In 19th-century Estonia, stealing apples could result in a flogging
In 19th-century Estonia, stealing apples from someone else’s orchard could result in a trial, a fine, or corporal punishment. According to ERR News, in 1874, in the village of Piilsi near Avinurme, boys aged 13–14 were tried for stealing apples.
According to local historian Piret Haav, some of them took eight apples each, others took ten, and one boy took 17. At that time, the punishment could have been a fine or flogging. The boys’ parents did not appear in court, fearing that corporal punishment might be imposed on them as well.
The boys’ mothers came to court and were tasked with carrying out the sentence: each boy received ten strokes with birch rods. Haav noted that this was an unusual case, as corporal punishment was not typically carried out by parents. For adults, the punishment could have been more severe.
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Fines for such violations ranged from 50 kopecks to several dozen rubles, and the number of strokes with birch rods ranged from 10 to 30. Horticultural historian Anneli Banner explained that the first apple orchards began to appear on farms about 150 years ago and were costly for their owners. Therefore, trees were often planted near windows so they could be watched from the house; dogs were also kept in the yards, and some owners guarded the harvest themselves.
ERR News also reports that the Estonian expression “raksus käima,” which refers to stealing someone else’s fruit, is associated specifically with apple orchards. Iris Metsmägi, a researcher at the Institute of the Estonian Language, explained that the word “raks” imitates a sharp crack—specifically, the sound of a branch snapping.
