At the end of the description, the names of local inhabitants of Szigliget also appear. The document was signed by village judge Márton Zsiborács, as well as István Lukácsa, János Molnár, István Tóth, János Juhász, Mátyás Kovács, Ferenc Bakos, Márton Szabó, István Németh and Imre Hidasi. If we add to these names other surnames appearing in a census from 1780 — such as Fatér, Varga, Kosaras, Mátyás, Jánka, Gadácsi, Szántai, Sipos, Sóstai, Bakonyi and Kötél — they already sound far more familiar to modern ears in Szigliget, even though only sixty-five years had passed since the previous census. Such significant changes had already taken place in the composition of the village population within a relatively short period.
The urbarium survey of 1780 also included several clarifications compared to the document from thirteen years earlier. It states that there was sufficient pastureland and watering places for cattle, and that firewood could be collected freely from the forests. There was also a flour mill within the settlement’s boundaries, located where the present-day distillery stands. The survey praises the quality of the vineyards and wine production, and notes that the inhabitants of Szigliget also worked in the surrounding vineyard hills.
At the same time, complaints were recorded about the poor quality of the arable land, where wheat would not grow successfully, only rye, oats and maize. The lack of hay meadows remained a continuing problem, and the inhabitants also objected to the absence of a local market where they could sell their produce.
This situation changed in the early nineteenth century, when Szigliget obtained the right to hold fairs and markets. By then, the village already had at least three manor farms — Cifra, the Village Manor, and Patacs — indicating that economic life in the settlement must have been quite lively. After 1809, however, all three estates passed out of the hands of the Lengyel family. In 1818, Ciframajor belonged to Ignác Kiss of Taródháza, while Patacs and the Village Manor were owned by the Puteani family.
From the 1850s onward, the number of available historical sources increases considerably, allowing us to continue our analysis in greater detail. According to the Second Military Survey carried out in 1854–55, the area later known as the Kongó Manor, located between the Lesence and Világos streams, was marked as Schäferei, indicating that sheep breeding probably took place there, while the term Gestüt refers to horse breeding. The map also marks Ciframajor and several larger buildings in the village centre, which were the structures of the Village Manor still standing today.
Similar information appears on the boundary map of 1846, but the cadastral map of 1858 is an especially exceptional historical source. It identifies not only the estates of the landowners, but also the peasant plots by name. At that time, the agricultural lands of Szigliget were divided into 1,590 separate parcels, all indicated on the map signed by György Kovács, the village judge of Szigliget.
At that time, the outer lands were divided mainly between the Puteani and Forgách families, while the local population cultivated areas known as Réhely, Iharos, Outer Hill, Inner Hill, the Queen’s Skirt vineyard hill, Csuk and the Füzeskert district.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, we processed parish register data beginning from 1860. From this point onward, I would like to present the individuals who held various positions in Szigliget, since occupations were always recorded in the parish entries. The largest group — peasants, vineyard workers, day labourers and farmhands — will not be discussed here. Naturally, only those individuals who had children or served as godparents appear in this research.
We shall first examine the period between 1860 and 1890. The years shown in parentheses after each name indicate the date of the individual’s first appearance in the parish records. By 1860, there were probably already four manor farms in operation, as the Kongó sheep farm had also developed into an economic centre.
Let us first look at the employees of Kongó Manor. This estate remained the property of the Puteani family until 1910. Horse groom and horse-herdsman positions were held by László Bálint (1860) and later János Zöld (1889). Shepherds included István Szőke (1865), András Takács (1868) and Ferenc Kiss (1887). Lajos Rédei (1865) served as estate guard, Péter Major (1878) as forest ranger, and János Izsó (1889) as field watchman.
Lajos Molnár (1872), and later Lajos Egresi (1880), lived at Kongó Manor and worked as millers in the nearby mill. Mihály Német (1882) served as estate manager, while Lőrinc Bicsérdi (1884), and probably István Bíró (1887) as well, worked as coachmen.
Patacs Manor also belonged to József Puteani and was probably founded by him. Shepherds working there included Vendel Városi (1865) and Péter Altner (1876). It is worth mentioning that other members of the Városi family — János Városi (1865) and Mihály Városi (1867) — also worked as shepherds in Szigliget alongside a third brother, although the records do not specify at which estate they served.
József Tasler (1880) worked as swineherd, while Péter Somogyi (1881) served as cattle herdsman. It is evident that this was not a particularly large agricultural enterprise, though its workforce may have been supplemented by travelling Roma groups who repeatedly stayed in Patacs — something also reflected in the place name Kódisgödör. Children were born there to József László (1866) and Mihály Balogh (1867).