Friday, 30 January was the big day. The closing ceremony for the restoration of the tomb of Nicolaas Cornelis Lambrechtsen. Jos Lambrechtsen (the current lord of the manor) and I had expected around 30 people to attend. In the end, 60 people turned up! The church in Ritthem was filled with members of the Lambrechtsen family, members of the Hurgronje Fund, residents of the village and other interested parties.
Joos Lambrechtsen had brought his painting of N.C. Lambrechtsen especially for the meeting. We also brought out N.C. Lambrechtsen’s Bible, which is kept in the church. This helped to bring Lambrechtsen, or N.C. as we called him during the meeting, to life.
Speakers
Jos Lambrechtsen was the first speaker. He described the restoration process. He discussed the search for a contractor, the crowdfunding and the restoration itself.
Then it was my turn. I briefly outlined the life of N.C. (1752 – 1823) with his achievements (administrator and scientist) and the difficulties in his life (the looting of his house in 1787 and the period when he was held hostage in 1813).
Professor Dirk Kolff then outlined N.C.’s character in the turbulent times in which he lived. He was a patriot in the Orange-minded town of Vlissingen and tried to bring the polarising parties together. He did this by emphasising solidarity and what the people of Vlissingen had in common, but the tide was not in his favour. He did not succeed.
Mrs Hannie Kool-Blokland, vice-chair of the Royal Zeeland Society of Sciences, spoke about N.C.’s contributions to the Society, such as the many gifts, documents and paintings he left behind. N.C. also saved the Society from ruin. She also mentioned how others characterised N.C.: calm, astute and competent.
The mayor of Vlissingen, Bas van den Tillaar, expressed his appreciation for the initiative and the importance of continuing to tell the story of N.C. The information board is a good addition to the grave for this purpose. He had put on his chain of office especially for this occasion. In doing so, he underlined his appreciation for the initiative.
Finally, Peter Oste thanked the initiators on behalf of the church council. Without them, this would never have come about.
Unveiling
After the thank-yous, we went outside and the mayor unveiled the information board.
Publications
There was a lot of press present. The Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant published an article on 2 February, De Vlissingse Bode was present and published an article, and Streekomroep Walcheren produced an article and a video. Articles also appeared on Dodenakkers Funerair Erfgoed and Geloven in de Delta.
To conclude, we enjoyed drinks and snacks in the village hall in Ritthem.
The villagers we were in contact with helped us right to the end. It was great to work with them.
All in all, it was a very successful gathering. We enjoyed it!
Nicoline Beck
For those who would still like to see the gathering, here is the link to the recordings. The sound starts at 4 minutes 50.
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