Before there were municipalities in Friesland, all decisions were made by the local authorities. Until 1851, there were 30 local authorities in Friesland. In the local administrative district of Smallingerland administrative decisions were made by an official who presided as ‘grietman’ or town magistrate and resided at the courthouse in the village of Oudega. One week the grietman settled matters in the little village of Smalle Ee, the next week he attended to affairs in Oudega. In 1663, jurisdiction was withdrawn from Smalle Ee. From then on, all court rulings were issued from the courthouse in Oudega, which made Oudega the most important village in the administrative district of Smallingerland.
In 1798, the administrative unity of Friesland came to an end. The abolition of the Dutch Republic meant that the local authorities lost their judicial powers. Under the Dutch Municipalities Act of 1851, local authorities were replaced by municipalities.
