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The villages of the island Texel

Nowadays there are seven villages on the island of Texel. The main place is Den Burg. The other places are Den Hoorn, De Koog, Oosterend, De Waal, De Cocksdorp and Oudeschild. De Cocksdorp is the youngest one, built at the time of the reclamation of Eierland (1836). Oudeschild is also relatively new, started in the 17th century. De Westen was once the most important place of the island, but now there is not much left.

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:

Residents of Nieuweschild, 1742
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