Roodkerk (Frisian: Readtsjerk) is a village in Dantumadeel, Fryslân.
Rood (=red) refers to the color of the church, on the boundary with
Tytsjerksteradiel (where several village have
names ending on *tsjerk) with c. 200 inhabitants. The tuffstone church
is from the 12th century.
Nickname: "Potskrabbers" - potscrapers; people were so poor
that they used an old knife to scrape the last eadible parts out of it.
Readtsjerk Coat of Arms: in blue a silver church with a saddleroof, church and
spire with a red roof and a silver cross on the spire-roof.
Flag: in red a white hoist-triangle with the point reaching the
fly, charged with with a briad-armed cross of 1/5 flagheight.
Coat of Arms and flag were made in 1977, together with those of the villages
of the region in Tytsjerksteradiel, known as Trynwâlden: Gytsjerk,
Oentsjerk, and Ryptsjerk. As Readtsjerk was in Dantumadeel the village
symbols were not registered, like the ones of Tytsjerksteradiel. When the
Fryske Rie foar Heraldyk heard that the village symbols were being used
it was decided to register them. The red roof and the church form the canting
elements in the Coat of Arms. The point in the flag symbolizes the churchroof, and
the cross is evident.
Design: J.C. Terluin.
Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje 2002.
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958.
Jarig Bakker, 23 Aug 2003
Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
![[Roodkerk Coat of Arms]](../images/n/nl-fr)rk.gif)
image from Ralf Hartemink's site.
