Kadasterrol

Kadasterrol is a historical term for a land-record roll used by cadastral authorities in Dutch-speaking regions to document parcels, owners, and related rights. The word combines kadaster, the cadastre or land registry, with rol, meaning roll or register. Kadasterrollen were usually parchment or vellum rolls maintained by the land registrar and served as official proof of title, tenure, and taxation.

Historically, kadasterrollen appeared as governments expanded land administration in the early modern period. Each roll typically listed parcels by locality and included fields such as parcel number, area, boundaries described by landmarks, owner or holder, tenure type, and notes on encumbrances or disputes. Surveyors, notaries, and local officials contributed information, and updates occurred after transfers, divisions, or surveys.

Function and use: Kadasterrollen functioned as primary evidence in property transactions, inheritance, and litigation, and supported tax assessments and public works planning. They provided continuity of ownership records across generations, even when owners died or migrated.

Preservation and legacy: In many regions, kadasterrollen were superseded by modern cadastral databases. Some rolls survive in archives as historical sources, occasionally supplemented by microfilm or digitization. Today, the term is mainly of historical and scholarly interest, while contemporary practice relies on digital cadastre systems maintained by the national or regional cadastre authorities.

Relations and see also: Kadaster, cadastral map, land registry, notary, property law.