Formation of the Organization of the Riga Pilot Shop

Abstract

The article presents the material collected by the author related to the study of the legal organization of the Riga Pilot Shop from the XIII to the second half of the XIX centuries. It is indicated that the pilot shop that served the port of Riga was formed in the XVII century, shortly after the establishment of the post of Water Captain and the appearance of customs on the right bank of the Daugava River, opposite the Daugavgrivskaya fortress. According to the regulations, Bolderaya was defined as the place of residence of the pilots, who could change it only in exceptional cases. After the conclusion of the Peace of Nishtat (1721) and the entry of Riga into the Russian Empire, the activities of pilots of its port were regulated by such normative acts as the «Charter on Riga Commerce» of 1765, the decree of March 4, 1840 «On increasing the pilotage Fee in the Port of Riga», the charter of Riga pilots of 1854, which was valid until 1904, i.e. before the adoption of the new charter. The Charter of 1854 was much more detailed than previously issued regulations and charters and played a significant role in the development of rationing of pilots ‘ activities throughout the Russian Empire.