De Duizelse Elzenbroeken

Landschapsgeschiedenis van een beemd die akker werd

Samenvatting

The Duizel Alder Swamps. The Landscape History of a Meadow that became a Field

A 5½ hectare (13 acre) area near the village of Duizel (province of North-Brabant, The Netherlands) drew attention when in the years 2010-2012, the Heritage inventory was prepared for a dozen municipalities around Eindhoven. The soil map and geomorphological map indicated old croplands there, but historical maps and the location in the landscape pointed to old wet grassland and not to arable land. The little area was called De Elzenbroeken (The Alder Swamps), so the name would suggest wet grass between alders rather than dryer arable fields. What was going on there? The search for an answer takes us over the last thousand years and will generate a warning with regard to the interpretation of the term ‘enkeerdgronden’ as old arable fields. The problem is examined here in the Elzenbroeken, but the result is of much broader interest.

We begin our exploration with a small geological exploration of the Elzenbroeken and their immediate surroundings. The historical structure of the village Duizel to which the Elzenbroeken belonged is then described. This provides a segue for the subsequent description of land use in the last six centuries, followed by a reconstruction of the reclamation of the land. It can be then determined whether this development is properly reflected in the soil map and the geomorphological map. Finally, we examine the implications for the interpretation of the term ‘enkeerdgronden’ as old arable fields.

Our research showed that important details mentioned in the comprehensive soil research reports were missing in the often-used printed 1:50.000 soil and geomorphological maps. In the case of the Elzenbroeken, the historically correct description of ‘old meadows’ was converted to ‘enkeerd’ (old arable fields) on the 1:50.000 maps.

In making archaeological expectations maps and heritage maps, the term ‘enkeerd’ is considered a reliable indication for a thick and safe soil cover of archaeological antiquities. Moreover, the term ‘enkeerd’ is used as an indicator for early and high medieval or even older traces of habitation. Thus on occasion, a high archaeological expectation is assigned to a too broad or wrong field, with all its legal consequences for those who wish to dig there. Therefore, it is advised first to make a meticulous reconstruction of the natural landscape and the old fields (arable, meadows etc.) by testing the 1:50.000 soil and geomorphological maps against the digital height map, the old cadastral map and any available older maps, before making the archaeological expectations map and the heritage map.