The Zoudenbalchs were also Lords of the island of Urk in the Zuiderzee (now IJsselmeer) for over a century (1476–1614), and as such played a key role in the life of that community during troubled times in the 16th century.
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In 1475 his relative Alijt van Kuinre bequeathed him the High and Low Lordships of Urk and Emmeloord (see below).
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The Zoudenbalchs came into possession of the lordship of Urk through their opposition to the Burgundian dynasty's disregard for ancient property rights.
Urk |
In the comic novel and film Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, one of the characters, Urk, refers to the subject of his unrequited love, Elfine Starkadder, as his little water vole.