tbe falconers of valkenswaard and hawkin§ at tbe royal courts · tbe falconers of valkenswaard and...

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Tbe Falconers of Valkenswaard and Hawkin§ at tbe Royal Courts afb. 84 * Etruskische grofversiering, Rome, 340 vóór Chr * Etruscon tomb. In the 18th century, royalty and the aristocracy of Europe were passionate about falconry, thus giving rise to an extensive trade in falcons.The capture of falcons became subject to a licensing system, in which the falconers of Valkenswaard played an important role. Introduction Hunting with hawks and falcons is a very spectacular activity. Falconry is the art of training birds of prey to followand capture their quarry on command in the field. For the high fiight, peregrines and ger-falcons are favourites, while goshawks and sparrow-hawks are used for hunting low-fiying game or animals on the ground. Falconry is an ancient sport, extending back many centuries, with 78 Turkestan as the probable place of origin. It spreads via China to Japan and comes during the Crusades to Europe. Falconry reaches a high level of perfection in the Arab countries and extensive literature on the subject reveals great ornithological knowiedge. In Europe, Frederick 11(1215-1250) gives a complete description of birds, their care and capture in his treatise "On the Art of Hawking" ('De Arte Venandi'). Rural Brabant, especially the Campine heathlands, with its wide horizons Iying in the migratory fiight of the peregrines, profits from the increasing demands for hunting birds. With Arendonk as its centre, the region develops its own specialisedtrapping system. During the autumn the birds are trapped in bow-nets, then tamed and trained for the chase. A class of falconers comes into existence, who have changed their ploughs for bow-nets, bait-birds and decoys.They also supply falconry accoutrements such as rufterhoods, jesses, leashes and gloves. Under the patronage of Maria of Hungary (1531- 1555) the fame of Brabant's falconers is established in the courts of Europe in the sixteenth century. To satisfy the increasing demand for more and stronger hunting birds, enterprising falconers travel to Scandinavia and Iceland to acquire ger-falcons. In 1670 Jacob van Oudenhove records that, apart from Arendonk also Valkenswaard is becoming a centre for falconry. Iceland Already Emperor Frederick 1Iconsiders Icelandic falcons the best.The demand for these superior hunting birds, especially the white species, gives an impetus to extensive trapping in the 16th century. And so begins the story of adventurous pioneers who brave great perils and hardships to make their fortunes.The English and their rivals from Hamburg do not restrict themselves to trapping and trading of hunting birds and cause Christian of Denmark in 1614 to decree that all trade with Iceland is his monopoly. European rulers have to apply now directly to

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Page 1: Tbe Falconers of Valkenswaard and Hawkin§ at tbe Royal Courts · Tbe Falconers of Valkenswaard and Hawkin§ at tbe Royal Courts afb. 84 * Etruskische grofversiering, Rome, 340 vóór

Tbe Falconers of Valkenswaard andHawkin§ at tbe Royal Courts

afb. 84 * Etruskische grofversiering, Rome, 340 vóór Chr* Etruscon tomb.

In the 18th century, royalty and the aristocracyof Europe were passionate about falconry, thusgiving rise to an extensive trade in falcons.Thecapture of falcons became subject to alicensing system, in which the falconers ofValkenswaard played an important role.

IntroductionHunting with hawks and falcons is a veryspectacular activity.Falconry is the art oftraining birds of prey to followand capturetheir quarry on command in the field. For thehigh fiight,peregrines and ger-falcons arefavourites, while goshawks and sparrow-hawksare used for hunting low-fiying game oranimals on the ground. Falconry is an ancientsport, extending back many centuries, with

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Turkestan as the probable place of origin. Itspreads via China to Japan and comes duringthe Crusades to Europe. Falconry reaches ahigh level of perfection in the Arab countriesand extensive literature on the subject revealsgreat ornithological knowiedge. In Europe,Frederick 11(1215-1250) gives a completedescription of birds, their care and capture inhis treatise "On the Art of Hawking" ('De ArteVenandi'). Rural Brabant, especially theCampine heathlands, with its wide horizonsIying in the migratory fiight of the peregrines,profits from the increasing demands forhunting birds. With Arendonk as its centre, theregion develops its own specialisedtrappingsystem. During the autumn the birds aretrapped in bow-nets, then tamed and trainedfor the chase. A class of falconers comes into

existence, who have changed their ploughs forbow-nets, bait-birds and decoys.They alsosupply falconry accoutrements such asrufterhoods, jesses, leashes and gloves. Underthe patronage of Maria of Hungary (1531­1555) the fame of Brabant's falconers isestablished in the courts of Europe in thesixteenth century. To satisfy the increasingdemand for more and stronger hunting birds,enterprising falconers travel to Scandinavia andIceland to acquire ger-falcons. In 1670 Jacobvan Oudenhove records that, apart fromArendonk also Valkenswaard is becoming acentre for falconry.

IcelandAlready Emperor Frederick 1IconsidersIcelandic falcons the best.The demand for

these superior hunting birds, especially thewhite species, gives an impetus to extensivetrapping in the 16th century. And so beginsthe story of adventurous pioneers who bravegreat perils and hardships to make theirfortunes.The English and their rivals fromHamburg do not restrict themselves totrapping and trading of hunting birds andcause Christian of Denmark in 1614 to decree

that all trade with Iceland is his monopoly.European rulers have to apply now directly to

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CULTUUR HISTORISCH MUSEUM

Falconry at tbe Cultuur HistoriscbMuseum in Valkenswaard

From data of many property deeds and willsfrom bygone days, the Museum has re-createdan example of what a farmer's room and afalconer's room in those days looked like.

Farmer's RoomIt is very simply furnished. Most items aremade by the farmer himself He does not havemuch choice for various reasons. Inheritance

laws decree that plots have to be dividedamongst the children. Plots thus becomesmaller. Reclaiming heathland increases theneed for manure. The tax system is tough:taxes are levied on land, 'pairs of horns'(cows) , and also on land Iyingfallow.Furthermore, the farmer is obliged to carryout work for the many soldiers in the region,as ifthey do not cause trouble enough withrobbery, plundering and sometimes murdering.No wonder; therefore, that the farmer is poor.

The Falconer's RoomThe falconer's life is a great deal better. Fromthe outside his house looks like a farm house,but from the interior one can see that he is a

wealthy man. He possesses money. land andhouses. Considered a man of the world, dueto his travels, he is asked to fu/fillimportantfunctions as alderman, mayor or in charge ofthe poor. He receives a princely salary fromthe nobility who employ him. Moreover; he isweil paid for the falcons he catch es.They fetch50 to 70 guilders each and he can sell about30 per year. In the period 1725-1750Valkenswaard has about 100 falconers out of a

population of about 1000 souls.Thusprosperity comes to the region.

Preparation for hawkingSefore the falconer can go hunting with hisbird, much work has already been done. This isexplained hereafter with reference to theperegrine, the falcon which is mostly used inthis region.

The Migratory Route of the PeregrinePeregrines breed in the forests of Northernand Central Europe.The peregrine is really a

non-migratory bird, but towards the north itbecomes increasingly a migratory one.Practically all of the first-year birds fromScandinavia, Finland and North Russia migratein a south-westerly direction towards themiddle of Europe. They follow their prey ­smaller migratory birds - to the coastal regionsand wide open plains.They are thereforefrequently seen inValkenswaard.The migrationof the peregrine is hard to observe as thebirds migrate singly.

The Catching PlaceThe catching of the peregrine falcons starts onIst October; nameday of Saint Save, patron of

the falconers. In September the catchers startwith the construction of the "Iegge", being theDutch name for the whole of the catching'system'. He makes a hut, I metre into theground, 2.5 metres in diameter and 2.5 metreshigh, covered with turf sods, with peep-holesat the sides, and an entrance on the southside. From outside it looks like a little hili,fittinginto the landscape. At a distance of lOmetres,2 to 4 mounds are built, / metre high, on topof which a great grey shrike is tethered withsmall straps. It absolutely detests large birds ofprey, spots them far sooner than a human evercan and starts up a terrible racket. In this waythe catcher is warned that a falcon is

approach ing.At 40 metres from the hut and40 metres from each other; the catcher setsup 3 wooden posts, 6 metres high.A lineattached to the top of the posts is connectedto the hut. On top of the first pole a woodenfalcon is placed. On the line to the secondpole an inferior live falcon and a bundie offeathers are tied. They are both placed on theground, more or less hidden in the heather.On the third line, a live pigeon is tied, alsoIying on the ground. At 90 metres from thehut, two bow-nets are placed to coincide withthe prevailing wind directions, as falcons preferto catch their prey against the wind. From thebow-nets a line is connected to the hut.Sehind the nets, at a distance of about 15metres, a mound is made in which a livingpigeon is hidden, connected also, but via a

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V 12*. Schilderstuk-detail van werk van de

bekende Duitse artiest johann-Heinrich

Tischbein de Oudere ({ 751-1829), vriendvan Goethe en schilder aan het Hof van

Hessen-Kassei. Afgebeeld zijn de

Valkenswaardse Valkeniers Royers, Beckers

en Verbruggen.

* Detail of painting by Tischbein the Elder;painter at the Court of Hessen Kassei, friend

of Goethe. Depicted are the Valkenswaard

falconers Royers, Beckers and Verbruggen.

V I 3*. Kagiedroger + gedeelte van de hoge

vlucht op de reiger door johann-Heinrich

Tischbein de Oudere (1751-1829).* Cage bearer + part of the high ~ight on theheron by Tischbein.

\,

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CULTUUR HISTORISCH MUSEUM

afb. 89 * Het inrichten van de 'Iegge'; het stel/en van een boognet Op de achtergrond

de tobhut en klapeksterheuvels. * Instol/ation of the catching place. Setting up of the

bow-net. In the background the hut in which the catcher hides is visible.

small pole in front of thenet, to the hut with a line.In total, seven lines cometogether to the hut. Seethe scheme on page 32.Falcons fly at a hight ofapprox. 50 to 300 metres.This enables them to

survey a tremendous area.They only hunt birds inflight,such as pheasants,partridges and pigeons.They have to be able tocatch their prey in the air;as otherwise they wouldsmash themselves to

pieces on the ground.When the great greyshrike warns that a falcon

is nearing, the catcher tugsat the wooden falcon on

the pole, attracting thefalcon's curiosity Then hepulls the line with the livingfa/con and the bunch of feathers. This looks to

the bird as if a falcon is hunting for prey Thegreat grey shrikes are now hiding in their littlemound.The catcher th en pulls the livingpigeon out of the heath with the third line. Itstarts to flutter.The wild falcon immediatelyswoops down on to the pigeon, but, at theright moment, the catcher drops it back onthe ground.The falcon rises again and searchesfor flying prey The catcher waits until he hasthe falcon in the best position as far as thewind is concerned in relation to one of the

bow-nets. He then pulls out the living pigeonfrom the little hili behind the net.The falcon

s\iVoopsdown and catches it in flight.Thecatcher eases out the line to slow down the

falcon's speed. The falcon has now landed onthe ground.The catcher pulls the pigeon onwhich the falcon is sitting slowly towards thenet. The falcon refuses to release its prey Thecatcher can fee 1from the line when the

pigeon is nearing the little pole in front of thenet. He pulls the net quickly and 50 the falconis caught.The bird is taken out carefully andput into a linen sack of the right length anddiameter and in this way the caught falcon isbrought to the fa/con's room. With a goodcatcher; the pigeon is normally unharmed.

The Falcon's RoomIn a room as depicted on page 34 and 85 thehunting birds are kept and looked after.Thereis an obvious difference between young andadult birds, the young ones being muchbrowner. There is also an obvious differencebetween the male and female birds, the latterbeing as much as one third larger than themales and, moreover; much stronger. There area number of attributes connected with huntingand training of the birds: the jesses, or 'shoes',fastened to the claws and, on the other end,to the so-called swivel.The two oval rings areconnected by arevolving spindie. On theother ring of the swivel the leash is fixed, aleather line of about 1.20 metres, used totether the bird to the high rack in the falcon'sroom, or; outside, to the 'block'. Small bells arefixed to the claws of the bird and, with theslightest movement, give away where it iS.Thecloth beneath the high rack serves to protectthe bird from flapping around the pole anddamaging its claws.The hunting bird also wearsa rufterhood, which prevents it from seeing.This has a calming effect which is necessarywhen the bird is being moved around. It isquite an art to put on the hood, as thefalconer has only one hand free to do it. Histeeth, therefore, come in handy.As falcons are

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CULTUUR HISTORISCH MUSEUM

afb. 90 * De vafkenkamer van de Loo Hawkjng Club op Het Loo (J 839-1855). Door

J.B. Sonderland. * Falcon's room at The Loo.

born with a fear of humans, winning a huntingbird's trust is a time-consuming process, butessential to falconry, because the bird is free tofiy off to hunt, but it has to return to thefalconer of its own will.Training begins withcarrying the bird on the hand, - protectedfrom the sharp claws by astrong leather glove -,often and for long periods, in order to let itget used to its surroundings. In addition, thefalconer always feeds it on the glove which,therefore, becomes a familiar place to returnto. After a few weeks, the fiight training begins,The bird fiies out on a line and is repeatedlylured back by a piece of meat on the glove.Each day the fiight distance is increased,starting with I metre and finishingwith 50metres. And each time, after the day's training,the bird is rewarded with a full crop of food.After this training on the line, a new deviceappears on the scene, namely the lure, apretence prey.The lure's function is to imitatethe hunt, whilst the bird is being trained, but itis also useful for keeping the bird in goodcondition. The falconer keeps allowing the birdto swoop down onto the swinging lure andeach time it is allowed a small piece of meatwhich is fastened there. In the past, falconswere also trained to hunt in pairs on unnaturalxeys, like herons or kites.Training for that type)f hunt lasted many months.

HawkingHunting with trained birdsof prey is called hawking.Starting point is the uniqueway of hunting of thesebirds in nature. Hawking canbe carried out in two ways:the high fiight with falconsand the low fiight for which,amongst others, the hawk ismore suitable. For the lowflight the area does nothave to be so widespread.The hawk can reach a veryhigh speed over a short _distance and can fiy easilyand deftly between thetrees. When it finds its prey,a rabbit for example, itgrasps it on the head withi15claws.The falConer comes

up to the spot where thebird has caught the rabbit.

He takes a piece of meat from his hunting bag,kneels in front of the bird and holds the meat

over the caught beast. The hawk begins to pullat the meat.The falconer then raises his glove,with the meat, slightly upwards. The bird willfind it more difficultto pull the meat away,because it needs its claws to do so, and setsone of its claws on the glove. Quickly thefalconer brings the glove down again over thehead of the rabbit, to give the impression thatall is weil. After the bird has taken some more

of the meat, the falconer raises his glove againand then the hawk also puts the other clawon the glove.The falconer now quickly grabsthe rabbit and puts it into his hunting bag.And ..., slowly he pulls the meat from his glove.The hunt can commence again.For the high flight a widespread terrain isneeded for the falcon to oversee its huntingarea, for the hunters to be able to follow thebirds, which can cover a large distance in ashort time, and in order to be able to enjoythe spectacle of the hunt. Peregrines are usedfor the high fiight because they are fast andstrong and able to drop like a stone from agreat height on to a f1yingprey, a heron forexample. Heron hunting, using two peregrinesat the same time, is a spectacular sight andseen as a princely entertainment for thenobility.Assistants bring the peregrines to the

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setting of theatre, concerts and parades, thearistocracy, clothed in silver-braided liveries,and sporting white wigs tied with black silkbows and hats adorned with heron feathers,take part enthusiastically in the spectacle ofthe hunting birds and their quarry, asorchestrated by the Valkenswaard falconers.Also along the banks of the Rhine, falconry isheld in high esteem. The Elector;ArchbishopClement August ofWittelsbach (1700-1761) ispassionately fond of falconry, proof of whichcan be seen in the brilliant works of art in his

castie Augustusburg and the hunting castieFalkenlust, both in Brühl. Hendrik Danckers,kite-master; and his brother Peter; heron­master; both from Valkenswaard, supervise thehunt. The spectacular aerial tights betweenprey and assailants is followed by the hunterson horseback, and the captured birds areringed in the presence of the ElectorArchbishop. During their nine month's stay,Clement August pays each master falconer5.000 guilders for the year and he also paysfor liveries and hunting birds.The Danckersbrothers have to meet all expenses of hiredpersonnel, horses, hunt trappings and costs inValkenswaard. In Ansbach, hawking reaches itsclimax under the rule of Margrave CarlWilhelm Friedrich von Brandenburg-Ansbach(1712-1757). In a period of seventeen yearsthis extravagant and unbalanced ruler spendsin totalover 450.000 tlorins on falconry,therewith degrading the hunting parties toslaughtering expeditions. The men fromValkenswaard so dominate the Ansbach court,that many Dutch words tind their way intolocal Ansbach hunting jargon.

PortugalOn the distribution list of Danish 'presents' wesee, since 1752, the name of Portugal. It isknown from Danish as weil as Dutch sources,

that the revival of falconry takes place herewith Valkenswaard falconers, with family namessuch as Hertroys, Verhoeven and Weymans.That they are doing weil is illustrated by theestate ofWillem Hertroys: six thousandguilders worth of gold, silver;debentures andland. Since 1752 good relationships developbetween the courts and the falconers of

Denmark and Portugal. For example, JacobusVerhoeven, having worked in Portugal,becomes master falconer at the Danish court;

his two sons, Hendrik and Johannes, becomefalconers of the Portugese king,having theirlivingquarters in Salvaterra de Magos. In anumber of cases Valkenswaard falconerscombine a visit to their native village withescorting Icelandic hunting birds, presented bythe Danish court. Despite politicalcomplications, hawking in Portugal tlourishesunderValkenswaard guidance with masterfalconers such as Pedro Verhoeven, Peter

Weymans and Frans Beckers. Whereashawking in Europe is declining, it continues inLisbon. Danish gift-birds arrive there until1806, four years before hawking at the Danishcourt is given up.

"Falcoaria"In Salvaterra de Magos, the Falcoaria, residenceof the Valkenswaard falconers still exists. Itresem bles a south-east Dutch farm, square,with one storey. There are many documentsrelating to falconry in Salvaterra de Magos,

ned by the Valkenswaard falconer's seal. InFalcoaria are the livingquarters of the

ers and their families, but also horse-, rooms for dogs, hunting birds and

places for accoutrements and food.

aardvaluate the importance of the

Iconers to their native village,the situation in the

ighteenth century. Theonly a poor return. The

ation, the perpetual warsand the bitter poverty all give rise to almostinsoluble problems. Labourers are forced toseek seasonal work elsewhere, at the Haarlembleaching works or as travelling salesmen andpedlars.Falconers, perch or cage-bearers and falconlads are part ofthis exodus.The wealth ofsome of the falconers motivates many to seekemployment abroad, tillingtheir purses andwidening their horizons. They learn the 'tricksof the trade' whilst they travel. Their wealthbecomes obvious by their ownership ofhouses and their ability to lend money toprivate persons and local councils. Asintluential people they are elected to becomepublic servants in their communities. Still,theydo not lose the common touch. Thus, throughthe trapping of hunting birds and its associated

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CULTUUR HISTORISCH MUSEUM

afb. 9 J * Gedeelte van het Museum'diarama'. * Port of the 'diorama' ot the museum.

hunting grounds. The hunting party followssomewhat later on horseback. When a heron

is flying over, on its return from fishing,thefalconer removes the hoods from his two

peregrines and releases the birds.The heroncan escape in two ways: by trying to reach theheron woods as quickly as possible, or byclimbing up quickly into the sky Falcons needto be at least 30 to 50 metres above their

prey in order to make their first swoop.Theheron will initiallymanage to escape from theswoop of the first peregrine, and also that ofthe second. The riders follow the scene of

action in anxious suspense.The heron defendsitself by flying increasingly higher, but eventuallyit will become exhausted. One of the falcons

will then grab it and tumble with it to theground. The other one is brought back by thefalconer with the lure.The first rider to reach

the place receives the plume from the heron'shead and may stick this 'aigrette' into his hat asa trophy Tbe falconer removes the heron fromunder the peregrine and rings it with a heron­band with the name of the club and the year

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caught. In the evening the caught herons arereleased. This way of hunting is not for thecatch but only for the pleasure of the gameand the beauty of the spectacIe.

Two special peregrinesIn 1887 two peregrines were caught inValkenswaard by Karel Mollen and his sonAdriaan.The birds were delivered to Englandand flown by the Old Hawking Club on rooksand stone-curlews in Wiltshire and

Cambridgeshire, among others by TJ. Mann.The birds were prepared by the famous bird­painter G.E. Lodge, a good friend ofTJ. Mann.When the Cultuur Historisch Museum in

Valkenswaard opened its doors in 1986, thesetwo professionally prepared birds, still inbeautiful condition, came back as a presentfrom the British Falconers Club.

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-...-II\\~....

.•.............. ~­-- -- --"" ...•...... ..

..•..•~~

lEGENDE

V 14 -%. Reisoverzicht von de Volkenswoordse volkeniers. Vongplootsen en Europese vorstenhoven woor

zij oktief woren, zools getoond in het Cultuur Historisch Museum te Volkenswoord. **** Overall picture of cotching ploces ond trave/s ofVolkenswoord's folconers, ond the Europeon Courtswhere they were octive.

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cc U L T U U R H I S~T 0 RIS C H MUS E U

afb. 88 " Met haar beeld van de valkenier heeft de Bergeijkse kunstenares Willy van der Put-Slegers een ode gebracht

aan een vooral met Valkenswaard verbonden cultuurpatroon. * The Falconer,statue in Valkenswaard.

trade, prosperity is brought to Valkenswaard.The saying is:'The cowsheds inValkenswaardproduce fine ladies", meaning, that evenpeasants could dress weil.

Decline and FallThe rapidly changing relationship betweenprinces and people due to the FrenchRevolution, the development of firearms, andespecially the cultivation of heathlands and there-allocation of farmlands, all contribute todelivering the fina/ blow to falconry. Itbecomes impossible to follow the falcon onhorseback. Nowadays, hawks are far morepopular; because of their short flight,which isbetter suited to our cultivated landscape withits barbed-wire, ditches, motorways andrailways.The falconers of Valkenswaard, nolonger able to pursue their craft on theContinent, find employment in England. Fransvan den Heuvel, Jan Daems, Jan Bots, Jan Peelsare the moving spirits behind the Falconer'sClub near London. When a similar

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development of cultivating more and moreland becomes a threat, the enthusiasticmembers find new hunting terrain at Het Looin the Netherlands. With Prince Alexander as

an inspiring leader; the old craft revives oncemore with Jan Bots and Adriaan Mollen, whofly their faleons on the heron. However; in/855 this dream too co mes to an end. Cood

locations become scarce and the sportbecomes too expensive for its members. Fromthen on, falconry is only practised, in a soberway though, by a few clubs in Europe. AdriaanMollen, bird catcher; trainer and equipmentmaker; still remains a household word forevery practising falconer today. His versatileson, Karel,bee-keeper; clock-maker; falcon­trapper and trainer; weil known for hismanufacture of bells and rufterhoods, dies in1935.The falconry tradition is kept alive in TheNetherlands by the Dutch Falconry Club'Adriaan Mollen' and the Cultuur HistorischMuseum in Valkenswaard.

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CULTUUR HISTORISCH MUSEUM

have regularly presented their 'royal cousins'with gifts of hunting birds.The distribution issubject to diplomatic considerations andprotocol.The German Emperor and the Kingof France receive an equal number of birds,Princes of lesser ranks, like the Elector ofCologne, Bavaria and Saxony and theLandgrave of Hessen-Kassei, receive a series ofbirds on a more modest scale. It is an oldcustom for the Grand Master of the Hunt tosend a tail feather from each bird in the

consignment, along with an accompanyingletter. In this way the recipient is able toascertain that the birds he receives are the

same as those which are despatched. Thefalcons, sitting on perches and provided withhoods, are carried to their destinations byDanish or Dutch falconers. They are sent toLisbon by warship or by cargo-boat toNewcastle. A group of Master falconers fromValkenswaard form the hub of this

organisation of royal hunting sports. Theirfunction at court is of great importance andextremely remunerative. From the copiouscorrespondence of Jacobus Verhoeven weknow that from 1731-1793 4.600 Danish

'presents' were sent.

The Royal CourtsAt the French Court, hawking is carried outwith great élan, as nowhere else in Europe. Itreaches its peak under Louis XIII,who indulgeshis passion for the sport at the expense of hisstate duties. He experiments with various newcombinations of hunting. followed by thearistocracy. Using two falcons in the heronchase is a favorite one. Among the Campinefalconers at Versailles are Nicolaas van Gooi,master of the magpie hunt, Aert Steymans,who supervises the crow hunt and HendrikCoppen. who organises the kite hunt. In thesecond half of the 18th century the men fromValkenswaard have completely overshadowedthose from Arendonk. The best known is

François Daems. who is regularly sent toCopenhagen to fetch gift birds. In 1793 thecurtain finallyfalls on hawking inVersailles.Therivalry between Vien na and Versailles clears theway for the falconers to gain entry to thelucrative Hapsburg court. Around the year1720, a colony of Valkenswaard falconers.among which Hendrik Beckers. settle inLaxenburg. Hawking reaches its peak there

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during the reign of Empress Maria Theresia(1740-1780). At the time, there are fourdifferent categories practised. namely forheron, kite, crow and waterfowl. Eight personsare involved in each category, a masterfalconer. four servants and three lads. BartelHertroys, from Valkenswaard, and verysuccesful. travels to Copenhagen to inspectgift-birds or to Brabant to purchaseperegnnes.The men from Valkenswaard practise theircraft in Parma and Potsdam, in Portugal andPoland. Hendrik Vermeulen and his sons Johanand Bartel organise heron hunts in Bavaria. InHessen-Kassei, Adam Daems. Adriaan Royers,Willem Verbruggen. Johan Verbruggen andHendrik Verhoeven are all master falconers

from Valkenswaard, their contributions greatlyenhancing the status of falconry there. In a

afb. 87 * Kagiedroger. Christoph Anton Hirsch (/707-/760).* Cage-bearer with (a/cons.

Page 11: Tbe Falconers of Valkenswaard and Hawkin§ at tbe Royal Courts · Tbe Falconers of Valkenswaard and Hawkin§ at tbe Royal Courts afb. 84 * Etruskische grofversiering, Rome, 340 vóór

afb. 85 * Valkenier met boomvalk. David Teniers de

Jongere (16/0-/690). * Falconer with hobby, by David

Teniers the Younger.

the Danish monarch for licences to catch

falcons in Iceland. Maurice, Prince of orange ,obtains such a licence for his Valkenswaard

falconers, Willem Verbruggen and his sons

Peter and Johan. Johan employs as his agent acertain Johan Mom, an adventurer from

Hamburg, who easily adapts to the newsituation. Because the Prince's Master falconer

is tied to his functions in The Hague, Mom has

a free hand, which he abuses by primarilyrealising his own ambitions to gather theexclusive trap ping rights in Iceland. Still not

satisfied he contravenes the regulations of the

Edict of 16th April 1636 and uses English shipsinstead of those of the Iceland Company Therelationship with Verbrugge deteriorates whenhe acts as his competitor instead of as hisagent. He gets into conflict with the Danish

resident in The Hague and the mayor ofCopenhagen over a scheme to monopolizesalmon fishing. He becomes persona non gratain Iceland, and, embroiled in law suits, he diesin I667.The trade in falcons now comes to an

end, as the Danish king prohibits the sale offalcons to foreigners.

DenmarkIn 1664, Crown Prince Christian of

Copenhagen sets up a complete falconrycentre at Frederiksburg Castie. As the Daneshave little experience of falconry. a MasterFalconer is brought in from abroad,accountable to a Danish Baron with the title

Grand Master ofthe Hunt. Martin Verbraken,

Hendrik Verhagen and Jacobus Verhoeven, allfrom Valkenswaard, become Master Falconers

there in the 18th centuryTheir foremen travel to Iceland, where on St.

John's day, the 24th of June, at the falconhouse in Bessastadir; birds are offered for

selection. The prices are fixed: 15 rixdollars for

a white ger-falcon, 10 for a partly-white birdand 5 for a grey one. Transporting the

precious cargo is always a risky undertaking,lasting from 3 to 7 weeks.The Master Falconerin Copenhagen then proposes a schedule fordistributing the birds to foreign courts. Sincethe thirteenth century. namely Danish ru Iers

afb. 86 Markgraaf Carl Wilhelm Friedrich van

Brondenburg-Ansbach (1712-1757), door Johann Christian

Sperling, 1737

79