Boekel

Etymology

The name Boekel can be explained bij the word "loo" the Dutch word for forest from de heeren Boc and fits in the same category as places like Boxmeer and Boxtel. The heeren Boc was seen as the first lord of van Boxmeer, but has no connection to the other two places.

In present time is presumed that the name is derived from Beukeloo or Beukenbos.

Population centres

Land van Herpen

Boekel is founded somewhere in the Middle Ages as a settlement of a number of farms.

In the 13th century Boekel was part of de heerlijkheid Uden. In 1233 a separation took place between the Land van Cuijk and the Land van Herpen and Uden. At that time Uden together with Herpen formed a form of government called a heerlijkheid. Until the foundation of the city of Ravenstein, Herpen was the main city of this region. Rutger van Herpen sold or leased 1313 of 1314 the community rights (gemene gronden) to the residents of Boekel and Volkel. When the noble lord wanted to improve its cash position, then he charges the use of any of its soils, beginning with the wasteland in his heerlijkheid. This common land should particularly think of marshy land and barren higher grounds, such as heaths.

Land of Ravenstein

In 1324 the heerlijkheid of Uden administratively belonged to the Land of Ravenstein under the rule of the House of Valkenburg until 1396.

From the aldermen Herpen and Uden the Heikantsgericht was created in 1339. These shipsbanks stretched across the entire former heerlijkheid of Uden, consisting of Uden, Boekel and Zeeland. Of these aldermen, which in total consisted of seven members, two were from Boekel.

By childless death of Reinoud of Valkenburg (married to Elisabeth van Kleef) grants the Duke of Brabant Adolf van Kleef with Herpen, Ravenstein and Uden so in 1397 the Land of Ravenstein Kleefs territory aids was. Afterwards the area comes under ruling of Neuburg-Palts in 1629. Under the Neubergers ruling the area had religious freedom.

Because the neighboring provinces of Brabant and Gelderland from 1648 officially fall under the States-General, this Land van Ravenstein more and more was seen as "foreign". The religious freedom provided opportunities for Catholics in the States of Brabant. So the Catholics of Erp built their own barn church on the border with Boekel. Due to the religious freedom several Catholic religious orders settled in the Land of Ravenstein. In 1741 members of the Brothers Penitents, from the Handelse Kluis themselves wanted to settle in Boekel. Led by Daniël de Brouwer the brothers laid the foundations for the Psychiatric Hospital Huize Padua.

From the 17th and 18th centuries various conflicts arise between the villages of Boekel, Uden and Gemert around the demarcation lines between the Ravenstein, Cuijk and Gemert areas. In 1663 the boundary dispute with the Vrije Heerlijkheid Gemert was settled. In 1729, a similar problem with Uden settled.