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Easterlittens (The Netherlands)

Littenseradiel municipality, Fryslân province

image by Jarig Bakker, 8 Sep 2003
adopted 1999; Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma.

Easterlittens village (Oosterlittens)
Easterlittens coat of arms

See also:

Easterlittens village (Oosterlittens)

Easterlittens (colloquially known as Littens, Dutch: Oosterlittens), a village in Littenseradiel municipality, Fryslân. It used to be in the former municipality of Baarderadeel. Population: (1958): 566; (1974): 487. The church of Easterlittens dates from the 12th century. Balthasar Bekker (1634-1696) was a vicar here from 1655-1666; his wife and four children are buried here. Bekker was fighting the witch hunt raging in Europe in the 17th century. His book "De Betoverde Wereld" (The Enchanted World) (1691/93) had a major impact on the abolishment of the weird practices of burning witches, etc. Easterlittens is mostly known for the tale of "It pealtsje fan Easterlittens", see the Littenseradiel page.
In the 17th/18th century a pig-market was held here. The number of pubs in 1629 was quite impressive, but the authorities decided that the number ought to be reduced to only one. Only the respectable tavern "Húlkenstein" remained, a "waterherberg", where skippers and the people who had to pull the ships could enjoy a glass of Coca Cola. Alas, in 1932 Hulkenstein was pulled down, and there's no disco in sight :-(
Nickname: "Ropeinen" (decoy-ducks), "Einepiken" (ducklings) (curious: no duck-cages to be found there)
Easterlittens coat of arms: divided 1. in silver a blue St. Andrews cross. II. in red a golden peg; in base charged with a black pot and in the red on both sides heightened with a golden penny.
Flag: a red hoist of 1/3 flag length, charged with from top to bottom a penny of 1/5 flag height, a pot of 2/5 flag height, and a penny of 1/5 flag height, all yellow; a white fly charged with a blue St. Andrews cross, with arms with 1/5 flag height.
Most of the symbols reflect the story of the peg, but the pennies also refer to the old pig-market, and the customhouse of Hulkenstein, at the junction of the Boalserter trekfeart and the Frjentserter feart (two canals). That junction is represented in the chief of the arms. The colors are derived from the coat of arms of Littenseradiel.
The flag has the same elements as the coat of arms.
Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma.

Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje 2001
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958
Baerderadiel: in Geakunde, 1977
Jarig Bakker, 8 Sep 2003

Easterlittens coat of arms

from Wapens en Flaggen fan Littenseradiel, booklet of the municipality.