Second small seal, located at the old City Hall of Vlaardingen (1650
Sigillography or sphragistics is a scientific discipline in the historical academic work for studying seals that is used for authenticating archival documents. It also finds use in maritime historical research, together with heraldry, thanks to the frequent presence of ships or related items on coats of arms and seals of cities and towns involved in mercantile shipping or fishery.
One specific example is the town of Vlaardingen, in the province of Zuid-Holland, in the Netherlands. The location of this settlement on the Maas river made it a convenient place to control and tax the passing merchant shipping. Vlaardingen had become a territorial property of the Counts of Holland by 985, and at some point during next three centuries it acquired a city charter, renewed and expanded in 1273 (with reference to a number of rights already received in earlier years). The present-day coat of arms depicts a lion, however this was only since 1616. The medieval seals dating from the 14th Century usually depicted a ship and only additionally a lion representing the Counts of Holland) and a Fleur-de-lis.
Left large city seal, used between 1351-1612 and right small seal, used between 1361-1509
The reason for the presence of merchant ships on the oldest seals of Vlaardingen is easily explainable. The importance of shipping for the city's economy was mentioned already in some of the oldest written sources regarding its history. For example, a 1230 voyage to England is recorded, when master Gerardus van Fletinghe brought his ship loaded with wool. Over time England became more and more a primary destination of interest for ships sailing out of Vlaardingen. Eventually, however, fishery - herring fishery in particular - superseded merchant shipping as the most significant area of maritime activity in Vlaardingen, and by the 18th Century the city was the most important fishing port in the region.
Unfortunately, the 20th century has turned the tide against this once so impressive fishing community. The conservative attitude of the local fishermen, reluctant to invest in more innovative fishing techniques, led to their decline in comparison to their counterparts from Scheveningen and IJmuiden. By 1964, only 9 motor luggers were left and soon afterwards even those disappeared.
The ships presented on the medieval seals of Vlaardingen are often referred to as a cog. Cogs were clinker-built cargo vessels that were possibly introduced during the 10th century and adopted on a large scale by the 12th century, remaining in widespread use throughout the Middle Ages. Although the ships from the seals are very likely to be cargo ships, there being cogs is much less likely. However, historians remain in dispute in regard to the exact classification of the type of vessel presented.
Dutch historian Coenraad Postma wrote in his article about the coat of arms and seals of Vlaardingen that the so-called large seal of Vlaardingen showed a “1-mast cog with reefed sails”. His opinion was disputed by another author Dr. H. A.H. Boelmans-Kranenburg who pointed out the lack of typical characteristic features of a (Baltic) cog, which are the raised fore and aft castles. Another argument raised was that the cogs operated more often around the Zuyder Zee.
Boelmans-Kranenburg wondered if it were not the Dutch “hulk” type of ship, or possibly quite the opposite - a fishing vessel called the haringboot (herring boat), a predecessor of the well-known haringbuis (herring buss). Strong support for that last hypothesis is the presence of the gear mounted on the ship's bow and the recesses in the hull (suggesting that drift nets would be taken in from there), both of which were typical features of the haringboot.
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The large seal used between 1351 and 1612 showed a ship with a rudder at the stern, so typical mostly for late-medieval and early-modern ships. There was, however, one smaller seal used between 1361-1509 depicting a more medieval ship with a reefed square sail. The rudder is not depicted but was likely a rudder positioned at the side.
According to Postma, another smaller seal depicted a 15th century 3-mast fishing or merchant vessel with 2 reefed sails. These findings were also (slightly) disputed by Boelmans-Kranenburg in the part regarding the possibility of the vessel in question being a merchant ship. Instead it was argued for a stylized herring buss being the most reasonable possibility.
Buss was a round-bilged keel ship, with 2 or 3 masts, the stern relatively high with gallery. The square-rigged mainmast and foremast (if available) could be lowered when fishing, the gaff rigged mizzen mast stayed upright. Something that Postma’s opponent also mentioned as proof for his claim that it was a buss. The lion of Holland can be seen depicted above a trestle. A typical trestle that was used by the buss when the masts were lowered down during fishing operations.
The herring buss derives its name from the Latin word “buscia”, which means “cargo ship.” Terms used for the herring buss were buyse, buse or buyssescip (Modern spelling buisschip). Historians agree that the first herring buss was probably laid down in Enkhuizen back in 1416.
RP-P-2014-30 Een haringbuis, Meester W met de Sleutel, ca. 1490
The oldest known illustration of a herring buss was made around 1480, most likely by the goldsmith Willem Vanden Cruce of Brugge. It emerged as a popular type of ship and in 1620 around 2,000 were used for excursions as far as the Shetland Islands, with last one of them being built as late as 1841 at Vlaardingen itself.
Awhile we know that 3 mast ships are well used during the second part of the 15th century we do not know if the buss would have had three masts in early development. The seals of Vlaardingen always have been modern and give undoubtedly an excellent contribution to Dutch maritime history.
Seal - Vlaardingen 1361-1509
Large seal )grootzegel van Vlaardingen 1351-1612
Haringbuis. Small seal (kleinzegel) van Vlaardingen stadshuis 1400s-1650
These drawings are interpretations by Laszlo Veres and Alexander Mari van Maanen after the seals of Vlaardingen.
Sources:
Zegels en wapens van steden in Zuid-Holland: Een bundel studiën onder leiding van Elisabeth C. M. Leemans-Prins; s-Gravenhage, 1966.
Ewe, H.: Schiffe auf Siegeln. VEB Hinstorff Verlag, Rostock 1972.
Ships after Seal prints. Laszlo Veres, Unpublished manuscript, Pécs, 2020.
Nationaal Archief, Grafelijkheid 27 november 1361.
Stadsarchief Vlaardingen, various publications.
Historisch Jaarboek Vlaardingen, various publications.
