First mention
On 8 May 876 AD King Ludwig, the German, smoothes on a realm meeting in Ingelheim a controversy between the archbishop Liutbert of Mainz and abbot Sigihard of Fulda over tax in Thuringia and confirms that the village Weißenborn (Unzianbruno), the village Diedorf (Toidorf), Kettenburen (Katonbure), Werleshausen (Widarolteshuson) and other one have to pay the Thuringian tax to the monastery Fulda.
| Date Anno Domini DCCCLXXIIII, indictione V II, regni vero domini Ludeuuci serenissimi regis in orientali Francia regnantis XXXXVI, sub the XV. kalendas junii. Actum in palacio Ingilunhem into dei nomine amen. |
Possibly the village is still older, since place names be assigned to "Hausen", "Feld" (field), "Bach" (brook), "Berg" (mountain) of the early 8th century on. The village has belonged always to the Thuringian district, exactly to the Thuringian "Germaramark" at the lower course of the river Wisra (Werra). The population and its dialect are Thuringian, also the law of succession. In Thuringia the material right applies from age, i.e. all inheriting receive from the possession the same portion; that is today still custom in local area. On the other hand the law of succession applies in Hessen and Lower-Saxony; the oldest or youngest son inherits the yard.
The village inhabitants were probably farmer and fisherman, who had to
deliver their products as "tenth" called tax to the monastery Fulda. A second
document, in which Werleshausen is mentioned, is from 1299. Heinrich von
Cygenberg (Ziegenberg) gives its fields in "Reden" (Oberrieden) to the
archbishop Gerhard von Mainz as replacement for "tenth" in Werleshausen.
In 9th century the monastery Fulda acquires large possessions in the
Werra-valley, loses in the course of the centuries at influence and meaning. At
the end of 8th century the Christian religion was introduced in the Thuringian
district by the Bonifatius pupil Lullus, founder of the abbey Hersfeld, late
archbishop in Mainz. Thus part of Thuringian landscape, to which Werleshausen
belonged, was in the year 1294 for the first time as " Eychisfeld" (Eichsfeld)
mentioned. The church, later also secular sovereignty of Mainz about the
Eichsfeld lasted till 1802.Then it was annexed by contract of Luneville to the
Kingdom of Prussia. Church power was exercised by Heiligenstadt, the capital of
Eichsfeld.
