Hilaard (Dutch: Hilaard, Hijlaard, Frisian older name: Hilaerd), a village
in Littenseradiel municipality, Fryslân. It used to be in the former
municipality of Baarderadeel; population
(1958): 364; (1974): 306. Church with saddle-roofed spire from the 14th
century, with patron-saint: St. John. In Hilaard was Tsjessinga-state (fortified
stately house), where the famous van Aylva-family lived. In 1742 the "state"
was pulled down, except for the gate. That was 26 feet long, 20 feet wide,
and 24 feet high...
In the hamlet Hoptille a customhouse ("tolhûs") with the
coat of arms of Bolsward. There was a dairy-factory "Hoptille" 1899-1936, and a flax-factory "Hoptille" 1936-47 - in 1947 the factory burned down.
The "Doleantie" split the village in two (Doleantie = complaint-movement)
is difficult to explain in English: the Reformed (Gereformeerde) (Protestant)
Church split off from the Reformed (Hervormde) (Protestant) Church - this
split not only affected this village, but most of Frisian families and
communities <mine included - we were not allowed to visit certain relatives>
Nickname: "Prommeiters", "Prommen" - plum eaters, plums
- the Hilaarder fair was held on 12 Aug, when the plums were ripe. It is
said that the Hilaarders laugh only once a year, but everybody has forgotten
the date...
(the citizens of the Belgian Vliermaal got the same nickname: "Pruimelaren";
that was not the only nickname of the Vliermalers, the other was "Mennekes"
(little fellows); the Plums and the Little Fellows regularly fought it
out with their brass bands (fanfarecorpsen), occasionally using their fists,
sometimes in a less musical way their trumpets, tubas and heavy drums,
to prove some point... Vliermaal is in Kortessem
municipality, Tongeren arr., Limburg province, Belgium.)
Hilaard coat of arms: bell gable-formed divided a. in blue two fleurs-de-lis;
b. in gold a facing black cow head with a white blaze (kylblês); in
chief red with a silver cross.
Flag: yellow with a red bell gable, standing on the hoist, connected
to the flag top and -bottom, of which the dividing line starts at 1/5 flag length, and of which the top is at 3/5 flag length; the bell gable
lengthened with a blue stripe of 2/15 flag length; the red charged with
a yellow lily of 1/2 flag height.
The bell gable refers to the church tower of Hilaard. The cow's head
refers to the main industry in the village: cattle-breeding and the former
dairy-factory. The lilies are from the arms of the coats of arms of the Van Aylva's
and Mockema's who lived on Tsjessinga-state. The church is devoted to St.
John the Baptist. His symbol is Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).
That sign, but with changed colors (red with a white cross) is in chief
of the coat of arms.
In the flag the blue stripe symbolizes the Hilaarder feart (canal),
in the good old days the main means of communication with the big bad world
out there. The lily from the arms is towards the hoist in red. The yellow
fly symbolizes the fertile meadows surrounding the village.
Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma
Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje, 2001.
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958.
Groot Schimpnamenboek van Nederland, by Dirk van der Heide, 1998.
Baerderadiel: in Geakunde, 1977.
Jarig Bakker, 8 Sep 2003
According to Guide Vert Michelin Hollande (yes, shame on Michelin, they
do seem to ignore that the Netherlands are bigger than Holland :-), a Protestant
proverb says:
"One Dutchman, one theologian; two Dutchmen, a Church; three Dutchmen,
a schism".
[To which I could add "nine Dutchmen, a defeated football-team"].
The Guide says that the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, founded during
the Dordrecht synod in 1619, has about 2.5 million members, whereas the
Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, founded in 1892, has about 820.000
members.
Ivan Sache, 11 Sep 2003
Hilaard coat of arms
from Wapens en Flaggen fan Littenseradiel, booklet of the municipality.
![[Hilaard villageflag]](../images/n/nl-fr0hi.gif)
image
by Jarig Bakker, 8 Sep 2003
![[Hilaard Coat of Arms]](../images/n/nl-fr)hi.jpg)
from Wapens en Flaggen fan Littenseradiel, booklet of the municipality.
