This cottage (Kotten), built in 1784, is a small hall house with a low-sloping thatched roof. The building stood together with other cottages near the Niesing farm in Höveringhausen (Mettingen, Steinfurt district). It was “heured out,” meaning hired out to so-called “Heuerlinge” – those were people without their own land. Spinning and weaving provided a livelihood for many Heuerling families, who also had to perform regular work on their landlord’s farm.
Today’s Heuerhaus originates from the Reiner farm in Hüsede (Bad Essen, Osnabrück District). It is a former farmhouse dating from 1609, which was shortened in 1738 and divided into two equal halves by a partition wall. This allowed the building to be “heuered out,” meaning hired out to two tenants. Until 1932, the two halves of the house were always occupied by two parties. The annual rent was four talers for the half cottage and 20 talers for about three acres of land. That corresponds to about three-quarters of a hectare today. In addition, the tenants were obliged to work on the Reiner farm.
