Appendix Jonkers van Oss

Oss – strategically situated

Oss is only 5 kilometres from the river Maas and when between 1200 and 1280 the Dukes of Brabant built dykes along the river Maas, a more permanent settlement could be developed for the farming community. This settlement developed around what is now the centre of town (De Heuvel – The Hill – approx 6 meters high). Archeological evidence shows that this ‘hill’ was also heavily used for occupation during Roman times.

The expansionist activities by the Dukes in this region caught the wrath of their neighbours the upcoming regional power of the  Dukes of Gelre. They resisted the Dukes of Brabant and were able to force them back from the river Waal (Tiel was part of Brabant) to the river Maas. This situation would lead to a more or less permanent stage of war in this region. While Oss saw a brief period of economic growth in the 14^th century for most of the following three hundred years it would be mainly poverty and misery.

However, because of this situation Oss did become a strategic city within the Duchy of Brabant and as such was fortified and received in 1399 its city privileges.

It is within this context that we also need to place the position of the local feudal lords. It looks like that this junior group of the nobility established itself as a city elite or rather rapidly evolved into this, this was quite rare as traditionally the nobility were the large landowners in the country.

The early history of the feudal lords the Jonkers of Oss is rather confusing.

Jonkers

The title literally means young nobleman. In Brabant the title of Jonker was given to a bannerlord who was not knighted. Bannerlord (in Dutch: baanrots or baanderheer) refers to the top layer of the nobility, often indicating that they belong to the ancient nobility and as such were placed in the hierarchy above the knighthood. Famous bannerlords include: Jan Lord of Arkel, Engelbert of Nassau Lord of Breda, Jan II of Wezemaal Margrave of Bergen op Zoom. There is sometimes also a link between Jonkers and Barons (the Lord of Breda also used the title of Baron – linked to his judicial right of appeal). The title of bannerlord refers to the time that banners started to be used to identify the Lords in times of war. The bannerlord was allowed to use a square banner in contrast to the lower nobility who used the triangle shaped banner.

There are three branches of the Lords of Oss that so far have not been connected with each other:

• A native branch with the first known person Marcel (Marcelus, Marcelijs) van Os born around 1270
• A branch originating in Panhedel (Limburg) with a Wilhelm van Panhedel van Oss born in 1235
• A link with the Lords van Heeswijk with a Hubertus van Oss Heer van Heeswijk in 1235.

Key reasons to suspect that they are linked include the coat of arms (three front facing ox heads with golden horns on a silver sheet) that they all use and some rights (such as fishing rights) that they share.

Sometimes the name is spelled van Os, since the 19^thcentury also the spelling van Osch appears.

Most of the genealogy  information here has been abstracted from research done by Cor van Osch, which has been published in his book “Geneologisch onderzoek van toen en heden van het geslacht met de naam van Osch” as well as subsequent information from his further research.

There are rather few references to the family actually living in Oss. It looks like Marcel did live in their family home Terwanen around 1370. While the place remained their property it is unlikely that they lived here the last remnants of the castle  was eventually demolished in the 19^th century.

In 1645 we see that the children of Jonker Cornelis van Oss lived in the Graafsche Poort (Gate). Perhaps they occupied this place since 1619. The last member of this family who lived here was Lady Theodora van Oss, she sold the place in 1710 ¹.

In 1645 Dirk van Oss lived in the Boschpoort.

Native branch?

There seems to be one ‘native’ branch (spelled van Os). We come across them for the first time in 1270 Cor has details following this family to the 18^th century.

We don’t know much about Marcel, his son Goyart (Godevaert) was married to Dirksken and was named as a knight and a feudal lord of the Duke of Brabant, he became a page and was a few years later knighted. In 1345 he received the fishing rights on the Old Maas under the villages Kesseland Maren. He had to pay for this privilege four guilders or a pike of the same value! He also had a horse driven mill in Oss. These rights were passed on to his son Marcel.

Research from historian Henk Buijks has provided further details on Goyart. ² Already in 1340 he had established the Table of the Holy Ghost (poor relief) and he held the right to appoint its wards. This service must have been desperately needed during the destruction of the town in the Gelre wars.His son becomes in 1381 the provisor superior. This privilege stayed within the family until the French Period ³.

Perhaps at the time of becoming a page he founded a chapel in the church of Oss as well as an altar dedicated to Our Lady (Onze Lieve Vrouwe). He receives – in fief –  the Jus Patronatus  (right to appoint the priests) for the Church from the Abbot of Echternach and as such he also becomes a vassal of the Abbott. Furthermore he established here the Confraternity of Our Lady (Onze Lieve Vrouwe Broederschap), most likely inspired by a similar organisation that had been established in Den Bosch. He dedicated a second altar to the the Holy Cross, Maria Magdalene and Saint Agatha.

Terwaenen – Trawanen castle

Goyart’s son Marcel was, in 1374,  named as the owner of the ‘open house’ in ‘ t Os op die palen’(Oss at the borderposts). He had received the rights to build a small castle that could be used (open house) by the Duke of Brabant for the stationing of troops or for his own use in his fights against the Dukes of Gelre. During  excavations in the 1990s the remnants of some of its foundations were recovered and this situated the castle Terwanen on the northern side of the Medieval  town boundary.  It had its own moat, which had poles in the middle to make its crossing even more difficult. It became also known as ‘Krakenburg’ (‘Creaking castle’ – perhaps indicating the condition is was in at the stage as it defence function became less important after the city was walled in 1399).

In 1381 the castle was in the hands of another son of Goyart, Dirck van Steenre van Os. There is also an interesting report from the 11 August 1387 that describes an attack on the castle by Gelre and the brave resistance provided by the baillif and the  people of Oss. The defense was under the command of  Lord Jan van Wittem, a bastard-son of  John III Duke of Brabant. This could indicate that the Jonkers of Oss didn’t play an active role here.

Neither Marcel van Os, nor Jonker Jan van Oss – who both must have lived around this time –  are mentioned as occupants of the castle – a possible indication that by that time the family had already permanently moved to Den Bosch.

It is not known why the caste was named ‘Terwanen’. It is also the Roman name of a stronghold from the Celtic tribe the Morines who were conquered in 56BC by Caesar. That place is now situated in northern France. Wenne or waan is the old name of the local river now called Petite Lys.

A daughter of Marcel and his wife Sophia, called Dircxken (born around 1360) married in 1394 Aert Stamelaert van Uden, magistrate (later Bailiff) of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, member of the Council of Brabant and the Duke’s Bailiff for the County of Cuijk.  They inherited the property and the family privileges in Oss. The castle stays in this family until 1571, when through a female member of this branch the property came into the hands of Jonker Walraven van Erp. In 1707 it is the property of Theunis Hendrik Herpen, by that time – but most likely already much earlier – the property had been changed into a farm house known as ‘Behind the Eijckenboomgaard”  (orchard of oak trees). Since 1832 the place was known as a bathhouse ⁴. As such it also appears on the famous Kuyper map of the City of Oss from 1867.

Marcel was married to Sophia (and perhaps also a Margriet) he had 11 children.

It is also of interest to note that Marcel  – as mentioned in 1376 – was a member of the Illustrious Confraternity of the Holy Virgin in Den Bosch (see: The High Middle Ages).

He was also a magistrate (schepen) in Den Bosch. This indicates that already rather soon after their emergence as local Lords of Oss they no longer resided in the war ridden town and had moved away, w from 1373 till 1382. While as far as we know still maintaining at least some of their feudal rights for example the above mentioned fishing rights.

They were passed on to Marcel’s daughter Dircxken (se below) and to her son Marcel van Uden. The rights were given to the village of Maren in 1459 ⁵.

However, according the genealogy research conducted by Cor van Osch and as we will see below, these rights also appear to be in the possession of the van Oss – Panheel branch (since 1355).

Some members of the ‘native’ branch however – according to documents from 1408 and 1421 – do remain a number of other properties around Oss; they had land in Scadewijc, Hoelbeemden, Langhbrake, Huysmans Beemt, Corenbeemt, Ussen,  and at a few other places that are not more geographically defined.

Marcel’s brother Dirc is known as Dirc van Steerne van Os. One of his daughters, Dircksken van Os was married to Godfried van Beest the Bailiff (Schout) of the Quarter Maasland (the Mayory of Den Bosh was divided in four administrative quartes) and Schout of Oss, as mentioned in 1401.

The precise relationship with this branch is a bit unclear but a son of the great- granddaughter of Marcel and Sophia is possibly the rather famous Peter van Os who together with his son wrote a chronicle over the history of Den Bosch and the Mayory. He also describes the attack from Charles van Gelre on Oss in 1497 (See: Oss in the midst of the Gelre Wars). Peter is also the only onewithin this branch that is mentioned with the title Jonker van Os.

Another interesting member of this family is Dirk Van Os, a partner in the reclamation of the Beemster (Holland) and co-founder of the Dutch East Indian Company (VOC).

According to the research from Cor van Osch, his family tree goes back to Goyart and Dirksken’s son Gielis born around 1330 and canon in Aachen. From here the tree is as follows: Jan (1365 – 1431), Dirk (1398 – 1477), Willem (B.1431 – bailiff Moergestel), Gillis (b.1479). His son Dirck(the elder) was baptised on 12-4-1501 and married to Maria Docter. This couple had 11 children of which  Dirck was born in Antwerp on 13-5-1556  but most likely moved with thousands others to Amsterdam after the Siege of Antwerp in 1585. Dirck married on 30 January 1588, in Amsterdam, Margriet van der Piet. The couple had 10 children, from one of them also called Dirck (1590-1668) a painting survives which most probably has been painted by Rembrandt.

He is also the oldest known shareholder in the VOC (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie – Dutch East India Company)  - his signature is on a share from 1609.  He was also a shareholder in a merchant fleet of 140 ships loaded with grain which – on Christmas eve 1593 –  were waiting near the island of Texel for a favourable wind to sail to Italy. A massive storm led to one of the largest shipping disasters of the Netherlands; 40 ships were thrown of their anchors and sank, over a thousand lives were lost. The Dutch trade on the Mediterranean was for 50% in the hands of the recent immigrants from Antwerp. Despite the large losses, a year later, Dirck was still mentioned as one of the largest business men of Amsterdam.

Dirck’s brother was also a partner in the reclamation of the Beemster and a burgomaster of Amsterdam.

Dirck also features in a book published by Geert Mak in 2009. ⁶

Panheel van Oss

We know little of the origins of this family, there name suggests that they came from Panheel. Pol and Panheel formed a very small county within the Duchy of Limburg, their overlords were the Lords of Horn.

From the 3^rdgeneration onwards the name Panheel gets dropped and they are known as van Oss. This branch continues to approx 1700.

There must nea link between with the native branch as they had the same fishing rights.  The native branch received these rights in 1345 (see Goyart van Os).

The confusing element here that the van Panheel branch received these fishing rights somewhere after 1355 (Alaard) but so far no relationship between the two families has been established.

Willem and Jan van Panhedel van Oss (1235 – 1332)

Perhaps the relationship because of services delivered during the Battle of Woeringen (see Duchy of Brabant), Willem van Panheel (Panhedel) received property in fief from Duke Jan van Brabant in Oss. In 1289 Duchy of Limburg was annexed by Brabant.

Willem was born in 1235 in Panheel, he calls himself van Panhedel van Oss. The same applies to his son Johannes (born in1270 died before 1322).

There are two known children Herman van Oss (born around 1300, died in Vueren in 1341) and Willem van Panhedel van Oss (born around 1315, died in 1395).

According to a charter from 1402, Jan already had the milling bans of Oss and Heesch, which were passed on to his son Herman.

Herman van Oss (1300 – 1341)

Herman was married with Ida a bastard daughter of Duke Jan van Brabant.

100 year war

We come across Herman within the context of the 100 year war. Dirck Flours van Dinther was a page and on 22 April 1339 he declares that he has received from Duke John III of Brabant an amount of 3 livres payed by Herman van Oss and Jan van Meldert for his participation with a horse and harness in the war between England and France. In this war the Duke of Brabant fought on the ride of the King of England.

Herman, he was in 1399 was a signature to a charter to confirm the ‘eternal’ alliance between Brabant and Flanders.

For a while at least, from Herman onwards the name Panhedel gets dropped. They had three children:

• Elsa
• Govert (Goyart) born approx. 1335 married with Mechteld van Bronckhorst. They had a daughter Liesbeth.
• Jan was born around 1335 and had one known child Jan born around 1370.

Willem van Oss (1315 – 1395)

But first back to Herman’s brother Willem. He became a citizen of Brussels (1322). In 1353, at the age of 38 he married Catheleijne Artsdr. Van Rotselaer. They had the following children:

• Margriet,
• Alard,
• Cathlijn,
• Jan is the first one that carries the ‘Jonker of Oss’
• Herman, he was married with Elisabeth van Hertewijck and the couple lived in Den Bosh (Hinthamerstraat).

Alard van Oss (1335 – )

Since 1299 Oss hosted another noble family, the van Aemstels’ who had fled the County of Holland after Gijsbrecht van Aemsel participated in the murder of Count Floris of Holland ( see: Northern Low Countries).

The van Aemstels also married into the family of the Knights of Oss. Isabella the daughter of Lord  Hugo van Amstel married the son of Willem van Oss, Alard van Oss, also named Alaart.

The second link with the van Amstel family was through Elisabeth (b.1390), a daughter of Alard’s brother Herman who was married to Willem van Aemstel.

Alard was the Receiver of Taxes for the Duke of Brabant and the Dean of the St Peter in Leuven. He was also the owner of the property ‘Hof van Brabant’ in ‘s Hertogenbosch. This building had hosted the former ‘curia’, which is already mentioned in 1222.

Alard also had the milling bans of Oss, Heesch, Berchem and Nistelrode.

He was again mentioned in relation to the fishing rights the family had and he also had the pumping rights for the waterworks in the region. In 1556 these rights were owned by Lady Hadewich van Oss (daughter of Jonker Willem, see below)

Jonker Jan van Oss (1345-)

He is the first mentioned Jonker . Perhaps the reason for his title was the fact that he married Joanna van Brabant (bastard daughter of Jonker Jan van Brecht, vassal of  the Duke of Brabant).

They had 3 children Willem, Margriet and Dirck.

Here the family splits with Willem‘s family pursuing interests in Brussels and beyond and Dirck’s family eventually returning to Oss (see below).

Herman was a Zwanenbroeder (Swan Brothers and the Confraternity of the Holy Virgin see: The High Middle Ages) and a citizen of Brussels he was married to Agnes van Uden. They had two children Willem and Hadewich (Hadewich had the rights pumping rights in Oss, Heesch, Nistelrode and Berchem.

Willem van Oss was knighted by Charles V in 1549 most probably during the activities of the Pragmatic Sanction, whereby all nobles of the newly reorganised 17 United Provinces had to pledge their allegiance to Charles’ son the later Emperor Philip II.  Willem was also part of the delegation of nobles during the Blijde Intocht in Leuven in 1549 and the inauguration of Philip II in 1556.

Dirck van Oss (1410-1472)

He was the son of Jan and Joanna. Here we have a again a jonker mentioned to be the owner of Terwanen, as was his son Jan. He was married twice with Lady Chrispijn Jan Berwouts and Lady Henricke Jan die Jonghe. He had 7 children: Henric, Jan (jonker), Dirrick, Reinier, Kathelijn, Nicolaas and Marie.

In 1466, an intriguing promise was made by the magistrates of Oss that reads as follow. If Dirck van Oss, or one of his children, or one of the children of Willem Hermanszoon van Oss, receives damage to body or good, caused by or because of Gijsbrecht van Aemstel, Dirck will receive an amount of 100 Arnhem guilders.

His daughter Kathelijn owned ¾ of the property ‘Amstel’.

During the Gelre wars, many of the members of the van Oss family moved from Den Bosch to Brussels and Antwerp were many of them also had senior functions in government and church related positions.

Jan van Oss (1440 -1508)

This son of Dirck is important as he is the link to the jonkers who eventually go back to Oss. Around 1490, he had two sons Dirrick and Jan.

Back to Oss – Dirrick van Oss (1490 – 1557)

In a charter of 1552 issued by Emperor Charles V,  Dirrick is given his properties and right in fief of the Duke of Brabant. He had three sons: Reinier, Caerle and Dirck.

It looks like that his sons and grandson are returning to Oss. From here on we do see their names reappearing in the archives. In later history they are called the ‘Reinier”  branch (Dirrick’s eldest son), possibly indicated that it was him who established the link with Oss.

Bailiffs and magistrates

Several members of the Jonkers also held senior position in Oss and the Maasland Quarter. Jan Cunen lists them ⁷

• Rombout (was this perhaps Reinier?) bailiff of the Quarter in 1494
• Rijnder van Oss was magistrate in the city in 1556 and 1562. He was also a churchwarden.
• His sons Cornelis and Nicolaas held similar positions in 1599 and early in the 17^thcentury. Cornelis lived at the Graafsche Poort.
• Nicolaas son, Jonker Johan became in 1626 the owner of Terwanen and also was a magistrate in 1628, 1641, 1642 and in 1653 he was acting town clerk.
• Dirrick’s other son Dirck was a magistrate in 1601, 1605,1606,1609 and 1610.
• Wouter Franszn van Oss was a magistrate in 1687, 1688, 1696, 1697 and 1698.

After what most probably has been the worst plague attack in the history of Oss which happened in 1599, Jonker Nicolaas (Poll – he was married to Aleyt van dePoll) was send to the Treasurer in Den Bosch with a request to exempt Oss from paying the extra war taxes that were required to finance the war between the Dutch Republic and the Spaniards. The situation deteriorated further during the following years as the war was now fought along the river Maas, with a devastating effect on Oss and its region ⁸.

In a document from 1607 Jenneke, Dirck’s daughter (son of Dirrick) writes that she has lost all her papers in those troublesome years ⁹.

Jonker Dirck (a son of Dirrick’s thrird son Caerle) and jonker Jan are also mentioned in 1642 when they were send to Herpen, where the Catholic Pastor Septius had fled, during the period that Brabant was occupied by the Dutch Republic and the roman catholic faith had been forbidden to be practised. The accompanied a chaplain to Herpen ¹⁰.

Dirck is also the first known jonker to live in the Boschpoort (1645). His son Caerle sells in 1678 his half of the Bosschpoort. However, this was rebuked the following year by Wouter Franszn van Oss the husband of Lady Helena van Oss (her family line goes back to Jan van Oss x Ida van Brabant). This issue wasn’t settled until 1717, when this couple died without heirs.

Nicolaas (Poll) had 7 children and many more grandchildren most of them were born in Oss and many stayed there and eventually were buried here. His son Goyart (1626 – 1666) had 6 children. His daughter Theadora was in 1710 the last member of the Jonker family to live in the Graasche Poort. When her brother Adriaen died in April 1720 this branch of the family died out as was noted in a charter dated 14^th December 1737 ¹¹.

Heren van Heeswijk van Oss

Than there is a third element that brings in the Lords van Heeswijk. A village 15 kilometers southwest from Oss. There is a Hubertus van Heeswijk whose name in 1235 gets registered as a nobleman and vassal of Duke Henry van Brabant.  Perhaps he was a part owner of this vassalage under Duke Henry I, in 1235?

His coat of arms is identical to the one used by the other members of the van Oss family mentioned above; three front facing ox heads in his casewith a straight beam divided the two top heads from the one below. Albertus van Heeswijk (born around 1370) married Jacob van Oss a daughter of Jacob van Oss ¹² The coat of arms of Albertus is the same without the beam. However, it is argued that this information dates to a much later period and that mistakes have been made in relation to the Coasts of Arms. This would indicate that there was no direct link between the two families.

In a painting probably from a pupil of Jeroen Bosch the Coats of Arms of one of the branches of the Lords of Oss, possibly that from Peter van Oss, who had a range of prominent positions in ‘s Hertogenbosch. The painting depicts a landscape outside the walls of the city. Peter might have been a donator or commissioner of the painting. The triptych seems to be in a museum in the USA. ¹³

The first known Lord van Heeswijk is Amelricus he is first mentioned around 1150  donating land to the recently established (1132)Abbey of Berne (near Zaltbommel). In 1248 the village of Heeswijk becomes part of the property of the abbey.

There are some indications that the van Heeswijk family originates from the Lords of Megen ¹⁴.  Some of the land is held in fief by the Lords of Kuyc. This all fits in with information provided in the separate chapters on these two families as well as the van Amstel family.

The family also gets mentioned in relation to the Battle of Woeringen, Richold van Heeswijk had captured the page of Dirk van Batenburg who was later handed over to Jan van Kuijk

In the 2^nd half of the 13^thcentury the properties in Heeswijk went to Walraven van Bentheim he was married to Agnes van Heeswijk the daughter of Dirk II.

In following years we also see Duke Jan van Megen act as Lord of Heeswijk as such he in 1330 sells property to the recently in Brabant arrived Lord van Amstel .

Walraven’s son Jan fought with Wenceslaus Duke of Brabantagainst Flanders in 1359. This brought him in conflict with Gelre who ransacked his castle in Heeswijk in 1371/72. In 1387 Heeswijk gets sold to the knight Willem van de Aa. In 1398 the villages of Heeswijk and are ransacked again by Gelre and in that year we see Hendrik van de Lek as the new Lord of Heeswijk at this time also the castle is mentioned specifically.