Albrandswaard

The Hooghe Lordship Albrantswaard and Kijvelanden was a lordship and polder in the province of South Holland, on the island of IJsselmonde, at the location of the later municipality of Poortugaal, now Albrandswaard. The first mention dates back to the year 1201. The name means 'floodplain of Albrant', that is, the floodplain of the Old Maas. The lords of Albrantswaard did not live in their lordship but were wealthy regents from Dutch cities. Most of the inhabitants were farmers. In 1732, there were 26 houses. Nevertheless, this small community had a bailiff for criminal matters and a reeve for civil matters. A dike-reeve was also essential in this polder. In the small community, the responsibilities of these roles were shared among a few families.
The first owner of the Albrantswaard polder was an unknown Albrant, probably Lord Hugo of IJsselmonde, a knight who gave this part of his property as a marriage gift to his daughters, one of whom was married to Wouter van Egmond. He entrusted the property to the abbey Ter Doest in Flanders. The Cistercian monks were known for their skills in dike construction and land reclamation. According to the documents, they found a grateful work area on the Zeeland and South Holland islands at that time. The region was plagued by storm surges, and it required effort to reclaim and maintain threatened and lost land. The gift was confirmed by Count Dirk VII of Holland, the same one who had given the signal for Rhoon two years earlier by issuing a piece of land to Biggo van Duyveland, which he first had to clear or chop down the forest, and thus received the name Roden, later Rhoon.

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