In 2021 the archery guild St. Sebastian in Zuiddorpe celebrated its 500th anniversary. On the occasion of this joyous occasion, the Stichting Historisch Onderzoek Zeeland (SHOZ) has had a book published, entitled “Six centuries of archery guilds in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and 500 years of St. Sebastian in Zuiddorpe”.
The research
There is no history book about the archery guilds in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen nor has there ever been a coherent research of its history in separate articles. Nevertheless, they formed an essential part of, among other things, the social and cultural history of this area, the history of which goes back to the Middle Ages. In almost all the old towns of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, then still part of the old county of Flanders, there were archery courts. We know this from the study of 16th century maps of these towns by Jacob van Deventer, but also in some smaller villages, archery guilds were active. They remained so until far into the present. One of those towns is Zuiddorpe.
St. Sebastiaan in Zuiddorpe has existed since at least 1521 and is Flemish in origin, content and functioning. Also in the nineteenth century, when its own archives have been preserved, it is (S) Flemish. The relationship with the Brotherhood of St. Sebastian in Middelburg is in itself not direct, except for the fact that the namesake – St. Sebastian – was a favourite of many militia. He was the patron saint of the archers. Moreover, it is a very interesting phenomenon that everywhere at about the same time, archery guilds came into being and played an important socio-economic role. Some activities have been joint, such as Hulst-Middelburg, Zuiddorpe-Middelburg, national championships and European championships. It is precisely the joint development and the various relationships that are interesting.
The 500th anniversary of the Zuiddorpe Saint Sebastian Archery Guild (Schutterij Sint Sebastiaan van Zuiddorpe) was the reason to dedicate a study to the archery guilds of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and the guild of Zuiddorpe in particular, thus filling two important gaps in the historical research of this part of popular culture.
The most important questions answered by this research are, among others, the following:
- How widespread were the hand archery guilds in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen?
- When were they founded?
- How long did they function?
- What were the mutual relations between the various archers’ guilds?
- Did their long history include any changes in their functioning, number of members, type of members, equipment and accommodation?
- What influence have historical events, including the Eighty Years’ War (1568 – 1648) and the French Period (1795 – 1814) had on their existence/functioning?
- What is the role of the archery guilds in our time?
The publication
The SHOZ has found Dr. A.M.J. de Kraker willing to do the research and write the book. Mr. de Kraker is a scientific researcher par excellence who has a lot of knowledge of many as yet unused archives, such as old city- and crafts accounts. He has placed the history of the archery guilds in the context of the developments of the region.
The book was published on 20 December 2021, partly thanks to a financial contribution of the Familiefonds Hurgronje.
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