Craftsmen and craft lordship

Most rights have disappeared in the past centuries. What remained are the property rights, such as fishing, ownership of water and the use of a pew in the church. The current lord of the manor is the owner of some historical water in Zoetermeer such as the Voorwegwetering and part of the Grote Dobbe and thus owns the fishing rights. The family crests of the 18th century lords of the manor are displayed above the pew in the Oude Kerk on the Dorpsstraat .

If you want to build or modify a bridge that crosses someone else's property, you need permission from the owner. If it concerns a bridge that crosses the aforementioned water, you can contact the lord of the manor about this via the email address ambachtsheervanzoetermeer@gmail.com .

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, the county of Holland was divided into partly independent administrative areas or crafts. Locally, the count appointed authorities who were also allowed to exercise some of his rights. A craft lordship was an area in which the local lord, in addition to all kinds of privileges, was allowed to exercise jurisdiction. The bailiff of Rijnland was the highest judge here. Lower jurisdiction took place in the name of the lords of the craft, each with a different one for Zoetermeer and Zegwaart. In addition, the lords could also claim rights to a tenth of the yield of the harvest, fishing and hunting rights and, in addition, they appointed a large number of local officials. The bailiff, secretary and messenger were dependent on their appointment, but also the minister, the schoolmaster, the churchwardens and the peat surveyors. All aldermen and craft keepers, comparable to the municipal council and aldermen, were appointed by them and, for example, beer sellers and grocers were also dependent on the lord of the craft to exercise their profession.

Manorial rights

The manorial rights formally reverted to the count after the death of the lord of the manor, later to the States of Holland. However, it was already customary in the Middle Ages to pass the rights directly on to descendants of the previous lord. After 1600, the rights could even be sold, provided, each time, that the States gave permission. In 1750, Joan Osy bought the manorial rights of Zegwaart. In the 18th century, the Osy family used the Huis te Palenstein in the Dorpsstraat as a second home. They then settled in Belgium. Over the years, they sold their rights and properties.

The privileges of the lordship of Zoetermeer were considerable. It is therefore not surprising that the lordship could be sold to Cornelis van Aalst in 1741 for the then considerable sum of 41,000 guilders. His nephews Gerardus and Henricus Schouten succeeded him in 1756 and called themselves Van Aalst Schouten. During the French period, the rights to appoint administrators by the lords of the manor lapsed. After 1814, they were allowed to appoint a few officials again, such as churchwardens and preachers, but these rights also disappeared in the 19th century. What remained were the property rights, such as fishing, ownership of water and the use of a pew in the church.

The manorial rights of Zoetermeer came into the possession of the Bos family via the Van Aalst Schouten family, who provided three mayors of Zoetermeer between 1827 and 1931. From 1758 onwards, the lords of the manor/mayors lived in a large house on the Dorpsstraat 1. Mayor Frits Bos died at a young age in 1931. The lordship of Zoetermeer came into the possession of his widow Elisabeth Visser and has been owned by the Visser family ever since.