Historisch bouwhout uit Vlaanderen: import uit noodzaak? Dendrochronologisch onderzoek als bron voor houthandel en -gebruik

Auteurs

  • Kristof Haneca Vlaamse Overheid, Agentschap Onroerend Erfgoed

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7480/knob.114.2015.3.1007

##submission.downloads##

Samenvatting

In Flanders, large-scale exploitation of the landscape was initiated in the tenth century by abbeys and by powerful landowners like the Count of Flanders. As a consequence, a lot of forested areas were converted into arable land and the remaining forest and woodlands became highly fragmented. It is estimated that in Flanders the lowest forest cover ever was reached by the end of the thirteenth century. It is known that from the thirteenth century onwards, Flemish towns imported massive amounts of construction timber. However, the wholesale depletion of local forests and the associated timber supply is contradicted by many archaeological discoveries of wooden structures built from local material. The provenance of such historical timbers can be determined by tree-ring analysis.

Most probably, scarcity was not the sole factor behind the large-scale importation of construction timber. Quality, or rather the lack of high quality-timber on the local market, must also have played a role. During the Middle Ages the practices of coppicing and coppicing with standards were widely applied. These types ofwoodland management are highly productive and make it possible to harvest firewood and small-sized lumber in a relatively short time. However, these management practices are not best suited to the production of large quantities of straight-grained and high-quality construction timber.

Due to the lack of large quantities of high-quality local timber, the importation of construction timber became increasingly important. An examination of the fourteenth and fifteenth century municipal accounts of several Flemish cities reveals that at least three major source regions can be identified for the timber imported into Flanders: the Baltic harbours and Scandinavia in the north, the forests along the Rhine, and the Ardennes and Meuse regions in what is now southern Belgium. Dendrochronological research into roof constructions in Bruges, Ghent and Oudenaarde demonstrates that the timbers were often imported from forested regions along the River Meuse. The trees were felled, tied together to form a raft and floated downriver to the coast. Eventually, most of these rafts arrived at the timber market in Dordrecht, from where they were shipped to Damme, the port for Bruges. In the Bruges municipal accounts, the town of Dordrecht is frequently cited as the place where timber was purchased for civil construction projects. This timber was also in demand further inland where it was used for large roof constructions. Although it is known that Baltic oak was imported, such timbers were never used for construction, but for more delicate applications such as panelling, staves or sculptures.

A constant feature of medieval wood construction in Flanders is the use of oak, with only a few known examples of elm being used instead. Coniferous wood, although mentioned in the municipal accounts, was rarely used in historical wooden construction in Flanders.

During the Middle Ages, widespread human intervention in local forests (timber harvesting, conversion to farmland), left them highly fragmented. While still able to produce everyday construction timber, local forests were no longer able to meet the ever-growing demand for high-quality construction timber.

Biografie auteur

Kristof Haneca, Vlaamse Overheid, Agentschap Onroerend Erfgoed

Dr. ir. Kristof Haneca is erfgoedonderzoeker bij het agentschap Onroerend Erfgoed van de Vlaamse Overheid. Hij is gespecialiseerd in dendrochronologisch onderzoek op bouwkundig en archeologisch erfgoed.

Referenties

G. Tack, P. Van den Bremt en M. Hermy, Bossen van Vlaanderen. Een historische ecologie, Leuven 1993.

K. Haneca e.a., ‘De “houten” eeuw van een Vlaamse stad. Archeologisch en dendrochronologisch onderzoek in Ieper (prov. W.-Vl.)’, Relicta. Archeologie, Monumenten- & Landschapsonderzoek in Vlaanderen 4 (2009), 99-134.

V. Debonne e.a., ‘Wase baksteen gedateerd. Natuurwetenschappelijk dateringsonderzoek in de Sint-Andreas en Sint-Gislenuskerk te Belsele (Sint-Niklaas)’, Relicta. Archeologie, Monu­menten- & Landschapsonderzoek in Vlaan­deren 12 (in druk).

P. Van den Bremt en R. De Meirsman, ‘De Stroopers in het vizier!’, M&L, Monumenten, Landschappen & Archeo­logie 29 (2010) 4, 21-64.

‘Multas quidem habens arbores, non tamen multas silvas’ (Bartholomei Anglici, Tractatus de Proprietatibus rerum, Coloniae, 1481), geciteerd in J.P. Sosson, Les travaux publics de la ville de Bruges, xive-xve siècles. Les matériaux. Les hommes, Coll. Histoire Pro Civitate, Brussel 1977.

‘Raris sylva locis facit umbram’ (Monumenta Germaniae Historiae, Series Scriptores XXVI, 322), geciteerd in Sosson 1977 (noot 5), 80.

D.J. de Vries, ‘Bosbestanden en houtmarkten’, in: K. Helfrich, J.F. Benders en W.A. Casparie (red.), Handzaam hout uit Groninger grond, houtgebruik in de historische stad, Groningen 1995, 116-133, 110.

K. Haneca, ‘The influence of historic forest management practices on oak chronology building in Flanders’, in P. Fraiture (red), Tree rings, art, archae­ology. Proceedings of an international conference (Scientia Artis 7), Brussel 2011, 67-75.

D. Nuytten, ‘Bouwhistorisch onderzoek van de voormalige abdijschuur Ter Doest’, Bulletin knob 104 (2005) 2-3, 58-74.

K. Haneca, J. Van Acker en H. Beeckman, ‘Growth trends reveal the forest structure during Roman and Medieval times in Western Europe. A comparison between archaeological and actual oak ring series (Quercus robur & Quercus petraea)’, Annals of Forest Science 62 (2005) 8, 797-805.

D. Houbrechts, Le logis en pan-de-bois dans les villes du bassin de la Meuse moyenne (Dossier de la Commission royale des Monuments, Sites et Fouilles 12), Luik 2008.

O. Rackham, ‘The growing and transport of timber and underwood’, in: S. McGrail (red.), Woodworking techniques before A.D. 1500, Oxford 1982, 199-217.

J.P. Sosson, ‘A propos du commerce du bois dans les anciens Pays-Bas Méridionaux aux xive et xve siècles’, in: C. Billen en A. Vanrie (red.), Bronnen voor de bosgeschiedenis in België/Les sources de l’histoire forestière de la Belgique, Brussel 1994, 203-210; Houbrechts 2008 (noot 11).

G. van Tussenbroek, ‘Geheimschrift in oude constructies. Amsterdam en de internationale houthandel in de 17de en 18de eeuw’, Nieuwsbrief Stichting Bouwhistorie Nederland 45 (2008), 37-51.

L.A. van Prooije, ‘Dordrecht als centrum van de Rijnse houthandel in de 17e en 18e eeuw’, Economisch- en sociaal-historisch jaarboek 55 (1992), 143-158.

Sosson 1977 (noot 5), 109-111.

De Vries 1995 (noot 7).

A. Viaene, ‘Namen van ingevoerd timmerhout in middelnederlandse teksten’, Biekorf 65 (1964), 79-84.

Sosson 1977 (noot 5), tabel 16, 116.

V. Debonne en K. Haneca, ‘Mariakerke, Mariakerkeplein, parochiekerk Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Geboorte’, Archeologisch onderzoek in Gent 2012. Bodem en Monument in Gent 2 (2013) 6, 246-259.

J. Decavele, ‘Gent zoek een uitweg naar open water’, Ruimschoots 6 (2006) 1, 16-18.

J. Tossavainen, Dutch forest products’ trade in the Baltic from the Late Middle Ages to the Peace of Munster in 1648, Jyväskylä 1994.

Zie de bijdrage van Gabri van Tussenbroek in dit Bulletin.

H. Beeckman, ‘The impact of forest management on wood quality. The case of medieval oak’, in: C. Van de Velde e.a. (red.), Constructing wooden images. Proceedings of the symposium on the organization of labour and working practices of late Gothic carved altarpieces in the Low Countries, Brussels 25-26 October 2002, Brussel 2005, 91-114.

Viaene 1964 (noot 18).

G. van Tussenbroek, Historisch hout in Amsterdamse monumenten. Dendrochronologie – houthandel – toepassingen, (Publicatiereeks Amsterdamse Monumenten 3), Amsterdam 2012.

U. Sass-klaassen, ‘Dendrochronologisch onderzoek aan naaldhout uit Nederlandse monumenten’, Bulletin knob 99 (2000) 3, 85-95. Zie ook de bijdrage van Dirk de Vries in dit Bulletin.

Gepubliceerd

2015-09-01

Citeerhulp

Haneca, K. (2015). Historisch bouwhout uit Vlaanderen: import uit noodzaak? Dendrochronologisch onderzoek als bron voor houthandel en -gebruik. Bulletin KNOB, 114(3), 158–169. https://doi.org/10.7480/knob.114.2015.3.1007

Nummer

Sectie

Artikelen

##plugins.generic.plaudit.displayName##