Purchasing an erbliches Colonat did not imply that the holder became a full-time farmer in the modern or even the classical peasant sense. What it primarily effected was a change of Stand: from landless resident (Einlieger) to independent householder and hereditary tenant (Colon). That change carried fiscal, legal, and social consequences, but it did not dictate occupational exclusivity.

For someone identified as “Schneider von Beruf”, the Colonat was typically used as a subsistence and stabilizing base, not as a replacement for the craft. The allocated land—especially in Neubauer or Hausbau cases—was commonly limited in size. It was sufficient for a dwelling, a kitchen garden, perhaps a cow, pig, or goats, and small-scale cultivation for household consumption. This kind of mixed livelihood was normal and expected. The Rentkammer did not require the Colon to live solely from agriculture; it required only that the land be put to orderly use and that the dues attached to the holding be paid.

Occupational designations in the records reflect this reality. Even after settlement, individuals continued to be styled Schneider, Schuster, Leineweber, etc., because Beruf remained socially descriptive, while Colon described status and holding, not trade. The two categories operated in parallel. A Colon could be an artisan, and many artisans deliberately sought Colonate precisely so they could continue their craft with greater economic security.

Financial improvement was indeed a central motive, but not in the sense of transforming into a peasant farmer. Rather, the Colonat provided residential security, heritable tenure, access to land and sometimes commons, and a buffer against income instability. For a tailor, this meant the ability to smooth fluctuations in demand, reduce dependence on landlords, and support a household with a combination of craft income and modest agricultural production.

So, stated succinctly: the Colonat changed one’s legal-social position (*Stand), not one’s profession (Beruf).* For artisans like Jobst Heinrich Krückeberg, it typically enabled a mixed household economy in which agriculture supplemented, rather than replaced, the primary occupation.