Heirnis

Before the 14th century, the Heirnis was known as a "protruding region" because the Scheldt makes a sharp bend in this area. Within the boundaries of this area was a castle and the Sint-Bavosdorp.

From the 14th century, the area south of this village is called a heernesse . This heernesse was a natural flood plain, but was also used as pasture. The flood plain stretched from the Keizerspoort to Destelbergen. The Heirnis was a typical commons in the classical, rural sense of the word: namely, common lands in which local residents had access to certain raw materials under certain property rights that deviate from our contemporary image of exclusive and private property. In the early modern period, there were several commons: for common wood, animal grazing, the use of peat, etc. These commons were managed by a set of agreements: each rightful owner had a right to a certain piece or part. These agreements often existed in customary law, but were also sometimes written down in regulations. The risk of overuse would be inherent in the commons, and ultimately mean the (ecological) collapse of the commons. This risk is often referred to as the "tragedy of the commons". But over time, commons tended to remain stable for very long periods of time. This was also the case with the Heirnis. Every family in the neighborhood had the right to place 1 cow on the pasture after payment to the Heirnis masters. In return, the masters maintained the grounds and supervised compliance with the rules. The masters were elected by a committee and could punish offenders with fines or by taking away rights. They themselves chose a skilled shepherd who drove the cows from the Sint-Baafsdorp to the Heernesse and back every day. Every year a large village festival was celebrated with the leftovers from the treasury of the lord. The Coyen dance or cow dance grew into a folk festival with lots of dance and music. In 2014, a small park at St Bavo's Abbey was named Coyendanspark to commemorate this celebration. The regulations of the Heirnis have been digitized by the Ghent University Library, the "Reglementen der Herniss" and give a unique picture of how an old commons was managed.

The construction of the Spaniards' Castle in the 16th century led to important changes in the area. Part of the Heirnis was occupied by forts, walls and a moat. This canal, together with the Scheldt, caused a lot of flooding. It was not until the arrival of the Ringvaart in the middle of the 20th century that the heaviest nuisance disappeared.

After the French Revolution and the conquest of Ghent by the French, the Heirnis disappeared as common ground and a bitter legal battle ensued over property rights. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that the city of Ghent acquired the right of ownership of the entire Heirnis after years of legal wrangling. The city parcelled out the area and created the Heirnis district. The rural commons in the vicinity of the city of Ghent therefore gave way to further urbanisation. Today, the Scheldt is the last remnant of the rich history of the Heirnismeersen.

Sources

Beaucarne, Carolus Livinus., Reglementen der Hernisse: 1589-1789. Ghent: Annoot-Braeckman, 1851.

Decker, Arthur." The History of the Heirnis." Ghendtsche tydinghen 22/5 (1993): 234-50.

Degrieck, Klara; Vlerick, Arne and Atelier Korte Keten, "Heirnismeersen," Last week, accessed 01.04.2022 https://www.omeka.ugent.be/verledenweek2019/items/show/29.

Ishka DS