From 1556 until the French Revolution the local government of Texel consisted of seven aldermen and four mayors. The villages Den Burg, De Waal, Oosterend and De Westen all had their own mayor. Two aldermen came from Den Burg, one from De Waal, one from Oosterend, one from De Westen, one from Den Hoorn and one from De Koog. On December the 31th of 1829, Texel had 4460 residents. Sources of the 17th and 18th century are indicating that the size of the population was not changing much between 1622 and 1830.
Oosterend Oosterend consisted of four parts: the town of Oosterend, and the little places Oost, Zevenhuizen and Nieuweschild. Nowadays you will not find Nieuweschild anymore. It was situated on the coast. Almost all the inhabitants had maritime occupations. When the shipping of Texel went down in the nineteenth century, Nieuweschild disappeared.
The following list was made for the "personele quotisatie", a kind of taxes:
Meijndert Visser, pilot, 4 persons Cornelis Knaap, pilot, 1 person Cornelis Bruijn, sailor, 3 persons widow of Leendert Willemsz, her son a sailor, 2 persons Jacob Gerrits, brewer and pilot, 3 persons Jan Jager, "kaagschipper", 3 persons Elmer Jacobsz Brouwer, pilot, 5 persons Gerrit Vlas, "kaagschipper", 4 persons, 1 maid Willem Jacobsz Brouwer, sailor, 4 persons Maarten Brouwer, carpenter, 1 person widow of Leendert Nanse, a little shop, 1 person Michiel Kleijnenberg, sailor, 5 persons Jan D. Boekje, sailor, 2 persons Maarten Jager, "kaagschipper", 5 persons, 1 servant Pieter Gerrits Burger, pilot, 5 persons Jan D. Leeuw, sailor, 4 persons Pieter Pieters Burger, pilot, 8 persons Cornelis Burger, pilot, 3 persons widow of Jacob Dirkse Kuijper, has a little shop, 3 persons widow of Jan Zijtze, seamstress, 2 persons Claas Groot, pilot, 3 persons Hendrik Groot, pilot, 1 person Jacob Dogger, pilot, 6 persons Zaijkom Dogger, sailor, 2 persons Maarten van de Kamp, sailor, 3 persons Teunis Hendriks Stark, carpenter, 3 persons Tijs Bremer, sailor, 2 persons Pieter Brouwer, pilot, 6 persons Cornelis Gerrits Brouwer, pilot, 4 persons, 1 maid Jan IJsbrantsz Brouwer, pilot, 2 persons Cornelis Cornelis Brouwer, pilot, 3 persons Willem Leendertse, pilot, 3 persons Jan Eede, "kaagschipper", 4 persons Trijn Leenderts, 2 person Jan Knaap, sailor, 3 persons widow of Jan Gerrits Burger, "tapt genever", 2 persons Teunis Brouwer, pilot, 6 persons Maarten Vos, sailor, 5 persons Cornelis Dirkse de Leeuw, pilot, 5 persons
Oudeschild The village Oudeschild originated in the seventeenth century. Amsterdam was in those days the most important harbor of the world, but the town did not have direct access to the North Sea. All ships from Amsterdam first sailed to Texel. There they waited for the right wind to sail away, and the ships also loaded fresh water from the wells near Oudeschild. Many strangers visited Oudeschild, and some of them settled down in the village. Nowadays the Texel fishing ships can be found in the harbor of Oudeschild.
postcard of Oudeschild in the beginning of the twentieth century Updated 23 December 2001 Miriam Klaassen |