Antiquarenbeurs Mechelen

 
 

Exhibitor

Florisatus Fine Books
Plein 19 C
2511 CS Den Haag
Netherlands

Contact

Edwin & Liesbeth Bloemsaat

Phone

+31 (0) 614 270 027 +31 (0) 614 270 027

Email

finebooks@florisatus.nl

Website

ilab.org/affiliate/florisatus-fine-books-manuscripts-musicalia

Late 16th century loan administration books of the Blitterswijk castle
BLITTERSWYC- Leen Ende Tyns Boec Van Blytterswyc Notyrt C; -AND: Idem D; -AND: Leen Ende Leger Boec Van Den Hvysse Ende Heerlic Heydt Blytterswyc. Two manuscripts in ink on vellum in late 16th century hand, with later additions in the foreseen spaces (Leen ende tyns boec) and one manuscript in ink on paper, with numerous inserted original documents on vellum and paper, some with wax seals, dating from mid 16th to late 18th century all concerning the loan of Blitterswijk (Leen ende leger boec).

Blitterswijk, Late 16th century. 2 volumes in agenda format (300 x 105 mm) & one in folio (335 x 200mm). C: 48 leaves (15 blank); D: 48 leaves (16 blank); Ledger ca. 500 leaves with many loosely inserted/attached documents.

In the beautiful and near contemporary 16th and 17th century full vellum bindings. The Folio volume with a single frame of double blindruled lines, 4 small blind floral handstamps in the corners, arabesque center-piece in blind, lettered in black, on both covers.

Late 16th century vellum laced case bindings. Blind tooled and tooled in black, bearing the titles of the books in nblack tooling on the upper cover. With alternating red and yellow silk laces (7 preserved). Yellow and red silk endbands. Edges of the agenda format volumes coloured red.
The history of the 'Heerlijkheid' Blytterswyc, nowadays Blitterswijk, is a long and complicated one and has its origins as far back as the 13th century. The Estate Blitterswijk, for want of a better description of 'Heerlijkheid', belonged to the principality of Gelre, now the Province of Limburg, surrounded by Well, the River Maas, Broekhuizen, Meerlo and Wanssum. A long line of successions brings the Estate under the rule of Derick van Blitterswijck, after his death his daughter, widow of Derick van Lynden, remarried and decided to leave the estate to her son Jasper van Lynden. The van Lynden family remained in possession of the Estate until the end of the 18th century. The castle belonging to the estate ended up with Oscar Thissen who sold it on to be used as a monastery in 1885, after which it changed hands a number of times. In november 1944 it was destroyed by the retreating German Army, leaving nothing but a ruin. The Estate Blitterswijk included a small village and between 1630 and 1840 some 60-80 houses and 450 residents.
Owning the Estate came with a long list of responsibilities and privileges, i.e. upholding law [high- and Low Court], 'collatierecht' of the churches, hunting rights, fishery, the right of operating a ferry across the river Maas, keeping the administration of the Estate with regular intervals, as seen in these ledgers, containing some 500 documents on tenancies, loans, the sales or purchases of land, etc. The van Lynden family members who owned the Blytterswyc Estate and who were responsible for keeping these ledgers in the relevant period between ca 1540 and 1700 are Arnt van Lynden, 1542, Derck van Lynden 1578, Johanna van Lynden 1588, Anna van Lynden 1604, Derck van Lynden 1615, Frans van Lynden 1652, Dirk Wolter van Lynden 1700. The lovely contemporary 16th and 17th century bindings contain a wealth of archival material on the rich history of the Estate Blytterswyc.

Binder's blanks in the small ledgers w. 'Eagle' watermark, consistent with the period 1580-1590

-Literature: For the watermarks see: Briquet vol. I, 122, 124, 125.

-Condition: Tail part of the lower cover damaged by rodents; Folio volume loose in binding and waer of use; An extraordinary view in the history of the loan of Blitterswijk in very attractive late 16th century bindings.
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