Willem Jan, Baron van Dedem tot de Rollecate (18 March 1776 – 21 November 1851) was a Dutch lawyer, landowner and taxation officer who was responsible for the peat excavation in south-east

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...

and north-east

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...

. The and town of

Dedemsvaart Dedemsvaart ("Dedem's Canal") (Dutch Low Saxon: ''De Voart'') is a town in Overijssel, the Netherlands. Overview The town is located along an old canal, also called , which is the source of the village's name. The canal lost its commercial imp ...

are named after van Dedem.

Biography

Van Dedem was born on 18 March 1776 in Zwolle as a member of the family. He studied law, and began his career as a lawyer in Zwolle. Gerrit Willem van Marle, his father-in-law, had developed a plan in 1791 to excavate the peat in south-east

and north-east

by digging a canal from

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as its ...

Gramsbergen Gramsbergen (Dutch Low Saxon: ''Grambarge'') is a small Dutch city on the Vechte, located in the municipality of Hardenberg and the province of Overijssel. The town is located on corridors of different transportation modes: The N34 (Zwolle - Emme ...

. In 1809, van Dedem received permission from King Louis Bonaparte to dig the canal which became known as (Dedem's canal). The construction of the canal started in July 1809, and by 1811, it had reached

Balkbrug Balkbrug is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality Hardenberg, about 5 km west of Dedemsvaart. History Balkbrug is located where the road from Ommen splits into a road to Meppel and Leeuwarden, and ...

where the raised bog was located. The same year, the town of

was established. In 1813, van Dedem was appointed Director Direct Taxation of Overijssel. On 28 Augustus 1814, he was elevated to Baron van Dedem tot de Rollecate. In 1821, he moved his manor Rollecate in Vollenhove brick by brick to

Den Hulst Den Hulst, spelled at times ''De Hulst'' and traditionally pronounced ''Nulst'' locally is a historical Netherlands, Dutch hamlet (place), hamlet which was incorporated into the village and municipality of Nieuwleusen (today in the municipality of ...

Nieuwleusen Nieuwleusen (Low Saxon: ''Ni'jlusen'') is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel with 9300 inhabitants as of 2021. In the 2001 municipal reform, most of the former municipality of Nieuwleusen was incorporated into the municipality of Dalfsen. ...

in order to see his canal and land from his house. He ran into financial difficulties, and in 1825 sold large parts of land to the Dutch government. In 1845, the canal, bridges and sluices were sold to the province of

. On 21 November 1851, van Dedem died in Rollecate, Nieuwleusen, at the age of 75. On 21 July 1859, a monument was revealed in his honour in

. The manor Rollecate was demolished in 1930 to built a main road (nowadays known as N377).

Gallery

File:Overzicht gietijzeren monument met engel voor Baron van Dedem - Dedemsvaart - 20350782 - RCE.jpg, Monument in Dedemsvaart File:Reproductie van tekening van Vingboons boek Pieter v.d.Aa- 14-15 en 16 - Vollenhove - 20245097 - RCE.jpg, Drawing of Rollecate when it was still located in Vollenhove

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dedem, Willem Jan van 1776 births 1851 deaths People from Zwolle Dutch landowners 18th-century Dutch lawyers 19th-century Dutch lawyers Tax officials Barons of the Netherlands