Wijdschild| castle lords of Arkel (1996)

On August 19, 1996, Gorcum amateur archaeologist Ton Wijkamp accidentally found a number of potsherds on the river side of the Dalemsedijk in the Wijdschild, directly east of the Gorinchem city center. 

The shards were associated with the 13th century castle of the lords of Arkel, a building so imposing at the time that it was called the 'Imperial Castle of the Arkels' by contemporaries.

The excavation site next to the Dalemsedijk in Gorinchem in 1996

The pottery came to light during the excavation that took place polder district Tieler- and Culemborgerwaarden carried out in the context of the improvement of the Waal and Lek dikes. At that time, the location was made suitable as a nature reserve.

Because the terrain was not marked on the monument map of the province of South Holland, no account was taken of archaeological supervision of the work. Nevertheless, one could have expected something here. As early as 1815, during dike work, thick wall remains, bullets and pottery were found just outside the moat.1AJ van der Aa
Wijdschild (The), in: Geographical dictionary of the Netherlands; part 12; Gorinchem; 1848; p. 403. During the construction of houses on the Kasteelplaats in 1976-1977, in addition to wall remains, stone balls and even a font found. Unfortunately, attention was paid to this too late. The majority of the finds disappeared into unknown private hands.

Proto-stoneware drinking jugs from the Rhineland, circa 1275-1325.

Mr. Wijkamp's discovery was sufficient reason to conduct further research. Using an excavator, the excavated part of the terrain was pulled clean, revealing clearly visible traces and masonry. The quality of the ground traces was so good that, in consultation with the polder district, it was decided to change the destination of the site and to take measures to protect this unique site.

Drawing of foundations found in 1815

Finds

The exposed traces are drawn. Also collected were finds that came to light during the planing and cleaning of the masonry. The majority of the pottery consisted of 14th century drinking jugs and bowls from Siegburg and the surrounding area. The oldest (proto) stoneware can be roughly dated between 1275 and 1325. Special is the discovery of tile fragments from two very luxurious 14th century stove ovens that provided the private rooms with comfortable warmth.2R. den Oude-De Wolf and H. Vrielink
Ofenkacheln in den Niederlanden-Neue Untersuchungen in: Blick nach Westen, Keramik in Baden und im Elsass; 45. Internationales Symposium Keramikforschung Badisches-Landesmuseum Karlsruhe 25.-28.9 2012; S. 290-303. Floors were tiled with small glazed tiles such as those known from other Dutch castles and churches around 1300.3Roefstra, J.
Floors and floor tiles in the former abbey church of Egmond, in: EHP Cordfunke (ed.), The Abbey of Egmond: archaeology and a thousand years of history, with contributions by E. den Hartog, GR Maat and J. Roefstra, Zutphen; 2010, p. 130-143. Gray and red-fired utilitarian pottery was found sporadically.

Military function

The metal finds consisted mainly of various types of arrowheads. Part of the collar of a chain mail was also discovered. Finds that underline the military function of the complex. In the same category of weapon finds, three stone bullets of various calibres can be mentioned. The bullets were spread across the site. Bullets were already found in 1815 and also during the construction of the houses on the Kasteelplaats. Both arrows and bullets refer to the heavy siege in 1412.

Stone bullet at the Arkels castle in the Wijdschild in Gorinchem

Two coins were found on the site: a Flemish silver double large (bone carrier) of Philip the Bold (issue 1389) and a half gold guilder in the name of the Cologne Archbishop Frederick II of Saarwerden (1371-1404), minted in Bonn.4W.J. Boudestein
Coinage and coin finds in Gorcum Wijdschild, the coinage of Jan IV van Arkel (1327-1360) and the numismatic finds during the archaeological research into the remains of the castle of the lords of Arkel in the Wijdschild in Gorinchem in August 1996; Gorinchem; 2011
Download (3 MB)

Based on lead strips we can state that at least one building had a stained glass window. We can draw the same cautious conclusion for the roof tiles found.

The masonry consisted of bricks of approximately 7 x 14 x 28 centimetres. However, the majority of the tracks consisted of rectangular foundation holes without stone or brick rubble. These tracks may have belonged to wooden buildings.

Traces difficult to interpret

The entire site consisted of a rectangular structure (a ditch) that opened up a large inner courtyard. The width of the ditch could not be determined because it was covered by a track and a dump. On the west side, the ditch seems to have a width of approximately 10-13 m. The inner courtyard has dimensions of approximately 36 x 36 meters. Unfortunately, the north side of this inner courtyard is covered by the dike body of the Dalemsedijk, which means that these dimensions could not be determined with certainty. Because no excavation was carried out, the interpretation of the traces remains very difficult.

The finds from 1996 and from 1815 (orange)

Aerial photographs

The area was photographed several times between 1933 and 2020.

1884

Gorinchem is the Arkelstad, but the city coat of arms is derived from the coat of arms of the lords of Arkel is today the only thing that directly reminds us of this illustrious medieval family.

The relationship between Gorinchem and the Arkels dates back to the thirteenth century and the growth of the medieval city is directly due to the influence that this family exerted on Gorinchem. However, until recently, actual traces of the Arkels within the municipality were difficult to find. Even their castle, which contemporaries called a ""Imperial Castle" was mentioned has disappeared.

Tomb of the Arkels in the Grote Kerk after excavation (1916)

The Arkels originate from the area around Leerdam in the twelfth century, where they occupied an area near the Lede river. loan had received from the bishop of UtrechtAround 1265/1267 they took possession of Gorinchem.5MJ Waale
The Arkel castle in the Wijdschild near Gorinchem; in: 'Oud-Gorcum Varia' no.19; Gorinchem; 1990. p. 137.
Download (10 MB) The noble family was already very wealthy at that time and managed to greatly increase its wealth during the fourteenth century.

Around 1400 the Arkels were at the height of their power. They maintained their own court and because most of their land lay on the border of Gelre, Holland and the bishopric of Utrecht they were able to exert their influence on the trade on the Lek and the Merwede. It goes without saying that they held a prominent and influential position at the Dutch court. Jan V of Arkel during his presence at the count's court in The Hague, he had at his disposal not only Binckhorst Castle (1394), also about a house on the Lange Voorhout (1393)6E. Jacobs, VLC Kersing (eds.) & MMA van Veen
Medieval inhabitants of the Voorhout: the Van Arkels, in: Between choir and control, Excavations on the grounds of the General Audit Office at the Lange Voorhout; VOM series 1996-3; The Hague; 1996; p. 9.
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Possession of the Arkels around Gorinchem

The favorable location of the Wijdschild at the mouth of the Linge near the Merwede on the border of Holland and Gelre will have been the main reason for the decision of Jan II of Arkel to build a castle on the eastern bank of the Linge. Historical sources do not tell us much about the construction of the castle. In 1290, Jan II of Arkel his castle to the count Floris V of Holland with which he demonstrates his loyalty and subordination to the count's court.7Bruch, H. (1940)
Medieval Legal Sources of Gorinchem. Works of the Association for the Publication of the Sources of Ancient Dutch Law, 3rd series, no. 8, Utrecht, p. 13-14.
PDF (34 MB) Based on the archaeological finds we can conclude so far that the construction of the castle began sometime in the last quarter of the thirteenth century. When the building was completed is also unclear; the dedication to the count in 1290 only needs to indicate that construction had begun or even that only the plans were ready.

No images known

Unfortunately, no known images of the castle have survived and the descriptions from the time the building was in use are also very brief. From the description by Abraham Kemp8 Kemp, A. (1656)
Life of the Illustrious Lords of Arkel and Annual Description of the City of Gorinchem. Lordship and land of Arkel under its lords, also under the counts of Holland until the year 1500, Gorinchem, p. 37-38.
PDF (28 MB)we can conclude that the complex consisted of a front, middle and main castle. The latter, the "High House" , was surrounded by a stone wall with seven towers. It contained three rooms, a long, wide hall and a chapel where the family attended the service. Vaults were built under the building. The middle courtyard was also surrounded by a stone wall with four towers and a moat. The outer bailey was accessible via a large gatehouse. Here were the servants' quarters, a church with a choir, a horse mill, barns and a haystack. The outer bailey also had its own moat and was walled in with a stone wall with several towers. At the outer bailey gate there was a bulwark around which a 33-metre-long moat was dug with a width of 7,40 m. and a depth of 3,70 m. We also know that the outer bailey was regularly flooded, which means that it must have been located in the low part near the river. We will learn much more about this 'imperial castle'unfortunately not known.

Rubble and wall anchor from collapsed walls.

Sloop

In 1412 the castle was dismantled. After a years-long power struggle, Gorinchem fell into the hands of the Dutch counts. The castle that was the symbol of the power of the Arkels had to suffer. With the demolition material a new castle was built within the walls of the medieval city. William of Bavaria built his new fortification on the south side of the city. This castle can be considered the predecessor of the later Blauwe Toren (Blue Tower), the castle of Charles the Bold.