Historical Someren

The oldest entry of Someren dates from 1212. In the archives of Postel abbey ´Sumeren´ was mentioned. In other old archives Someren is named differently, for example ´Zomeren´ or ´Zoemeren´.

The name Someren can be explained in different ways. Some people think it is a combination of so/soe (= water)-ma (= land)- ren (= border). According to others it is because the river ‘Aa’ would take its rise here from ´Seven Moeren´. Finally there are people who assume that the name dates from pre-German times. They point out the relation to the Belgian Summergems or the German Sumeringas, in the meaning of summer meadows, or a derivation of Sumaro or Summer.

Postel Abbey has had a lot of influence on Someren and Lierop. The first entry of Lierop was also in the abbey’s archives. In a deed from 1155 Lierop was called ´Lirdob´ and ´Lindor´. In old documents Lierop was often called ´Leyendorp´. This explains Lierop’s name, village at the ´Lije´ (= watercourse). More information about Someren’s history can be found in Mr Coenen’s book, “Hertog Jan en de Zummerse Mens”.

The former municipalities of Lierop and Someren were united in 1935 to the municipality of Someren.

The names Someren-Eind and Someren-Heide

The name ´Eind´ already exists for centuries. The Southern part of Someren was used to be called ´Eynde-Schoot´.

The name ´Heide´ is derived from the vast reclamation area which the village originated from. On maps the area is named ´De Heide´ or the ´Somerense Heide´.

The oldest history

The archives show the time in which the names Someren and Lierop were used first. That doesn’t mean that the villages weren’t there before that time. Archaeological research and discoveries show that already before the 12th century people lived in the territories of present-day Someren.

In Someren as well as in Lierop traces were found from the Old, Middle en New Stone Age (10,000 – 1,700 before Christ) Stone tools, arrow heads, tomahawks and maces were found.

Since 1990 there are yearly excavations in and around Waterdael, a development plan east of Someren-Dorps’ centre. The excavations have in the meantime yielded a fund of information on prehistorical and mediaeval inhabitants of Someren’s territory. Between 1990 and 1992 the Institute of Pré-and Protohistorical Archaeology of the University of Amsterdam (I.P.P.) dug up an urnfield. This field was used by the inhabitants who lived in the Acres of Someren between 600 and 400 before Christ (Iron Age), to bury their dead. The bones of about 200 deaths were gathered in a cloth which was then buried in a pit. Around the pit a square or an oblong ditch was dug and on top of the grave a low hill of sand and sod was build. The excavations yielded a new type of oblong burial-mound which in the archaeological science is now known as “langbedden of the Someren type”. One sepulchral monument had a unique length of 145 metres.

Farmyards of the Iron Age inhabitants were retrieved, scattered over a large area. The find of the grave of a native Roman warrior, buried with his sword, shears and razor as well as some food and a pitcher in a five hundred years older sepulchral monument, was also an uncommonly find. On the square of the new building quarter “Waterdael”, situated on the “Dorpsweg/Amer”, a number of sepulchral monuments of the urnfield has been reflected in the paving and public greens.

Excavations have taught us that the fields between the river “Aa” and the centre of Someren-Dorp were especially brought under cultivation in the period between 1000 and 1200 after Christ. After the Roman Times the area became densely wooded nearly entirely. More than ten mediaeval cultivation farms together with barns, hay-stacks and waterwells form the quiet witnesses of an intensive cultivation wave. At the roundabout on the “Lage Akkerweg” a hamlet of some farms was dug up which was located on a junction of two roads. Shortly after 1200 the inhabitants of the “Somerense Akkers” left their homes to settle in the present-day village centre. For some years an opposite move can be observed: the current and future inhabitants of “Waterdael” live on the grounds where their ancestors lived centuries ago, where they cultivated their lands and buried their deads.

If you encounter finds on groundworks

you can report this at the village hall.

Self-government

From the files becomes clear that 2 July 1301 was an important day in Someren’s history. On that day Someren received the right of self-government from the Brabantine Duke John II. As of now a court of seven aldermen dealt with a great deal of the administrative and legal tasks. The aldermen were assisted by special officials. The mayors dealt with financial matters, churchwardens with ecclesiastical affairs and holy masters or poormasters with social care. Lierop also had such a government structure but it is not known on which date Lierop received this right.

A local government like this existed for centuries. It lasted until the nineteenth century before there was a move to the present day government structure of mayor, aldermen and community council.

Development of the territory

The territory of Someren and Lierop was for the greater part already stipulated in the late Middle Ages. The current territory of Someren partly belonged to the Brabantine Duke and partly to the church of Saint Lambertus of Liège. When Duke John II established an aldermenbank for Someren in 1301, he incorporated a condition concerning his grounds in Someren. Those who used the “municipality” (grounds in common use), had to pay an annual amount of money for it. The Duke got thereby noted down that ´denselven luyden´ (namely those of Someren) got ´the municipality´ of him.

A document of 21 December 1327 is more explicit about Someren’s borders. Arnold, dean of Wassenberg, then sold the user rights of the municipal grounds of the church of Saint Lambertus of Liège, to the inhabitants of Someren. In the associated documents a number of Someren’s borders and border points are mentioned: “Eindehouts “, “Hoenderboom”, the mill of Heugten and the borders with the area of Mr Van Horn and that of Mr Van Asten (the “Aa”).

“Eindehouts” and “Hoenderboom” were the northern border points with Lierop. On 8 December 1328 Lierop bought the right of use of its municipal grounds of Duke John II. Besides “Eindehouts”and “Hoenderboom”, “Scorkene” (= “Euvelwegen” in “Heeze”), Bullingsberg, Stipdonk and Vladeraken (Vlerken) were in the files taken down as border points. These borders have mainly faced time. The most important border modification so far, was in 1935. Then the borderline between Someren and Lierop expired and they both got together under the name of Someren.

Economically the municipal grounds were very important for the previous inhabitants of Someren and Lierop. They could graze their cattle, extract peat and sand, place beehives and obtain heather turf and litter to use in their barns.

During the centuries also parts of the common savage grounds were being developed. In the Middle Ages the convent of Postel was very active in this area with farmer establishments as the farm “Ten Rode”, the “Hofstad (in Someren as well as in Lierop), “Large and Small Ekerbroek”, “Boomen”, “Moorsel”and “Ten Einde”. Because of the declining influence of the convents in the second half of the 17th Century, the development activities diminished.

Only in the 19th century new developments arose on a large scale. In 1875 and 1920 respectively Someren-Eind en Someren-Heide arose from these developments.

The Weapon

At Royal Decree of 1 May 1991 a new weapon was granted to the municipality of Someren, of which the description is as follows:

The weapon is quartered within the quarters I (top left) and IV (bottom right) a sable (black) a golden lion, tonqued and nailed in red and in quarters II (top right) and III (bottom left) in silver three mill irons in red, placed two and one. The shield is covered with a golden crown of three leaves and two pearls. The lions symbolise the so-called Brabantine lions, the weapon the Duke of Brabant conducted in those days, while the mill irons underline the close relationship between Someren and the quarter of Peelland.

The municipal flag

Since 1995 Someren has had an official municipal flag, of which the colours and symbols correspond with the weapon. The description is as follows:

the flag has three equally high bars, white, black and yellow with on the one hand on each bar a red mill iron with a height of 4/5 bar height. On the other side a yellow lion with a height of 4/5 bar height.

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