Saxon Borg-towns of Twenthe

The area of Twente (Twenthe in English) is located in the east of the Netherlands. The area is part of the Lower-Saxon section of the country comprising of De Achterhoek (literally: the rear corner), Overissel (Overijssel in Dutch) and Drenthe. Historically Overissel and Drenthe formed the Oversticht, the land held by the Prince-Bishop of Utrecht as a direct fief of the Holy Roman Emperor. The Shire of Twenthe formed part of the Lordship Overissel and was first mentioned in 797. The name is said to mean "the two lands", which fits the historical situation as the shire was once divided in an Upper-Twenthe and a Lower-Twenthe. Twente is still known in the Netherlands as De Graafschap an name that literally means The County. A fief known as Graaf (Count) resided in Goor and ruled on behalf of the Bishop of Utrecht.

The fiefs of the Bishop were obligated to provide military support. The noblemen that amassed the bishop's army were also known as Borgmannen. This name reflects their status as Lord of the Manor. A fortified manor house or a moated castle keep was the preferred residence. The name borg is derived from borgen, which means to keep safe in Saxon and is thus akin to the Frankonian burcht a name mostly used for a castle. Borg and burcht are cognates of borough and burgh.

The land consisted mainly of vast woodland and waterlogged moorlands. The soil type is mixed with peat, sand, clay and loam often found intermingled or in close proximity. From about 1000 onwards more land is taken into cultivation creating large communal fields of arable land known as 'essen'. Besides these the area was littered with small individual landholdings known as 'kampen'. Villages and hamlets were always located near the arable fields.

The local strongholds were always located near a river(crossing). It is sometimes unclear if the borg preceded the crossing or a ford on an ancient trail preceded the castle. There were several such strongholds, all located near an important thoroughfare or a river crossing that all have a similar shape. Basically the stronghold consisted of a main building within a paling surrounded by a moat. Within the moat a chapel and store were located. The foundation of such a stronghold invariably lead to the clearing of existing woodland for farmland. These fields took the shape of wide strips of arable land. More often than not the lord would also secure the right to mill grain and build a watermill near the stronghold.

As the area under cultivation grew steadily the means of the local rulers grew accordingly. The existence of tactically placed strongholds meant that people choose to live nearby in a service settlement. As trade expanded the local lord and overlord wanted to secure their take of the gains. This was done by imposing tolls and later by stimulating economic activity. On of the ways to stimulate local production was the foundation of a monastery or convent. This invariably lead to large-scale clearing first of woodland and later of marshland and bog.

Another way of stimulating local productivity was to grant special rights to a settlement, the so-called city rights or charters. Local lords also liked to favour their service settlement and sought to gain from developing it into a small city. This often lead to planned spatial interventions to accommodate this new urban function by laying out a market field and securing the settlement. None of these Borg-towns had a city wall. They are characterised by an oval or circular outline with an outer moat and a paling on top of a bank. At the entrances (mostly 3) wooden gates were built to signify the different status of the settlement and residents within. The residence of the local lord still stood within the town, but no longer on a moated site. The increase in population often also meant an expansion of the industrial capacity by building  anew (wind)mill or expanding the existing watermill.

The third possible phase in the development of a Saxon Borg-town involved the lord leaving the confines of the town and erecting a new manor house along a main road or on the edge of uncultivated land. This move signified the independence of the town. On the former stronghold the small church that had evolved from the manorial chapel was expanded and a city hall was built nearby or on the market square. In this phase the streets are paved and the paling is replaced by a high earth bank.

The three phases in the development of a Saxon Borg-town. [1] First a stronghold (1) is built consisting of a moated site with a residence (a) and a chapel (b) near a river (3). Next to this stronghold new fields (2) are cleared for cultivation. Near a river crossing a watermill (c) is built. [2] In the next phase a town is created within a paling and a moat (4). The chapel is expanded to a parish church (d) and the watermill is expanded with a second mill (e). [3] In the third phase the settlement becomes a true town within a high earth bank and a wide moat (5). The church is expanded further (f) and a town hall (g) is built. A new manor house (h) is erected outside of the town. The market square (i) is now a formal space within the layout.

Although the pattern is the same for all Saxon Borg-towns, each has known a singular development resulting in different layouts en spatial ensembles. Goor, historically the main Borg-residence, never grew into a full town for instance. The rounded shape of a Borg-town should not be confused with the circular layout of a Terp-village that are found in the northern Frisian section of the Netherlands. There the circular shape is the result of the planned raising of a flood mount.