In the hamlet of Westervelde, southwest of Norg, Drenthe, the Netherlands, there are many toponyms that contain the term "Tempel". Is there a link with the medieval Knights Templar?
The first example is a farm called “De Grote Tempel” (“The Great Temple”), with another nearby to the east called “De Kleine Tempel” (“The Small Temple”) at now Schoolstraat 30, Westervelde. The grasslands to the south, which are part of the stream valley of the small Slokkert river, are known as “De Tempelstukken”, and historic field names in the area also reference “The Temple.”
The area around present day Westerveld had already known a form of prehistoric settlement. Close to the village you will find dolmen D2, a portal grave that was built between 3400 and 3100 BC during the Trechterbeker cultuur (Funnel Beaker culture). There are also several tumuli (burial mounts) in the neighbourhood.
Westervelde was one of the late Middle Age “esdorpen”, traditional Drenthe villages structured around communal arable fields (the essen) and large heathlands for grazing (such as the Tempelstukken). These patterns emerged in the High Middle Ages, roughly from the 11th–13th centuries. The name Westervelde first appears in the period 1381-1383 as Westerlande and from 1484 as Westervelde.
It is believed that Westervelde in medieval times was a settlement of about ten large farms, widely spaced, each in the center of its own territory. “The Temple” might have been one of these original farms. The name “De Tempel” is quite unusual for a farmstead in Westervelde, where farms are typically named after residents or their occupations.
Blaauw notes that the origin of the name “Tempel” is unclear. One theory is that it is a corruption of the Drenthe word “tip” (meaning a triangular piece of land), but it may also have another meaning. Oral tradition holds that there was an earlier building on the site, destroyed by fire, and some elements of the current structure, including scorched beams and distinctive timber marks (X-shaped), suggest an earlier phase of construction.
The name “Tempel” has been documented here since 1643, when a "meier"(farmer tenant) named Hendrik Tempels is mentioned, later called Hendrik Alberts “op den Tempel.” Over the following years, tenant farmers and owners were recorded by name, with the owners belonging to prominent local families. In the mid-17th century, the owner was Samuel Brumlevius, a minister in Westerbork, and later members of the Lunsche, Tonckens, and Wieland families.
By around 1800, the names “De Grote Tempel” and “De Kleine Tempel” were still in use. The latter, a small farm, can be traced back to the 17th century and was probably added later to the larger property, hence its name.
Small itself, Westervelde lay on an important road to the norther provinces of Groningen and Friesland. This might explain some of the significance of the location and thus its long history since prehistorical times. An interesting detail may be that there was a Cistercian monastery at Groningen, the monastry of Klaarkamp (= Clear field) at Rinsumageest. This monastery for monks was dedicated to Our Lady. The first efforts of foundation of the Order took place in East-Frisia ca 1155. There is also another farm "De Tempel" at Greonterp in Western Friesland.
In summary, historical evidence of Templar presence at Westervelde is lacking. However, place names, the farm’s old and prominent history (possibly dating back to the 13th century), its location on a main road, and architectural clues suggest that “De Grote Tempel” in Westervelde may have originally been a support point of the Knights Templar.
There are several walking routes on the internet, such as this 10 km walk around the Tempelstukken at Westervelde and another 11 km one.
Find all the proven, probable and possible Templar sites defined bij Dr Brus in The Netherlands on this map.
This blog is based, with permission, on the entry on Westervelde near Norg of the valuable website on the Templars in the Netherlands by Dr Brus. As the original website by Brusse seems to have security issues an archived version was used. Much additional information was derived from www.metkarstopstap.nl and several local historical websites such as drenthe.erfgoedcms.nl as well as Wikipedia, For copyright reasons the illustration does not show De Kleine Tempel but the probably originally medieval "House te Westervelde"from the west, which in the subsequent centuries has been altered significantly. The farmhouse on the left was probably added in 1804. Source kennis.cultureelerfgoed.nl, Image bank RCE, photo by A.J. van der Wal, 1973, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Google Street View of the (also modernised) farmhouse De Kleine Temple can be found here.
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