Last modified: 2015-07-28 by ivan sache
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The municipality of Perwez (in Dutch, Perwijs; 7,621 inhabitants on 1 July 2007; 5,081 ha) is located in the region of Hesbaye, on the border of Brabant and the Province of Namur. The municipality of Perwez is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Perwez, Malèves-Sainte-Marie-Wastines, Orbais, Thorembais-les-Béguines and Thorembais-Saint-Trond.
Ivan Sache, 20 September 2007
The municipal flag of Perwez is yellow with three red hunting horns
placed 2 and 1, and therefore virtually identical to the municipal flag of Kinrooi.
According to Armoiries communales en Belgique. Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et germanophones, the flag is the banner of the Counts
of Horn, lords of Perwez, as shown in Zangrius' Jardin d'armoiries du
Brabant (1626).
The family of Horne was
mentioned for the first time in 1102 and originated from the town of
Horn, today part of the municipality of Haelen, in Dutch Limburg. The
Counts of Horne once owned big domains in Limburg, North Brabant and
the north of France and their arms are still quite common in the civic
heraldry of these regions. In the Netherlands, one to three horns can
be seen of the (sometimes former) municipal flag and/or arms of Horn, whose flag is nearly identical to the flag of Kinrooi, Haelen, Loon op Zand, Eindhoven, Wessem, Roggel en Neer, Beegden, Hunsel, Weert,
Cranendonck, Heeze-Leende, Waalre, Heythuysen.
The three horns are also shown on the arms of the Belgian town and
province of Liège.
According to the International Civic Heraldry website, the Count of Horne had its own seat in the Dutch Landdag (Parliament)
and was often Great Falconer (hoofd valkenier) of the Netherlands.
After the beheading of Philips de Montmorency, Count of Horne, in 1568,
the County was incorporated to the Principality of Liège and remained
there until the French Revolution suppressed the Principality.
Originally, the arms of the lords of Horne showed three cow horns; the
relationship with the name of the town might be related to the elevated
location of Horn. Later changes in the arms for post or hunting horns
had no historical background. The family of Horne never had anything to
do with the postal service. The hunting horns were explained by the
title of Higher Hunting Master (opperjachtmeester) of the German
Empire, but the family of Horne never had that title. With time, the
arms of Horn have been represented in several different ways but
posthorns have been mostly used.
The Gelre Armorial shows:
- "Or three hunting horns gules garnished argent" for Gerard II, Count
of Horne (Die Greve v. Hoerne, #1727, folio 3r), William VII, Count
of Horne (Die Greve v. Hoernes, #1015, folio 83r) and Arnold, Count
of Horne, Bishop of Liège (Bisscop v. Ludic : Arnould Greve v. Hoorn,
#1341, folio 95v);
- "Or three hunting horns gules garnished argent a label azure" for
Thierry of Horne, lord of Perwez (Die He. v. Hoerne, #812, folio 72v).
The Lalaing Armorial shows "Or three hunting horns gules garnished argent" for Horne (Horne,
#21, folio 72v).
The municipal arms of Perwez, as shown on the municipal website, also
display the three horns, being
"Or a canton gules 14 bezants argent placed 3 + 4 + 3 + 4 a label azure
three hunting horns gules".
Servais shows the arms of Perwez, beofore the municipal reform, as
slightly different. There are only 13 bezants, placed 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 +
3, the label is partially hidden by the canton and the three horns are
placed in the middle of the shield and not in the upper right half.
Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 20 September 2007
