Schore

A long history of the misadventures of this baptismal font appears in Tijdschriftenbank Zeeland Bulletin Stichting Oude Zeeuwse kerken (1 September 2004, p. 9 [https://tijdschriftenbankzeeland.nl/issue/sti/2004-09-01/edition/0/page/9?query=] [accessed 7 December 2021]. The following English-language version was supplied by Pol Herman: "The old baptismal font from the church of Schore. A remarkable return after a long wandering. By G.J. Lepoeter The story is almost too remarkable to be true. The previous issue of this bulletin mentioned the return of the old baptismal font in the church of Baarland. Meanwhile, a similar situation has arisen in the Dutch Reformed Church of Schore. The adventures of the baptismal font of Schore, miraculously resulting in a happy ending, can even be reproduced in quite detail. The old situation. The article by Mrs. Van Holte tot Echten about the church in Schore in bulletin number 48 provides insight into the situation that possibly, and even probably, existed in the past. We are referring to the baptistery against the southwestern corner of the church and adjacent to the tower. In the late Middle Ages this was a common place for a baptistery. When the church building was inaugurated for Protestant worship, such a baptistery no longer had a function. The baptisms of the children took place from that time onwards within the space of the baptismal garden, situated around the pulpit. The old baptismal font had therefore become obsolete. It was replaced by a handy, usually copper basin, which, placed in a holder, was attached to the pulpit (later on to the stairs of the pulpit). The old font, large and heavy, had become worthless and no more than an obstacle. This is all the more so because the baptistery was to serve as an entrance portal to the church. For a long, long time, the discarded font lay in the room below the tower, which was used only as a junk storage. We know this thanks to Rev. Van Binsbergen who remarked in his description of the church published in 1845: “Under the tower there is a baptismal font, which some think is a holy water basin, it is made of Bentheimer stone, as is the pedestal, that is also present. There is absolutely nothing to read on it.” This situation changed not long after. Jan Pieterse Glerum took care of it. Jan Pieterse Glerum As the successor of his father Pieter Janse Glerum, who died in 1840, the farmer Jan Pieterse Glerum inhabited the homestead “Hoop op Beter” on the Schoorsche Zandweg; He became a man of prestige in the village. From 1851 to 1870 he was alderman of the municipality of Schore, as the owner of a considerable area of agricultural land he was from 1855 to 1870 a sworn member of the Water Board De Breede Watering, west of Yerseke. Jan Pieterse Glerum also played an important role in matters of the church. From 1854 to 1862 he was the most powerful man in the church organization as presiding churchwarden. Before that he was part of the college of notables. In the collegium qualificatum he acted as a committee member of the craftsmen. In 1855, under his leadership, to cover the annual deficit on the account, a tax was put in place for the benefit of the church. Together with two other residents, he was himself classified in the highest class of taxation. On the other side of the Noordweg, which led to the Schoorsche Zandweg next to the “Hoop op Beter” farm, was Glerum's outer garden. This garden, Glerum thought, was a suitable place for the baptismal font. We cannot answer the question at what time the baptismal font began its long-lasting role as garden ornament and planter. The records preserved in the Church make no mention of anything pertaining to this event in any way. In one of the church accounts from 1845, if there had been a payment against transfer, there would almost certainly have been a separate entry for this. None of that, however. The most obvious time is the period from 1854 to 1862, when Jan Pieterse Glerum was president of the church. On November 4, an inventory of the church's properties was made. This lists the things present in the church, such as the pulpit, benches, chairs and lamps. The baptismal font is not included. If it had been present under the tower at the time, it would have belonged to the church. It could easily have been overlooked, because the tower with the clock, and other objects, in it belonged to the municipality and not to the church. Family inheritance Jan Pieterse Glerum died in 1870. Shortly afterwards Johannes Glerum, a son from his first marriage, had the house “Mon Plaisir” built for himself in the outer garden of the “Hoop op Beter” homestead. The baptismal font was thus automatically incorporated into the garden of this new home. Short time later, the baptismal font was transferred to the yard of the farm in the center of the village, on the east side of the church. Cornelis Glerum, son out of Jan Pieterse Glerum's second marriage, lived here. In 1922 the Zeeland part of the Preliminary List of Dutch Monuments of History and Art was published. Under Schore it is included: "a bluestone baptismal font (XVIa) from the church, is located at Mr. Glerum". A few years later, the church board showed an interest in the baptismal font: they wanted it back. On October 10, the secretary of the churchwardens wrote a letter about it to Cornelis Glerum. From this letter we get the impression that it was indeed paid for at the time. There was therefore no suggestion that Jan Pieterse Glerum had acquired the baptismal font unlawfully. The churchwardens offered three options: sell, donate or loan it to the church. We may wonder what the Church's intention was with the baptismal font. Certainly not to install it in the church building. As a temptation, the secretary wrote in his letter to Glerum: we will place it on the church square in such a way that you and your family will always look at it with pleasure. At the meeting of churchwardens and notables on November 5, 1925, the secretary announced that Cornelis Glerum had said that he could not comply with the transfer request. The discussion was thus closed. The death of Cornelis Glerum in 1929 meant a new move for the baptismal font, namely to the garden of the house “De Vier Olmen” on Zandweg. This house was inhabited by Jan Pieter Glerum, son of Cornelis Glerum. The stay in the garden on the Zandweg was short-lived, however, because in 1935 Jan Pieter moved to Vlissingen. For the baptismal font this was the end of the stay in Schore. The next place was the garden of the house at Damstraat 62 in Yerseke. The daughter of Jan Pieter Glerum, who was married to Martinus Bom, recently moved in here. From 1939, the Bom-Glerum couple operated a catering facility on Herengracht in The Hague, while the house on Damstraat was rented out. When this house was sold around 1953, the baptismal font was transferred to The Hague, to be moved to Halsteren a few years later. Here the Blom-Glerum family settled in hotel-café-restaurant De Ram. The baptismal font was given a place as a planter at the entrance of the restaurant. At times, observant guests will no doubt have wondered about the history behind this striking planter. Back to Schore. It is thanks to the efforts of Mrs. J. Lindenbergh-Nieuwenhuijse that the font has come back to Schore. She descends from the Glerum family on her mother's side, she has known the history of the baptismal font for years and had been looking for a suitable opportunity to take action for quite some time. The publicity surrounding the placement of the baptismal font in the church of Baarland this spring was the direct reason to present to her family member the plan for the return. Unlike great-grandfather Cornelis Glerum in 1925, the owner J.D.J Blom (son of the couple Blom-Glerum) was fortunately willing to return the baptismal font to the church of Schore after such a long time. A few enthusiastic residents of Schore travelled to Halsteren to do the heavy job. The baptismal font and the condition it was in It may be called a miracle that the baptismal font has always remained complete. Both the foot, the intermediate column and the basin are original. That is why its overall proportions are perfect: the whole looks sturdy but graceful. It is a large object, eight-sided according to the use in the Gothic period, made of Namur stone in the period 1500-1525, with a height of one meter. The basin measures 85 cm outside, 65 cm inside. There are no texts or images on it. It will come as no surprise that the baptismal font, after being towed back and forth a number of times and having served as a planter in the open air for a century and a half, was in a deplorable condition when it returned to Schore. Initial minor damage and cracks in the heavy stone basin have become increasingly larger cracks due to the influence of weather and wind. Finally torn through and through, the basin was only held together by two largely rusted iron bands and four large staples in the top edge. The attachment of the three parts was reinforced by means of concrete mortar. Restoration by a specialized company would be too expensive and for a while it seemed that good advice would be very expensive. Until it turned out that there was so much spontaneous willingness, knowledge and love for the historical object within the small Schore community that the work could be carried out in-house in an advantageous manner. Removal of the iron bands and staples produced a collection of debris as expected. These have been neatly turned into a solid and intact unit by means of treatment with two-component epoxy glue. An intensive treatment with steel grit removed the stubborn dirt that had been accumulated over the years. Although the traces of the misery endured have remained visible, the charm has increased. The result is something to be proud of. In consultation with the church board, the restored baptismal font has been given a place of honor in the entrance hall of the church." Pol Herman added in an e-mail of 30 November 2021 to BSI: "n the articles, the font is described as “from Bentheim” or “from Namur”, but it is neither. It is a typical font from Hainaut (for example blue limestone from Ecaussines), transported by means of the river Schelde from the quarry to the church. As the first church of Schore dates from the 16th century, I tend to agree with those who date it 1500-1525, and who say that it is the original baptismal font. Because of the basin’s dimensions (it is wider than high), it is certainly “late-gothic”. In principle, the first halve of the 16th century in Flanders is the period of the high-renaissance. In my inventory, I call such fonts “Renaissance-Hainaut”. The font is described and illustrated in https://slideplayer.nl/slide/2083368/ [accessed 7 December 2021]