Bleiswijk (EN)

History

It is unclear exactly when Bleiswijk was founded. What is certain is that the village already existed in 1242. In that year, the name “Blesewic” is mentioned for the first time in a description of the area where today's Zoetermeer is located.

Bleiswijk already had a church in 1276, which suggests that many people settled here. Church accounts from 1275-1280 show that Bleiswijk was already earning more than the mother church in Hillegersberg.

Bleiswijk was a high seigniory. This meant that people could be sentenced to death there. Hence Bleiswijk had a gallows. The seigniory was owned by the Van Bronckhorst family, among others. Through the marriage of Gillisken van Weena, lady of Bleiswijk, with Willem van Bronckhorst in 1426, it had come into the hands of this family. In 1582, Mr van Bronckhorst sold the manor of Bleiswijk at a public auction for 5,980 guilders to the city of Rotterdam. From then on, the city was allowed to appoint the local regents. When the seigniorial rights were abolished in 1798, the city council no longer had any influence on the appointment of these regents. Only in 1848 did the delicious rights come to a definitive end. Rotterdam then sold the remaining rights to a private individual, who was allowed to call himself ambassador of Bleiswijk.

As a result of a resolution of Gedeputeerde Staten van Zuid-Holland of 25 March 1817 concerning the organisation of rural municipalities, bailiff and secretary of Bleiswijk Jacob van Waning convened the first municipal council in Bleiswijk history. A month later, on 30 April 1817, the Governor of South Holland appointed the first municipal council (mayor and assessors), consisting of bailiff Jacob van Waning, assisted by Johannes Geijl and Willem Treurniet. On 31 May 1817, Bleiswijk's voters held the first municipal elections.

On 1 January 2007, the municipality of Bleiswijk merged with Bergschenhoek and Berkel en Rodenrijs to form the new municipality of Lansingerland.

Doing research in government archives

Since 2003, the archives of the former municipality of Bleiswijk and private archives from that municipality have been at the Stadsarchief Rotterdam. You can view them in the reading room:

• District Bleiswijk (1521-1810)
• Municipality Bleiswijk (1811-1948)
• Municipality Bleiswijk (1949-1977)

Other archives, visual material and literature

Stadsarchief Rotterdam also holds material from private persons, companies and institutions that are or have been active in Barendrecht. Go to the Archives search page.

Visual material is accessible via the Image bank.

Books and magazine articles can be found in the Library catalogue (publications from 1994 onwards) or in the card catalogue in the reading room (publications up to 1994).

Family tree research

To search the civil registry and population registers, use the website WieWasWie or the Family tree search page.

Original civil status records that are in the public domain can be requested from our reading room.