{"id":141659,"date":"2025-01-17T22:56:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T20:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oudaalten.nl\/niet-gecategoriseerd\/burials-in-aalten\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T11:38:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T09:38:51","slug":"burials-in-aalten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oudaalten.nl\/en\/aalten-achteruit\/burials-in-aalten\/","title":{"rendered":"Burials in Aalten"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Around 800 AD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Belt\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Belt fitting, found in the Damstraat<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Archaeological finds indicate that the early inhabitants of Aalten were already burying their dead around 800 AD in a burial field on the current Damstraat. During excavation work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, traces of a Merovingian-Frankish burial field<\/a> were discovered there. Notable finds, such as spearheads, stirrups, a shield boss, and silver belt links, suggest that a warrior may have been buried here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On De Hoven, traces of habitation<\/a> from the same period have been found, consisting of various so-called sunken huts \u2013 rectangular pits that served as work or storage spaces. Pottery fragments found here correspond with the finds from the burial field on the Damstraat. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The Christianization of Aalten<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following the subjugation of the Saxons by Charlemagne around 785, the Christianization of Aalten and the surrounding area began. Missionary Liudger, later Bishop of M\u00fcnster, played a significant role in the founding of churches in the region, presumably including the first church in Aalten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This church, originally likely a simple wooden chapel, was founded on a strategic and symbolic site: the elevated location where the current Old Helenachurch<\/a> stands today. This site became the religious and social center of the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Archaeological research has shown that the residents of De Hoven abandoned that site around the year 1000. It is possible that, after converting to Christianity, they decided to live closer to the recently founded church to enjoy the protection of the faith. From that time on, the deceased were also presumably buried in and around the church. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Churchyard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A churchyard developed around the church, which played an important role in the life of the community during the Middle Ages. The churchyard in Aalten was originally much larger than the current plot surrounding the Old Helenachurch. It served not only as a burial ground but also as a place for social and religious gatherings. In those days, people even lived around or on the churchyard, often officials such as sextons or clergy who were directly involved with the church. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent centuries, skeletal remains have been frequently encountered<\/a> during excavation work in the ground around the church, such as on the K\u00f6stersbulte, the path along Elim, and also on the Kerkstraat, where buildings now stand. The original burial ground around the church was therefore much larger than the current site on which the church stands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until the 19th century, the deceased were primarily buried in and around the church. Burial inside the church itself was reserved for people of status, such as clergy, nobles, and benefactors. It was believed that a grave within the church guaranteed a better position in the afterlife. However, most people were buried in the churchyard surrounding the church. Individual tombstones were rare in the Middle Ages; many people were buried in unmarked graves. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Health Risks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

However, burial inside the church brought significant problems. A lack of space and the decomposition of bodies led to health risks; churchyards became overcrowded, and the situation became untenable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsidence in the floor occurred regularly within the church, and the owners of the respective graves often failed to carry out the necessary repairs. The odor of decay in the pews near the hole in question was sometimes unbearable for weeks, especially during the summer months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aalten\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Aalten Market with church and ‘bone hall’, c. 1740 – drawn by Piet te Lintum<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Epidemics such as the plague exacerbated this problem. Consequently, a regulation was established stating that churchwardens, in cases of negligence, were permitted to contract out the necessary repairs, whereby the respective plot would revert to the church. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The condition of the burial ground around the church was also often poor. Because burials had not been conducted at a sufficient<\/em> depth for a long time, bones frequently came to the surface. A bone collector would gather these remains from time to time, for two bushels of rye per year, and cast them into the bone hall<\/em> (also known as a charnel house<\/em>), a small building in the churchyard on the Market side. When the supply became too large, it was cleared away. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Royal Decree of 1827<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1827, King William I<\/a> decreed by law that, from 1829, cemeteries had to be established outside built-up areas. For many people, this was a major step\u2014to break with all traditions and leave the dead outside the village “just anywhere in the ground.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The practice of burial in and around the church symbolized an era in which religion, death, and community were closely intertwined. The ban on this practice was a turning point that not only benefited public health but also marked a shift in how death was handled: individual graves were given more space, more funerary monuments appeared, and cemeteries were landscaped. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Cemeteries in Aalten<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Burial\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Burial mound Nannielaantje<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Burial mound Nannielaantje<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Christiaan Caspar Stumph, Mayor of Aalten since 1811, was annoyed by burials within the village. In 1818, he therefore had an ‘outside cemetery’ created for himself and his family on his estate, Het Smees. His son Abraham Anthony was the first to be buried here, followed by Stumph himself in 1820. In total, seven people rest on this unusual burial mound, which is still visible on the Nannielaantje in Aalten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old Cemetery<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Following the royal decree of 1827, a site on the Varsseveldsestraatweg in Aalten was designated as a cemetery. Due to the growth of the village, this cemetery became increasingly enclosed by the early 20th century. In 1923, the Berkenhove cemetery was put into use. Although the Old Cemetery has since taken on the function of a memorial park, it is still sporadically used for the interment of the deceased in existing graves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old Catholic Cemetery Varsseveldsestraatweg<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When the cemetery on the Varsseveldsestraatweg was established, the Catholic community was given its own section across the street, on the corner with the Molenstraat. This cemetery became full after only thirty years, after which a new Roman Catholic cemetery on the Piet Heinstraat was put into use in 1868. The small old cemetery later took on the function of a public green space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jewish Cemetery<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the Haartsestraat in Aalten, just outside the village, lies the Jewish cemetery of Aalten. Although the site officially became the property of the Jewish community in 1852, there are indications that the cemetery had been in use since approximately 1820. There are about seventy tombstones on the site, varying in age and design. At the entrance on the Haartsestraat stands a metaheer house, a ritual building used for the cleansing of the deceased according to Jewish traditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Catholic\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Catholic Cemetery, Piet Heinstraat, Aalten<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Catholic Cemetery Piet Heinstraat<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When the Catholic cemetery on the Varsseveldsestraatweg became full, textile manufacturer Anton Driessen donated a piece of land on the current Piet Heinstraat in 1868 to be laid out as a cemetery. He also donated an iron Calvary cross and an iron gate. The bier house dates from 1888. A century later, this cemetery also became full. From 1960 onwards, Catholic deceased were therefore buried in the new Roman Catholic section of the Berkenhove cemetery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Cemetery Berkenhove<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After the Old Cemetery on the Varsseveldsestraatweg became full, the ‘Berkenhove’ cemetery on the Romienendiek was put into use in 1923. The original section is enclosed between the Romienendiek, the Barloseweg, and the Koningsweg. Over the years, the cemetery has been regularly expanded. In 1960, a Catholic section was added because the Roman Catholic cemetery on the Piet Heinstraat was full. A modern funeral center and crematorium are located at Berkenhove. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Cemeteries in Bredevoort<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Old Cemetery<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Old Cemetery on the Prins Mauritsstraat was established around 1830, simultaneously with the adjacent Jewish Cemetery. The site became available after the dismantling of the fortifications on the eastern side of the town. In 1925, a new entrance gate was installed, and a bier house was built a few years later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old Jewish Cemetery<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bredevoort once had two Jewish cemeteries. The oldest was located on the former castle grounds behind Hozenstraat 5. In 1953, this site was sold to the municipality of Aalten for housing construction. The remains and tombstones were then transferred to the second cemetery on the Prins Mauritsstraat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jewish Cemetery<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Jewish Cemetery on the Prins Mauritsstraat was established around 1830, simultaneously with the adjacent general cemetery. The last Bredevoort Jews to be interred in this cemetery were brother and sister Levi and Sara Sander. Both died in 1938, shortly after one another. The cemetery is not accessible to the public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kloosterhof\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Kloosterhof Cemetery, Bredevoort<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kloosterhof Cemetery<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Kloosterhof cemetery on the Kloosterdijk in Bredevoort was established in 1862-1863 and originally served as a Roman Catholic cemetery. The oldest, centrally located part has a symmetrical layout with a characteristic entrance gate, a bier house, and a Calvary cross. In the 1980s, the cemetery was expanded with a general section. A mortuary was also erected in 1989. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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