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Maasbracht (The Netherlands)

Limburg province

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 1991

Other Maasbracht pages:

See also:

Maasbracht municipality

Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2003): 13.707; area: 26,00 km². Settlements: Maasbracht (seat), Bilt, Brandt, De Weerd, Eiland, Laak, Linne, Maasbracht-Beek, Ohé, Stevensweert
On 1 Jan 1991 the present municipality was formed by the merger of the former municipalities of Maasbracht, Ohé en Laak, Stevensweert, and Linne.
Maasbracht is a few km southwest of Roermond, on the eastbank of the Maas river. Here is one of the largest inland ports of the Netherlands with a complex of locks worth watching for hours.

The anchor on the flag symbolizes the river-function of the municipality. The three crosses on the anchor symbolize the three
municipalities added (I think)
Jarig Bakker, 9 December 1999

Maasbracht Coat of Arms

image from this webpage.

Granted 1991.

Maasbracht old flag

by Jarig Bakker, 7 Apr 2005
adopted 6 Sep 1966; design: Hoge Raad van Adel

Maasbracht old municipal flag
adopted 6 Sep 1966; design: Hoge Raad van Adel.
Description: Square, in red a white saltire, with four yellow crosses crosslet. The arms of c. 1/10 flagheight.
It is derived from the (heraldic) right part of the municipal arms, which shows the arms of the court of aldermen of Echt.
Source: Vexilla Nostra 18 (126), p. 43.
Jarig Bakker, 7 Apr 2005

The crosses should be blazoned "four yellow crosses crosslet".
I don't know if "cross" has a diminutive, if you're trying to use "crosslet" that way. (A field semée of crosses is also called "crusilly"...).
Lewis A. Nowitz, 7 Apr 2005

You're right. "Cross crosslet" means a cross with small crosses at the ends of each arm.
The flag shown is actually quite similar to the arms of a prominent English noble house from the time of the Wars of the Roses - Beauchamp (gules a fess or between six crosses crosslet of the second). Anne, heiress of the Beauchamps, was the wife of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (a.k.a. "The Kingmaker").
James Dignan, 7 Apr 2005

I checked it on Ralf Hartemink's site, where he writes:
"Echt (Limburg province) is known since the 7th century. It was named as a grant by Peppijn van Herstal. At first the village belonged to the County of Loon (now Limburg), but in the 13th century it was moved to Gelre (Gelderland). In 1267 it definitively belonged to Gelre. The village received city-rights in the 14th century, date unknown. It is listed as one of the cities of the Overkwartier of Gelre in 1343 (that is: the quarter on the other side of the Rhine.)
The seal of the Council of Aldermen was first mentioned in 1259; the oldest preserved specimen was fixed to a deed of 12 Dec 1277. It was last encountered fixed to a deed dated 19 Feb 1794.
The origin of the seal is unknown.
It is interesting that several British families used the same cross crosslets (at least that's what I understand from Fox-Davies paperback).
-- Jarig Bakker, 7 Apr 2005

Linne [village]

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net