Overview
De Leste Stuver (‘the Last Penny’) was once an inn, in use from 1659 until 1980, beside the Slingebeek and along the Hessenweg from Bredevoort to Winterswijk. The meadows on both sides of the Slingebeek belonged to De Leste Stuver and were known as the Ossenweide.
Travellers who had spent their money in town could spend their last penny here. The inn also offered shelter to people who reached Bredevoort after the town gates had closed and had to wait until the next morning before continuing their journey.
De Leste Stuver also has its own local legend. The original Dutch account reads:
Ooit zouden Kozakken er hun kwartier hebben gehouden. Alle kippen in de omgeving schoten ze neer ten behoeve van hun kippensoep. Zeer waren zij gesteld op spekpannenkoek en dronken daarbij het warme vet als water. In hun brandewijn mengden zij peper. Het was winterdag, en om de huid een beetje te harden tegen de wisseling van het klimaat, hakten zij een gat in het ijs en zwommen lustig rond in het koele nat. Daarna kropen ze in een heet gestookte vlasoven om spoedig droog te zijn.
Wij hebben deze historie van iemand, die het zelf vernomen had van een, die het misschien weten kon.
In English: Cossacks were said to have stayed here, shooting chickens for soup, eating bacon pancakes and drinking the hot fat, and adding pepper to their brandy. In winter they supposedly cut a hole in the ice and swam in the cold water before crawling into a heated flax oven to dry off. The source closes with a deliberately tongue-in-cheek disclaimer: the story came from someone who had heard it from someone who might have known.
[Source: G.J. Meinen, Gids voor dorpen langs de Slingebeek, p. 52]
Archives
Liberale Gifte 1748
Occupation
Entries in the Bredevoort baptism register from 1674 and 1677 show that the farmhouse and inn ‘de Leste Stuver’ had already stood in roughly the same place for centuries. The residents at the time, Arent ten Poll and Aeltjen Broeckhuijsen, were described as “woonende buijten de stadt op den wech na Wenterswijck in de herberge genaemt den Lesten Stuyver, toebehoordende den zaligen heer Drost Arent van Haersolte”, gelegen “bij de Ossenweijde”.
In 1720, the couple Hendrik Bennink and Jenneke Penninks, alias Hennekes, lived here. When Jenneke remarried in 1728, she was described as coming “van den Lesten Stuijver onder Bredevoort”. Between 1735 and 1740, Wander Scholten and Stijne Oonk lived here, although they later returned to Aalten.
The Liberale Gifte tax register lists Coenraad Betting, married to Dorothea van Harksel, as a resident in 1748. Hendrik Bennink’s son Anthony also lived here after marrying Helena Tieltjes of Bocholt on 18 April 1751, but died soon afterwards. His daughter Antonetta Bennink was still described at her marriage in 1779 as being “van den Lesten Stuver”. It is likely that two families originally lived on the property. A mortgage deed from 1766 refers to the “eigendommelijke halve goed den Laasten Stuiver met de daarop staande huizen”.
[With thanks to H. Ruessink, Bredevoort]
Genealogy
The genealogy of the people who created the surviving archive begins with Willem Deunk and Hendrina Dierkink of Winterswijk, who were already living in Bredevoort in 1760. Their son Jan Deunk was also a schoolmaster in the neighbouring Winterswijk hamlet of Miste. Through sons-in-law marrying into the family, the Brummelstroete and Lensink families successively came to De Leste Stuver. Most of these residents worked as farmers and innkeepers. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Lensink family also became particularly well known as wheelwrights.
For generations, the residents of De Leste Stuver also acted as managers or meadow wardens of the nearby Ossenweide. This was a large area of pasture on both sides of the Slingebeek in the neighbouring Winterswijk hamlet of Miste, owned by the prominent Willink and Roelvink families of Winterswijk. Farmers from Bredevoort and the surrounding area could graze cattle there or lease plots for haymaking. The duties of the meadow warden are described in detail in G.J. Lensink’s article on the Ossenweide.
The archives
No archival material survives from residents before 1760, probably because they were only temporary tenants. The house archive was likely created only after a tenant became the owner, allowing the property and its papers to pass down through subsequent generations. It is possible that the mortgage taken out by Willem Deunk in 1766 was connected with the purchase of the property.
Alongside personal papers, the archive contains various older documents originating elsewhere that were reused by residents of De Leste Stuver. These probably came from estate sales and attic clear-outs. In earlier times, meetings and public lease auctions held by the landowners of the Bredevoortse Broek also took place at De Leste Stuver. No records of these have survived. Oral tradition says that for many years, plots in the Brook and Ossenweide were marked out during lease auctions with stakes. Pieces of paper were placed on them so they could be seen above the tall grass and rough vegetation. These markers were torn from old folio volumes that were apparently present in abundance at the time.
The last owner of the archive was Gerrit Jan Lensink, known as “Opa Lensink”. He was active in the Aalten-Dinxperlo-Wisch historical working group and published in Contactorgaan ADW on De Leste Stuver, wheelwrighting, the Ossenweide and the Slingebeek. Around 1980, he transferred the papers to ADW board member R. Wartena, who was then the archivist in Aalten. As far as possible, the surviving documents were arranged according to the successive generations that had created or used them. Papers relating to the Ossenweide span several generations and were therefore arranged separately, as were documents whose context could no longer be established clearly.
[Source: P. Meerdink, Aalten, 2003]
Residents
De Leste Stuver was occupied by several families, often only for relatively short periods. The overview below is probably incomplete.
Earliest known residents:
Arent ten Poll, married before 1674 to
Aeltjen Broeckhuijsen
– – Gap – –
Next residents:
Hendrik (Henricus) Bennin(c)k alias Sweenen (Bocholt, 12-02-1673 – Bredevoort < 1728), married (2) on 24-05-1716 in Aalten to
Jenneken Hennekes alias Penninks alias Drommelaars (Lievelde)
Hendrik (Henricus) and Jenneken came from Zweenen in Barlo.
Next residents: the widow and her second husband:
Berent te Hoppenkreijs (Lichtenvoorde, 03-11-1678 – Bredevoort < 1733), married on 18-07-1728 in Bredevoort to
Jenneken Hennekes alias Penninks alias Drommelaars (Lievelde)
Next residents: the widow and her third husband:
Gerrit Ni(eu/j)hof alias Welvaert (Lievelde), married on 25-10-1733 in Bredevoort to
Jenneken Hennekes alias Penninks alias Drommelaars (Lievelde)
Gerrit and Jenneken moved to ‘Den Welvaart’.
Next residents:
Wander Scholten (Aalten, 11-08-1715 – Lintelo, 01-02-1794), married on 23-04-1735 in Aalten to
Stijne Oonk (Aalten, 25-08-1709 – Lintelo < 1756)
Next residents:
Teube Kro(o)senbrink alias Hutter Teube (Winterswijk, 17-12-1719 – Bredevoort, 23-05-1804), married on 10-08-1743 in Winterswijk to
Geertruit Klumpers (Winterswijk, 25-09-1718 – Bredevoort, 07-11-1798)
Next residents:
Coenraet Betting(k) of Laer, married on 08-04-1742 in Sassenheim to
Dorothea van Harxen (Lichtenvoorde, 11-09-1718 – Bredevoort, 06-05-1794)
Coenraet and Dorothea came to De Leste Stuver around 1743/44.
Next residents: son of Hendrik (Henricus) and Jenneken, and his wife:
Ant(h)onij Bennink (Bredevoort, 09-08-1720 – Bredevoort, 1752), married on 18-04-1751 in Bredevoort to
Helena Tielkes / Tieltjes alias Bekink (Bocholt, 09-07-1720 – Bredevoort, 24-12-1794)
Next residents: the widow and her second husband:
Coenraet ten Have (Lichtenvoorde, 16-10-1729 – Bredevoort, 20-10-1806), married on 20-07-1753 in Bredevoort to
Helena Tielkes / Tieltjes alias Bekink (Bocholt, 09-07-1720 – Bredevoort, 24-12-1794)
Coenraet and Helena moved to Coenraad in Bredevoort.
Next residents:
Willem Deunk (Winterswijk, 20-04-1732 – Bredevoort, 04-07-1794), married on 11-04-1759 in Winterswijk to
Hendrina Dierkink (Winterswijk, 02-02-1735 – Bredevoort, 24-02-1810)
In 1771 Willem Duenk paid the property tax on “den halven Lestenstuiver” (Maandcedullen Verpondingsboek 1771).
Next residents:
Arent Meijerinck (Aalten, 14-12-1727 – Bredevoort, 02-12-1797), married (1) on 07-09-1748 in Bredevoort to
Wilmina Wamerlink (Winterswijk, 27-02-1707 – Bredevoort, 23-06-1778)
In 1771 Arent Meijerink paid the property tax on “den halven Lestenstuiver” (Maandcedullen Verpondingsboek 1771).
Next residents: daughter of Coenraet and Helena, and her husband:
Derk Hendrik ter Maat (Bredevoort – Bredevoort, 26-11-1794), married on 01-05-1785 in Bredevoort to
Dor(e/a) ten Have (Bredevoort, 27-04-1755 – Bredevoort, 09-05-1836)
After her husband’s death, Dor(e/a) moved to Coenraad in Bredevoort, where her father lived.
Next residents: son of Willem and Hendrina, and his wife:
Jan Deunk (Bredevoort, 13-07-1766 – Bredevoort, 13-06-1812), married on 24-06-1787 in Bredevoort to
Beerndeken / Berendina Meenk alias Ubbink (Winterswijk, 27-03-1746 – Bredevoort, 24-03-1809)
Next residents:
Jan (K/C)lomp(e)s (Winterswijk, 13-09-1750 – Bredevoort, 12-09-1809), married on 25-07-1790 in Winterswijk to
Anna C(at)ha(t)rina te Haveste / te Hoffeste / te Hofstede (Winterswijk, 13-01-1751 – Bredevoort, 23-05-1817)
Next residents:
Population register 1823–1838
Gradus Brummelstroete (Kotten, 14-01-1782), wheelwright
Anna Catharina Duenk (Bredevoort, 04-06-1788)
Population register 1838–1850
Gradus Brummelstroete (Kotten, 14-01-1782), wheelwright
Anna Catharina Duenk (Bredevoort, 04-06-1788)
Population register 1850–1860
Gradus Brummelstroete (Kotten, 14-01-1782), wheelwright
Anna Catharina Duenk (Bredevoort, 04-06-1788)
Population register 1860–1870
Gradus Brummelstroete (Kotten, 14-01-1782), wheelwright
Anna Catharina Duenk (Bredevoort, 04-06-1788)
Next residents:
Gerhard Christiaan Lensink (Bredevoort, 28-03-1824), farmer
Hanna Berendina te Brummelstroete (Bredevoort, 19-09-1824)
Population register 1870–1880
Gerhard Christiaan Lensink (Bredevoort, 28-03-1824), farmer
(1) Hanna Berendina te Brummelstroete (Bredevoort, 19-09-1824)
(2) Johanna Gesina te Kolstee (Miste, 24-04-1839)
Population register 1880–1890
Gerhard Christiaan Lensink (Bredevoort, 28-03-1824), farmer
Johanna Gesina te Kolstee (Miste, 24-04-1839)
Population register 1890–1900
Gerhard Christiaan Lensink (Bredevoort, 28-03-1824), farmer
Johanna Gesina te Kolstee (Miste, 24-04-1839)
Next residents: (step)son and daughter-in-law:
Population register 1900–1910
Gerrit Hendrik Lensink (Bredevoort, 31-01-1865), farmer / wheelwright
Catharina te Kronnie (Woold, 03-10-1874)
Population register 1910–1920
Gerrit Hendrik Lensink (Bredevoort, 31-01-1865), farmer
Catharina te Kronnie (Woold, 03-10-1874)
1934 address directory
Bredevoort 186 > Winterwijkschestraat 87
Widow G.H. Lensink
1967 address directory
Misterstraat 87
G.H. Lensink
G.J. Lensink
Owners
This overview is not complete.
| Year | Plot | Owner | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | A-8 | Grades Brummelstroet, farmer | 600 m² house, barn & yard |
| 1872 | A-8 | Gerhard Christiaan Lensink, farmer | 600 m² house, barn & yard |
| 1896 | A-8 | Gerrit Hendrik Lensink, wheelwright and farmer | 600 m² house, barn & yard |
| 1948 | A-1615 | Gerrit Jan Lensink, farmer | 2,550 m² house, barn & arable land |