Financial care for the vulnerable: Rise and decline of Holland orphan chambers

In the middle ages and the early modern period, orphan chambers were important urban institutions in a number of European regions. They ensured that orphans, the majority of whom lived with family or friends, received the inheritance that was rightfully theirs. Contrary to the much better known orphanages, orphan chambers did not deliver physical care but legal and financial care. Orphan chambers appointed guardians, oversaw their financial management, and kept inheritances safe. In some places, orphan chambers also developed financial services such as managing inheritances and funds to genera... Mehr ...