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Aldeboarn (The Netherlands)

Boarnsterhim municipality, Fryslân province

by Jarig Bakker, 19 Aug 2003

Âldeboarn village
Âldeboarn Coat of Arms

See also:

Âldeboarn village

Oldeboorn's official (Frisian) name is Âldeboarn, in the municipality of Boarnsterhim, Fryslân province. It used to be in the former municipality of Utingeradeel; the small river Boorn flows through it. It was for some time the seat of Utingeradeel, which might explain the rime:
"Oldeboorn, hoog van de toren,
krap van geld,
zo is 't met Oldeboorn gesteld"
(Oldeboorn, with as much pride as its tower was high,
with little money,
that's what Oldeboorn is)
Its church was built in the 13th century, at the time the main church in the very old division of the Bornego deanery.

The vlek (townlet) Âldeboarn: Coat of Arms: In red a yellow turned couped pig's head, left and right in shield-top a clover-leave; on the bottom two sickles with in between a cloverleave, all in gold. On top of the shield a golden crown of three leaves and two pearls; in the bandlet three lozengy and two oval green gems (vlekke-kroon). The Coat of Arms is in the church-tower of Âldeboarn and on the silver communion-chalice of the Great Church.
(note: Âldeboarnsters are known as "toermjitters" (tower-measurers - they wanted to build a longer church-spire than the one in Tzum. They went to Tzum, measured the spire, but before they got home a clever Tzummer cut a piece from the measuring string, so Tzum retained the longest (village) church spire in Fryslân)
Flag: two vertical stripes of red and yellow proportioned 2:1; in the red stripe yellow couped pig's head.
Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje 1986.
<I found no explanation of the "bargekop"- pig's head>
Jarig Bakker, 19 Aug 2003

I have a theory that might explain the pig's head on the coat of arms:
Another name for a pig is a "boar". Could the Boorn river, (which is near the town Aldeboarn), be named that way because
of the historical presence/significance of wild or domesticated boars? If the boar was a significant animal in the area, they
might have named the river after the boar, and hence the animal appears on the coat of arms / flag as well. This explanation
would tie together the names of the river "Boorn", the town "Aldeboarn", and the municipality of "Boarnsterhim"
to the presence of the boar's head on the coat of arms.
Richard Boonstra, 21 Sep 2004

Our nickname is not toermjitters, but Tuorkemjitters, it means the same though.
And the village with the highest church tower or spire wasn't Arum but Tzum (Frisian: Tsjom)! (rectified, ed.)
I also have a link to our website for you if you like, it is completely in Dutch though.
Anne vd Wal, 9 Aug 2004

Âldeboarn Coat of Arms

from Genealogysk Jierboekje 1986.