Rural Residents

Change came in the 17th century when farmers started producing for trade, leading to the emergence of agricultural businesses. As the century progressed this brought major changes for rural communities. People living in rural areas started practising trades such as dressmaking, shoemaking, weaving, shipping and commerce. The service and manufacturing industries were also on the rise. Social structures and occupations in the countryside differed in each province of the Netherlands, and sometimes within provinces. The provinces of Holland, Friesland and Zeeland made a strong commitment to specialising in agrarian commercialisation. Gelderland, Overijssel, Brabant, Limburg and Drenthe lagged a little behind, but trade was taking place in these provinces, too, gradually changing the rural economy. Farmers in Groningen bred beef cattle for Denmark, and in Drenthe farmers also traded livestock.