Gorinchem will start excavations in a week's time at the location where V&D will open its doors at the end of 2003. Expectations are high. The archaeologists hope to find remains of the Court of the Lords of Arkel to be found, the family that left its mark on the history of the eastern Alblasserwaard.
According to tradition, the residents of the Hof van de Heren van Arkel looked straight at the Grote Kerk when they stepped out of their front door. Whether that was actually the case at the future construction site of V&D, will have to be proven by archaeological research.
The Archaeology Working Group of the Municipality of Gorinchem has absolutely no drawing or painting on which the Court of the Lords of Arkel can be seen. The quest is based entirely on written archive material in which the 'house with buildings and garden' of the Arkels is referred to.
conspiracy story
De lords of Arkel formed a powerful family in the fourteenth century. Jan van Arkel was loyal to the Count of Holland for a long time, but his deep-rooted urge to expand his power was against Van Arkel's grain. In 1401 he renounced his loyalty. Reason enough for armed conflicts, in which Jan not only came out on top, but also lost the support of his son Willem. The citizens of Gorinchem were more than fed up with the ever-increasing conflict and persuaded Willem in 1406 to turn against his father. A plot that was nipped in the bud and resulted in a renewed bond between Jan and his son.
"It is the story about the conspiracy in which the Hof van Arkel appears,” says archaeologist Martin Veen of the Archaeology Working Group. “In that tradition, it is described how the townspeople and Willem leave the house after their conversations and look out at the church tower. But whether this is historically correct is the question. That there was a court can be deduced from archives. Who lived there is easy to guess.” Veen himself initially questioned the indications about a court, especially because the Arkels had an enormous castle in the same period, located between the city and the river. “But when I asked an expert in the field of castles and fortresses, I learned that it was not unusual to have a court in addition to a castle. Perhaps the Hof van Arkel was an administrative center, a family member or perhaps even one of Jan van Arkel's girlfriends lived there. It is known that he had several illegitimate children.” “And if we didn't come across the remains of the Hof van Arkel, we could still find the predecessor of the Gorcum Gymnasium. The same archives show that the Latin School would have stood on the same spot in the fifteenth century. The current Knipsteeg is known as 'Scoelsteghe', Schoolsteeg, in that period. It was very common to name streets and alleys after what could be found there.”
BAAC management from Den Bosch
The excavations are led by the Bossche BAAC, an agency that is the first to have excavation authority alongside the Archaeological Services Centre. Municipalities are not allowed to simply dig their own spades based on legislation. “This agency is in charge of the project, but that does not mean that we as a working group have become some kind of executor. There is indeed consultation, especially because our people know the situation on site and have previously conducted archaeological research in the city centre.”
Fifty volunteers
Veen has fifty volunteers at his disposal for the work in the field and the conservation and restoration of finds. "We are also writing to the archaeological associations in Dordrecht, the Alblasserwaard and the Land van Heusden en Altena to ask whether they are interested in helping us dig. We have seven weeks from 12 August. We should be able to make a lot of progress in that time, although the research location covers hundreds of square metres. The fact that we have to start blindly does not have to be a problem. It is a matter of putting the spade in the ground and seeing what we find. That we will find remains from the Middle Ages is doubtful, because at that time there were already houses in Gorinchem.
August 3, 2002
The Dordrecht resident
Anja Broeken