‘Die mate van den lande ende beemden’

De ontwikkeling van de oppervlaktematen in de Meierij van ’s-Hertogenbosch

Samenvatting

‘The Extent of the Lands and the Meadows’: The Development of the Area Measurement System of the Meierij in ’s-Hertogenbosch

In this article, Asseldonk and Leenders describe a document found in the Veghel town archive, which contains information about the area measurement system used in the bailiwick of ’s-Hertogenbosch around the sixteenth century. The document was probably written in 1612, but refers back to an older source, which dates from after 1439. Asseldonk and Leenders compare information from this document with two other chronicles that discuss area measurements of ’s-Hertogenbosch, namely the chronicle of Cuperinus and the so-called chronicle of the convent of St. Gertrude. The conclusion is that these are three independent sources. The information in the three sources is consistent, and the sources complement each other.

In the bailiwick of ’s-Hertogenbosch, the measurement system based on the long rod (20 feet long) was used. Later, the system based on the short rod (14 feet long), which originated in the area of the present provinces of Holland, Utrecht and Gelderland, was increasingly used as well. It is likely that landowners who resided elsewhere and who commonly used the short rod to measure their property, used the short rod to describe their property in the Bailiwick of ’s-Hertogenbosch as well.

The oldest version of the system to measure an area of land used in the bailiwick was based on the barrel (vat), which was used to measure quantities of grain. Surface areas were defined as the area of land that could be sown with these quantities. The area units were expressed with the same terminology as the measurements for content, with the suffix -saet (seed). This was an elegant and simple system, which was already in use in the ninth century. To illustrate, we see an intriguing dividing line running through the bailiwick of ’s-Hertogenbosch. On the northwest side of that line 16 lopensaet equalled 1 mudsaet. On the southeast side of the line 12 lopensaet was equal to 1 mudsaet. These areas coincide reasonably well with the regions (suggested by Theuws), which were inhabited from the late sixth century onwards by colonists coming from the southeast and by colonists coming from the north.

This system was accurate for measuring quantities of grain, but it was obviously not very accurate for measuring areas of land. In the eleventh century, the need for a more accurate system to measure surface areas increased, partly because of the large-scale land allocations and reclamations, as mentioned in written sources. A more accurate measurement system based on the square rod – the bunder and the hoeve – came into use. This system could also be used for measuring large uncultivated areas of land, which had a distinct advantage over the old system, which was only practical for measuring cultivated lands.

The notion put forward in this article, that a more accurate system for measuring areas of land was introduced in the eleventh century calls for a new way of thinking about the reconstruction of the geography of villages in medieval times. Moreover, if the conclusions are confirmed by further research, it will give historians a new tool to analyse the history of the landscape in the bailiwick of ’s-Hertogenbosch. The article therefore gives practical guidelines for those who want to engage in such research. The article also investigates the motivation behind the reformation of the measurement system. There is a correlation between the area where the long rod was used and the places that are mentioned to be located in the shire of Texandria; however, this is not a perfect match. In some localities, local lords introduced a different rod, for instance in Gelmel and Budel, and probably also in Heeze and in the southern area of the shire. Parts of Texandria were also located in the western part of the present province of North Brabant. A large part of this area was once covered with peat. When certain areas of land in this area were allocated and reclaimed, these local lords decided which measurement system would be used for this specific reclamation. There are indications that until around 1300, the long rod was frequently used, but afterwards the short rod became increasingly popular, probably because of influence from Zeeland in the west, where the short rod was common.

Local lords also influenced the way their old land measurement systems were linked to the newly introduced square long rod and bunder. When these lords expanded their power and control from their own property and claimed lordship over the commons, the measurement system became the standard in the whole area of their domain. These ‘lordships’ could also expand or contract, which also exerted its influence on the land. The measures of Gelmel for example, expanded to Hoogstraten, and likewise, those of Boxtel to Liempde and Budel to Maarheeze.

For the measuring of meadows in Veghel, other measuring systems were used. For meadows next to the Aa River, the voeder and dagmaat were used, and for meadows elsewhere, the bunder. Both types of meadows were largely sold from the commons in the same period, between 1050 and 1190. The difference in naming indicates an older use of a part of the meadows next to the Aa River.

The remaining meadows next to the Aa River sold after 1190 were measured in bunders as well. This was necessary because of the land tax introduced in around 1190, which was related to the surface area. In Veghel, the lopensaet was never used for meadows. In spite of the linking of this measure to the roede and the bunder in probably the eleventh century, the lopensaet remained associated with cropland, and was not used for meadows till the middle of the seventeenth century.