The article deals with a specific employment-like relationship which used to involve employees receiving wage, food and accommodation for their work (´čelední poměr´). The text presents the legal regulation of this relationship, points out its specific features and follows its development throughout centuries – from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century, with a special focus on the second half of the 19th century. It is a scientific monograph with unfinished password that meets the prerequisites for the scientific expertise chapter.