News and stories from days gone by, with a nod to our familiar local paper. We regularly add new old articles!
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Government and Justice in the Lordship of Bredevoort
How was the Lordship of Bredevoort governed? An accessible guide to the bailiff, judge, district secretary, local stewards, landholders and the old courts.
Farmers and Serfdom in the Lordship of Bredevoort
What did serfdom mean for farming families in Aalten and Winterswijk? The manorial court books show how marriage, inheritance, farms, freedom and succession were connected in practice.
Farmers and Townspeople during the Eighty Years’ War
How did farmers, craftsmen and villagers in the District of Bredevoort experience the Eighty Years' War? Plundering, billeting, lost livestock, wartime burdens and ordinary life continuing despite it all.
New Year’s Eve & Day
In 1937, G.H. Rots described how New Year's Eve and Day used to be celebrated in Aalten.
Aalten and Lichtenvoorde are enclaves, not ‘naobers’
Daily newspaper Trouw, 4 August 2010
The Story of Willem and Janna Manschot
Family and village history from nineteenth-century Aalten.
History of the postal services in Aalten
In 1742, a certain Hendrik Hoopman drove to Zutphen twice a week.
The Spanish Sword ‘Tholeta’
In 1964, a sword from the Eighty Years' War was found in Bredevoort.
Bredevoort, Pledged City of the House of Orange
Historical 1948 newspaper article about Bredevoort and the House of Orange, retained as a period source with an editorial correction of the inaccurate chronology.
Carnival / Shrovetide
There was music in a few cafés, and only a few people appeared on the streets in jester costumes.
The Murder of Aunt Tannemaat
Family feud leads to murder and a gruesome execution (1770)
Aalten and Bocholt: Life on the Border
The border with Bocholt was both a dividing line and a connection for centuries: boundary stones, religion, textiles, cross-border work, German money, smuggling and the disappearance of routine border checks.
The Vagrant Hunter
Official tasked with hunting beggars and vagabonds.
The ‘Rotten’ (Wards) of Aalten
Aalten was once divided into wards known as ‘rotten’.
East Gelderland in 1741
This is how the Deventer scholar Dumbar viewed the old lands of the County.
The execution of Klaas Nijman
In 1729, 'beggar and vagabond' Klaas Nijman was executed on the Hollenberg.
Gatekeeper Regulations Bredevoort 1726
Transcription of the original document.
Bredevoort in the Disaster Year 1672
In June 1672 Münster troops captured Bredevoort. The neglected fortress, its surrender, almost two years of occupation and the evacuation in May 1674.
