Johann Springorum, Bürgermeister of Bochum

Transcription

English

7. The Medieval Citizenry of Bochum:

Mayors; city seal; families resident in Bochum

In medieval Bochum there was indeed no conflict as turbulent between noble families and citizens as in other towns; nevertheless, it is also of interest to learn about the prominent families that the place then housed. When it becomes apparent how few of the families living in the town today descend from those ancient families, this shows how short-lived families are, how fragmentary traditions often are, and how cautiously one must proceed when attempting, from historical evidence, to construct a continuous line.

We shall first list those persons who, insofar as they are known, exercised the mayoralty in the Middle Ages, that is, who bore the city’s sceptre, since their names also guide us toward the most distinguished families of past times.

Mayors of Bochum were:

• 1407 Gert von Bere and Hinrik to der Bruggen¹
• 1432 Diderik dar Boven and H. Schowert²
• 1438 Diderik dar Boven³
• 1439 Diderik de Conink and Diderik op der Borg⁴
• 1443 Diderik op der Borg and Heneke Conink⁵
• 1445 Hinr. Dychwall and Dider. Splithoff⁶
• 1451 Rutger Schulte and Dider. Schräder⁷
• 1457 Rutger Schulte(n) and Dider. Splithoff⁸
• 1461 Herm. Voß and Joh. Schütte⁹
• 1462 Dierk up der Borg and Herm. Voß¹⁰
• 1465 Herm. Voß and Hinr. Stoit¹¹
• 1467 Hinr. Stoit¹²
• 1476 Joh. Springorum and Albert Scholmeister¹³
• 1482 Hinr. Stoit and Joh. Breckelvelt¹⁴
• 1484 Joh. Breckelvelt and Diderik Wertmann¹⁵
• 1490 Joh. Breckelvelt¹⁶
• 1494 Hinr. Smet, alongside Dider. Syben, named as councillor¹⁷
• 1498 Wenemar Woymen and Michael Breckelvelt¹⁸
• 1504 Arnt Kopmann and Herm. ten Hütte¹⁹
• 1510 Joh. Schryber and Dirik Syben²⁰

All seals used by the mayors of Bochum up to 1491 are contained in a book bound with two clasps, lying to the right of the opening, together with the opening formula.

(Footnotes follow, citing Bochum charters and parish records. At the end it is noted that the book is a parchment volume in quarto format, with three surviving leather bindings in the medieval style; the front binding is partially torn away.)