Lek (manor)
Encyclopedia
De Lek was a heerlijkheid
(manor
) and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province South-Holland. It is named after the Lek River
.
, Krimpen aan de Lek
, Krimpen aan den IJssel
, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel
, Berkenwoude
and Stormpolder
, and possibly Nieuw-Lekkerland
. This was a large area east of Rotterdam.
The first Lord of the Lek is reported to be a younger brother of Diederik II of Brederode. After his death around 1063, the heerlijkheid became first a property of the lords of Teilingen, and then of the lords of Polanen. When Engelbrecht of Nassau married Jenne van Polanen van der Lekke in 1404, the possession went to the house of Nassau
. After the death of Prince Maurice of Nassau, De Lek was inherited by his illegitimate son William
, who called himself Nassau-LaLecq after De Lek. The last descendant of this family was Jan Floris van Nassau-Lalecq, who died in 1824.
and Krimpen aan den IJssel
, and some islands and surrounding lands. Its area was 5.99 km2, of which 1.24 km2 was land, and it contained several small fisherman's huts and boathouses, but it had no inhabitants. In 1847, the territory of De Lek was divided among the surrounding municipalities.
Heerlijkheid
A heerlijkheid was the basic administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in Dutch-speaking lands before 1800. It originated in the feudal subdivision of government authority in the Middle Ages. The closest English equivalents of the word are "seigniory" and "manor"...
(manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
) and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province South-Holland. It is named after the Lek River
Lek River
The Lek is a river in the western Netherlands of some 60 km in length. It is the continuation of the Nederrijn after the Kromme Rijn branches off at the town of Wijk bij Duurstede. The main westbound waterway is hereafter called the Lek River...
.
Heerlijkheid
According to the 19th-century historian Van der Aa, the old Heerlijkheid van de Lek covered the villages LekkerkerkLekkerkerk
Lekkerkerk is a town and former municipality on the Lek River, now part of the municipality Nederlek, South Holland province, the Netherlands. Since 1 January 1985 Lekkerkerk is no longer is an independent municipality....
, Krimpen aan de Lek
Krimpen aan de Lek
Krimpen aan de Lek is a town on the Lek River in the municipality Nederlek, province South Holland, the Netherlands. It has 6607 inhabitants in 2008.The name Krimpen comes from the archaic word "Krempener", meaning "river crossing"...
, Krimpen aan den IJssel
Krimpen aan den IJssel
Krimpen aan den IJssel is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 28800 in 2006, and covers an area of 8.93 km² of which 1.10 km² is water....
, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel
Ouderkerk aan den IJssel
Ouderkerk aan den IJssel is a village in the Krimpenerwaard polder, in the province South Holland, the Netherlands. It is situated along the river Hollandse IJssel and has over 4000 inhabitants....
, Berkenwoude
Berkenwoude
Berkenwoude is a village in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Bergambacht. Until 1985, it was a separate municipality.-External links: Map of the former municipality, around 1868....
and Stormpolder
Stormpolder
Stormpolder is a polder and a hamlet in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located about 7 km east of the center of Rotterdam, in the municipality of Krimpen aan den IJssel. It lies between the Nieuwe Maas and Hollandsche IJssel rivers....
, and possibly Nieuw-Lekkerland
Nieuw-Lekkerland
Nieuw-Lekkerland is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is situated on the southern shores of the Lek River, in the north-western part of the Alblasserwaard...
. This was a large area east of Rotterdam.
The first Lord of the Lek is reported to be a younger brother of Diederik II of Brederode. After his death around 1063, the heerlijkheid became first a property of the lords of Teilingen, and then of the lords of Polanen. When Engelbrecht of Nassau married Jenne van Polanen van der Lekke in 1404, the possession went to the house of Nassau
House of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...
. After the death of Prince Maurice of Nassau, De Lek was inherited by his illegitimate son William
William of Nassau (1601-1627)
Willem van Nassau, Lord of De Lek was a Dutch soldier from 1620 until 1627. He was the illegitimate son of stadholder Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange and his mistress Margaretha van Mechelen.Like their other illegitimate children, he was recognized with the surname Nassau-LaLecq...
, who called himself Nassau-LaLecq after De Lek. The last descendant of this family was Jan Floris van Nassau-Lalecq, who died in 1824.
Municipality
Around 1800, the manorial system in the Netherlands was abolished. The villages in the heerlijkheid De Lek became independent municipalities, but small part of the heerlijkheid was excluded and remained a separate municipality, "De Lek". It was only a municipality in name, having no mayor or other municipal services. The municipality covered the river Lek between AmmerstolAmmerstol
Ammerstol is a village in the municipality of Bergambacht, in the Netherlands. It is located about 12 km southeast of Gouda, on the Lek River.Between 1817 and 1985, Ammerstol was a separate municipality....
and Krimpen aan den IJssel
Krimpen aan den IJssel
Krimpen aan den IJssel is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 28800 in 2006, and covers an area of 8.93 km² of which 1.10 km² is water....
, and some islands and surrounding lands. Its area was 5.99 km2, of which 1.24 km2 was land, and it contained several small fisherman's huts and boathouses, but it had no inhabitants. In 1847, the territory of De Lek was divided among the surrounding municipalities.