mostly mined in Chile.
+In order to streamline and better control that all the manure soil was obtained during the war years of the "Stormaktstid",  special salpetersjudare traveled around among the farming villages.  They had the right to even break the stall floor if needed.  Moveover, they were to be furnished with food and lodging by the farmer as long as the work was in progress.  When they were finished, the farmers had to fill in the new earth themselves and make new floors in the barns.  The farmers did not like this forceful practice which was repeated every five years.  <br>
-References:
+After digging up the stable soil, the soil was put in an extraction vat which had a filter layer of sand on the bottom of the vat. The vat was filled with water to separate the soluble components. The Saltpeter solution was then scooped into the reduction pan, a flat copper basin on a hearth. There, the solution was boiled down producing a saltpeter brine. The brine was poured into another vat to crystallize. Copper sticks in this vat collected the crystals. The saltpeter was then scratched off the copper sticks and the rest of the brine went back to the reduction pan again.
-Ulrich Bretscher’s Black Powder page, Saltpeter, http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/saltpeter.html
+From the middle of the 1700s everything that could give saltpeter was taken advantage of and collected, such as waste contents and rotten meat from the households in the cities.  The compost was then boiled and leached.  Working conditions were very difficult and the staff often consisted of female prisoners under the supervision of the salpetersjudare and guard personnel.
+(Note:  The correct spelling for saltpeter in modern Swedish is salpeter but in records before the 1900's is often found spelled saltpeter and the occupation as Saltpetersjudare.  The correct spelling in English is Saltpeter.  Saltpeter can be either  potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.)
+<br>
+'''References:'''
+Svenska wikipedia, Saltpetersjudare, http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salpetersjudare
+Ulrich Bretscher’s Black Powder page, Saltpeter, https://web.archive.org/web/20160306081507/http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/saltpeter.html
 Wise Geek, clear answers for common questions, What is Salt Peter?, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-salt-peter.htm
-[[Category:Swedish_Occupations]]
+[[Category:Swedish Business and Occupations]]