Brouwersvliet

The vleiten, like this Brouwersvliet, are part of the basis of a legend that explains the origin of the word 'sinjoor'. “This well-known nickname has several origin stories. This version is quite gruesome. At the Grote Houtvliet lived Hans Pont at the end of the thirteenth century. He regularly beat his wife. Because there was no law to counter this crime, a story was immediately made up."

"Gentlemen who abused their wives were placed in a blanket and tossed up by bystanders. When one of the helpers let the blanket slip from his hands, Hans hit his head against a post, fell into the water, and drowned. After that accident, it was decided to switch to a doll that was thrown into the air in front of the houses of abusive men. One of the gentlemen who experienced this was señor don Antonio, a Spanish nobleman. A special doll was made that resembled him and was given the nickname 'signorke'. This made him so angry that he immediately left the city. The name 'signorke' or 'sinjoor' has always stuck around.”

Hanna Van Thienen