N. Jurgens

Molens op de Aa. Een studie naar watermolens in oostelijk Noord-Brabant.

Historisch geografisch tijdschrift 27 (2009) 30 - 50.

In Noord-Brabant waren al watermolens in gebruik vóór de ontwikkeling van de Europese windmolen aan het einde van de 12e eeuw. De introductie van de watermolen in de Lage Landen vond plaats in een periode waaruit weinig documenten behouden bleven. Veel vragen zijn daardoor nog onbeantwoord, ook wezenlijke zoals: wanneer werden de molens opgericht? Wie waren de bouwheren? Welke factoren bepaalden de keuze van de plaatsen waar molens werden opgericht? Bij de keuze van de vestigingsplaatsen van nederzettingen speelde het (grond)water een grote rol. De watermolens hadden een belangrijke invloed op de waterstand. Welke consequenties had dat voor de nederzettingen? Waarom mochten enkele molens alleen 's winters malen? Welke rol speelden de molens in de regelmatig terugkerende wateroverlast? Het lijkt niet waarschijnlijk dat de archieven antwoorden zullen geven op al deze vragen. In dit artikel doen we een poging om voor de molens op de rivier de Aa, ten zuidoosten van 's-Hertogenbosch, inzicht in deze vragen te krijgen door de inpassing van de molens in het natuurlijke en cultuurlandschap, in samenhang met de eisen die de molens aan het landschap stellen, te analyseren. Waarschijnlijk wijkt de situatie op de Aa niet wezenlijk af van die op de andere kleine rivieren in oostelijk Noord-Brabant. Als resultaat zijn enkele veronderstellingen gepresenteerd over de vroegste ontwikkeling van de molens in de Meierij van 's-Hertogenbosch.

Watermills on the river Aa (province of Noord-Brabant)

The early history and evolution of watermills in the southern part of the Netherlands is hardly known. In this article, the author tries to answer questions like: when were the watermills founded? Which factors determined the choice of the locations and which influence did the watermills have on their surroundings? This article focuses on the watermills on the river Aa, which runs from the former peat moor in the south east of the province of Noord-Brabant to 's-Hertogenbosch in the North. Unlike the settlements on the banks of the river, which have a long history, most of the moors that bordered the banks were not reclaimed until the end of the nineteenth century. The fall of the river was divided equally over the watermills in accordance with practical needs. The fall limited the maximum number of watermills; a further increase in milling-capacity was only possible by the erection of windmills. In the last part of the river, downstream from the village of Veghel, four watermills were in existence during the Middle Ages. One of these disappeared early, a second one by the middle of the sixteenth century. The disappearance of those mills made a new adjustment of the distribution of the fall of the river possible. This is a possible explanation for the increase in size of the mills in the course of time. Many mills were built on central locations between three settlements. The small populations of most settlements could not afford the investment needed for the building of a mill. In later periods, such mills on central places (watermills as well as windmills) were often chosen as boundary points. Many mills were located near castles; the rent of the mills was one of the most important revenues of the landlords and supervision was desirable to prevent fraud. In a document from 1233 a mill 'near the mouth of the new brook' is mentioned. An analysis of the landscape in view of this document, led to the hypothesis that 'the new brook' may refer to a shortcut between the Leigraaf and the river Aa. If this is correct, the mill mentioned must be the one near Middelrode. It may be assumed that a balance developed between the level of the dammed water and the use of the bordering lands. The claim that for centuries the watermills impeded the efficient use of the lands should be modified. Small rivers have been diverted in order to provide mills with enough water. So the watermills have influenced the landscape in different ways.