Last modified: 2009-11-07 by ivan sache
Keywords: temse | tamise | key (yellow) | tielrode | lobbes | elversele | museum | boeykens (jean) | church | turnip | waasland | korfball |
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![[Flag of Temse]](../images/b/be-vovtm.gif)
Municipal flag of Temse - Image by Filip van Laenen, 25 July 2003
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The municipality of Temse (26,667 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 3,992 ha) is located in the region of Waasland, 30 km south-west of Antwerp, on the left bank of the Scheldt. The municipality of Temse is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Temse, Elversele, Steendorp and Tielrode.
The name of Temse (Temsica, 941) comes from Gallo-Roman
"Tamasiacum" or "Tamisiacum". The suffix -iacum
refers to a person name, here Tamisios, a native (non Latin)
man. The Indo-European root tam- means "dark". Tamisios
probably had dark skin or hair. The name of the town could also refer to a dark sinuous river, as it
is the case for the English Thames. Tamise is the
French name of both the town of Temse and river Thames.
The name of Eversele (Helversel, 1123; Helvercella,
1187; Helversella, 1206) comes from Germanic "Halifrithsali", "Elfred's house".
Steendorp (lit., "the brick village") became independent in 1881 and was named
after the brickyard located there.
Temse is "the Pearl of the Scheldt". A Roman soldier wrote:
Tempseca feliciter sita ad ripam Scaldis..., that is "Temse,
harmoniously located on the banks of the Scheldt...". The oldest
remains of human activity near Temse date back to the Age of Stone
(11000 - 9500 BP). Remains from the early Age of Bronze, of the late Age of Iron
and of the Gallo-Roman period have been found in the area, too.
Temse is the oldest parish of Waasland, converted to the Christian religion in 772. St. Amelberga built the oldest sanctuary around 770.
Source: Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 25 January 2003
The municipal flag of Temse is vertically divided blue-yellow.
According to the Gemeentewapens in België - Vlaanderen en Brussel [w2v02a], the flag was adopted by the Municipal Council on 7 November 1977, confirmed by Royal Decree on 13 July 1978 and published in the Belgian official gazette on 6 September 1978.
The colours of the flag are taken from the coat of arms.
According to Servais [svm55], the arms of Temse, "Azure a key or", were granted by (Dutch) Royal Decree on 13 October 1919 and confirmed by (Belgian) Royal Decree on 30 April 1838. The blue field represents the river Scheldt and fertility. The key recalls the arms of the St. Peter abbey in Ghent, which owned Temse from 864 to 1491; it is shown on the only known historical seal of Temse, dated 1779, while the arms of Temse are shown on a map from the 17th century. The yellow colour of the key stands for welfare.
Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 27 November 2007
![[Former flag of Temse]](../images/b/be-vovt1.gif)
Former flag of Temse, 1971-1978 - Image by Jarig Bakker & Ivan Sache, 15 December 2003
As reported in Vexilla Nostra [vxn] VII (1972), the first flag of Temse was adopted by the Municipal Council on 21 December 1971. The flag is made of thirteen equally wide horizontal stripes alternating red and white and a blue hoist, charged with a yellow key.
The flag, designed by Jean Boeykens, combines the municipal
coat of arms with the geographical position of
Temse; white and red are the colors of Waasland, the traditional emblem
of Waasland being a white turnip on a red field, while the seven
red stripes represent the seven municipalities of the canton of Temse. This flag
was the first municipal flag officially approved in Belgium.
Jarig Bakker, 15 December 2003
Elversele was mentioned for the first time in 1123
and Steendorp, under its first name, Scausele, in 1166. Steendorp became
independent in 1881 only, before it was a hamlet depending on Bazel.
In 864, Temse was granted by the Count of Flanders to the St. Peter
abbey in Ghent. A part of Tielrode was a
religious possession of the abbey of
Lobbes. The rest of what is now the
municipality of Temse belonged to the Count of Flanders. In the
13th century, Temse was already a rich community. In 1264, the
municipality was granted a weekly market, which was confirmed in 1519
by Charles V and augmented with a annual market. Until 1460, Temse
was administrated by a Guardian-Knight on behalf of Blandinus
abbey.
In 1491, Roeland Lefèvre, the first hereditary lord of Temse,
bought the fortress and the seigniory. His descendants ruled Temse
until the French Revolution. The fortress was destroyed in 1793 and a
castle in classic style was built, which was eventually destroyed in
1965.
Source: Municipal website
Het Nieuwsblad published on 19 November 2008 an article on a new village flag for Elversele.
The local ethnology circle "Braem", named after a 15th century local nobleman, decided to create a flag on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. This seems to be the first symbol of Elversele as no arms or flag were known, at least official ones (but Elversele used unofficial arms depicting St. Margret trampling the dragon and the Waasland turnip).
Red and white vertical stripes in the hoist, covering half of flag, recall the colours of Waasland, and the Waasland turnip, in natural colours, turns up
on those stripes, below the village name, "Elversele", in black; the fly, covering the other half of the flag, consists of a rendering of the St. Margaret church as a colour photo.
Jan Mertens & Ivan Sache, 11 December 2008
![[Flag of Tielrode]](../images/b/be-vovti.gif)
Former flag of Tielrode - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 6 June 2005
Tielrode, mentioned for the first time in 860, is a Germanic toponym ("Tigelrodo") built on
tegula, "a tile", and roda, "a cleared wood". A part of Tielrode was a
religious possession of the abbey of Lobbes.
According to the Tielrode website, the municipality of Tielrode used a vertically divided green-white
flag. These colours, which are also found on the flag of
Hamme, belonged to the abbey of Lobbes, former owner of both Hamme and
Tielrode. The same flag is used today by the municipality of Lobbes.
According to a syllabus for tourist guides, Temse
1984-1985, green stands for love and charity while white stands for pursuit of
well-being.
Ivan Sache & Jan Mertens, 27 November 2007
Museum Heraldiek Benelux
Museum Heraldiek Benelux, located 74, Castle Street
in Temse, is opened from April to November on Saturdays, 14:00 to
18:00 and Sundays 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00, and also upon
request. Entrance is free.
The Museum is housed in the ancient textile factory Dacca. The
exhibition shows municipal arms from Benelux, family arms, municipal
and national flags, weapons, helmet, an armour, representations of
order emblems... The Museum has a library specialized in heraldry,
vexillology, genealogy and orders.
The Museum opened in September 1982, originating in Mr Jean Boeykens' private collection of arms, flags and orders begun in 1955. Preceded by the Stichting (Foundation) Heraldiek Benelux in 1964, the collection was donated to the municipality of Temse in 1985.
Jan Mertens & Ivan Sache, 19 January 2003
Municipal Museum Gemeentemuseum
The entrance of the Municipal Museum is decorated with the flags of Flanders, Belgium, and Temse.
Ivan Sache, 5 August 2008
Mill House (Molenhuis) "De Watermolen"
The ancient watermill, indeed a local tourist information, is signaled with a green flag with a white "i" on it.
Ivan Sache & Jan Mertens, 5 August 2008
Priest Poppe's Birth House Museum (Museum Geboortehuis Priester Poppe)
The birth house of Blessed Edward Poppe (1890-1924) in now a museum. Edward Poppe designed the banner of the Eucharist Crusade.
Jan Mertens, 5 August 2008
![[Flag of Hoger Op]](../images/b/be@kctm.gif)
"Purple Monkeys" supporters' flag - Image by Ivan Sache, 12 May 2009
The "Purple Monkeys" supporters' group of the Temse korfball club uses a flag vertically divided purple-white, made of the club's colours.
Ivan Sache, 12 May 2009