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Drachtstercompagnie (The Netherlands)

Fryslân province

by Jarig Bakker, 21 Sep 2003
Design: J.C. Terluin.

Drachtstercompagnie village
Drachtstercompagnie CoA

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Drachtstercompagnie village

Drachtstercompagnie (Frisian: De Kompenije) is a village in Smallingerland municipality, Fryslân province. Population: (1958) 1240; 1974) 971. It is a long village, founded after 1743 along canals connected to the Drachtster Compagnonsvaart (a big canal). A "Compagnie" was in the 16th and 117th century a company, entitled to the exploitation of marshy soils. Several hamlets and villages still have that name, like Oudehornster C., Hoornsterzwaagster C., Jubbegaaster C., and the Drachtstercompagnie. In southeast Fryslân the digging of the Drachtster Compagnonsvaart in 1641 was crucial in the peat-exploitation.
CoA: per bend sinister of blue and silver; b. again per bend sinister of silver and blue; the silver charged with three lying red blocks placed 1:1:1; a canton wavy per bend sinister per fess of red and gold, in the form of two addossed cloverleaves countercharged, issuing from the from the diagonal.
Flag: blue with a white diagonal with a width of 1/2 flagheight, starting in the hoist bottom and reaching into 2/3 of flaglength; the diagonal charged with three lying blocks; each block of 1/6 flagheight and 1/4 flaglength, the top- and bottom-block at 1/12 of flagtop and -bottom and at a distance of 1/6 flagheight; in the canton a wavy diagonal division of red and yellow with two addossed cloverleaves countercharged, issuing form the diagonal.
Drachtstercompagnie is a colony on the peat moor, at right angles to the cross-canal wards were dug; the oldest are in ENE-WSW direction. The peatgrounds were dug in the 17th-19th century according to fixed plans. That plan was designed by the owners, united in the "Compagnie". In the CoA and flag the wards are symbolized by the white diagonals in blue. Three peat-blocks have been placed on it to represent peat-digging. This was the so-called "lange turf", (long peatblock), which was brown. Because brown is hardly used in heraldry, so the nearest color (red) was chosen for the blocks. At the same time red is the color of the heather on the peat moor.
After the peatdigging the top layer was mixed with the bottom layer (sand and lime), from which fertile soil was gained for agricultural purposes.
The co-operation of the "Compagnons" and the later farmers in co-operative enterprises is symbolized by the canton of red and
gold/yellow. The clover is in Frisian heraldry the symbol of meadows and cattle-breeding. The gold represents sandy soil and the red the heather in the old days.
The flag is a copy of the arms and explains itself.
Design: J.C.Terluin
Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje 2002.
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958.
Jarig Bakker, 21 Sep 2003

Drachtstercompagnie CoA

by Jarig Bakker, 21 Sep 2003