Category: Secondary School

Bredevoort in 1743 by Jan de Beijer, for illustration purposes

In the eighteenth century, the fortified town of Bredevoort was home to a Latin School — an educational institution where boys were prepared for a university or ecclesiastical career.¹ Although no physical remains exist, several archival records offer a glimpse into the existence of this school.

A teacher from Molsberg

The first indication comes from the Oprechte Haerlemsche Courant of 1 November 1763, in which Lotharius Frederik Wurm advertises that he has been working as a praeceptor (teacher) in Bredevoort for two years. His appointment therefore dates from approximately 1761. He announces his intention to start a boarding school and offers lessons in Latin, High German, French, history, rhetoric, poetry, and psalm singing.²

Less than a month later, on 26 November 1763, an almost identical advertisement appears in the Amsterdamsche Courant.³ A year after that, on 13 September 1764, another similar advertisement follows in the Oprechte Haerlemsche Courant.⁴ This shows that Wurm actively and repeatedly presented himself to recruit pupils.

On 29 October 1765, he appears in the newspaper again, this time as rector of the Latin School in Bredevoort, appointed by “His Serene Highness the Hereditary Stadtholder.” In this capacity, he offered tuition in Latin, Greek, history, rhetoric, and poetry, alongside private lessons in French and High German.⁵

Wurm originated from Molsberg, in the Electorate of Trier (now Germany). He married Elisabet Eliveret in Bredevoort on 9 August 1764.⁶ He passed away before September 1774, as Elisabet remarried at that time as the “widow of the late Lotharius Fredericus Wurm.” ⁷

A schoolmaster with ecclesiastical duties

On 26 March 1773, it is noted in the Marriage Register of the Dutch Reformed Congregation of Bredevoort that Alette Diemont, widow of schoolmaster Jan Hendrik Prevenier, is handing over the marriage register. The entry reads:

This note confirms that Prevenier was a schoolmaster. The fact that he was in charge of the marriage register indicates that he was also responsible for maintaining church records — a task often performed in small towns by the schoolmaster or precentor.⁹

Additionally, Prevenier is mentioned in other sources as the city steward (stadsrentmeester), responsible for the financial administration of Bredevoort.¹⁰ This makes it clear that he fulfilled a central role not only in education and the church, but also in the municipal administration. It is plausible that he was associated with the Latin School, as in small towns the roles of schoolmaster and teacher at the Latin School were often combined.¹¹ While this is not explicitly recorded for Bredevoort, given the context, a combination of functions is highly likely.

Location unknown

The exact location of the Latin School in Bredevoort is unknown. It may have been no more than a room in or near the church, or the teacher’s residence — as was common elsewhere in small towns in Gelderland.¹² The presence of such a facility in a small town like Bredevoort nonetheless indicates a relatively high level of education and culture in the 18th century.¹³