  We measured absolute trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions with respect
to many background galaxies for a sample of ten ultracool subdwarfs.
  The observations were taken in the H-band with the OMEGA2000 camera at the
3.5m-telescope on Calar Alto, Spain during a time period of 3.5 years. For the
first time, the reduction of the astrometric measurements was carried out
directly with respect to background galaxies. We obtained absolute parallaxes
with mean errors ranging between 1 and 3 mas.
  With six completely new parallaxes we more than doubled the number of
benchmark ultracool (>sdM7) subdwarfs. Six stars in the M_{K_s} vs. J-K_s
diagram fit perfectly to model subdwarf sequences from M7 to L4 with [M/H]
between -1.0 and -1.5, whereas 4 are consistent with a moderately low
metallicity ([M/H]=-0.5) from M7 to T6. All but one of our objects have large
tangential velocities between 200 and 320 km/s typical of the Galactic halo
population.
  Our results are in good agreement with recent independent measurements for
three of our targets and confirm the previously measured parallax and absolute
magnitude M_{K_s} of the nearest and coolest (T-type) subdwarf 2MASS 0937+29
with higher accuracy.
  For all targets, we also obtained infrared J,H,K_s photometry at a level of a
few milli-magnitudes relative to 2MASS standards.
