“Coveting the Manor” — the feud between Father Józef Dembiński and Krystyna Wilkońska née Dembińska in 1758—1772

In 1758, Krystyna née Dembińska of Rawicz coat of arms, widowed by Kazimierz Wilkoński, of Odrowąż coat of arms, the Standard Bearer of Zator and Oświęcim, presented on the personage of Stryszów Fr Józef Ferdynand Michał Tomasz Dembiński of Nieczuja coat of arms. The young clergyman was a son of the owner of Marcówka and Zembrzyce villages, situated near Stryszów, which belonged to the Wilkoński family. Until 1772, the parish priest engaged in a lasting feud with the patroness of the church over proceeds from benefices and church privileges. As a doctor of laws and letters, Father Józef masterfully conducted his affairs to prevail finally over the landowner of the village and the patroness of the parish. The conflict was primarily caused by the private rivalry between the cleric and Wilkońska concerning her entitlements, estate, and her role within the village and parish community. This article examines the tension between the manor and the parsonage in Stryszów as an example of competition for prestige, pointing to three stages of the rivalry. The actions of both the estranged parties discussed in the article illustrate the perception of the manor in Stryszów from the 1750s to the 1770s through the lens of the patron of a country church.