Reclamation of Land forms Buma Stins
The oldest known mention of a Stins (a Dutch state based on a stronghold) dates from 1511. In "Oudheden en gestichten van Friesland" ("Antiquities and foundations of Friesland") (1723) it states that under Beetgum the "entertaining neighborhood of Dyxtrahuizen" is located "there are the hereditary ditches or stinsen Buwma and Aysma". [1]
In the Middle Ages, land outside the dykes that had been reclaimed by the owner of the adjacent lands inside the dykes automatically became the owner of that land outside the dykes.[2]. The land for Buma Stins was reclaimed from the Middelzee (Middle Sea) during the 1505 to 1508, resulting in the province of Het Bildt.
From approximately 1200 to 1300, the reclamanation of land pushed back the water between Westergo (where Beetgum was located) to the west of the Middelzee and Oostergo (where Leeuwarden was located) to the east of the Middelzee. At the time Het Bildt was reclaimed starting in 1505, the sea was directly to the north of Beetgum, and then a few miles to the east, the land extended somewhat north, held back by a Hoogedijk. The Buma Stins must thus be in the location where Beetgumermolen now stands.
The modern location of the Buma estate is Beetgum, Dyksterhuzen 1. [3], where the village of Beetgumermolen is now located.
Buma Landowners
Various names were used for this estate, including Buwema, Buwma or Buama. There is no evidence than an actual stronghold was in this location, it is simply an inherited estate. On the maps of Schotanus and Eekhoff, Buma is indicated to the north of the old sea dike, so 'outside the dike'.
The oldest known resident was Wybrandt Buama, who in 1511 owned 54 pondemaat (a pondemaat is 0.3674 hectares, slightly less than an acre) of new land and 7.5 pondemaat of old land and rented another 27 pondemaat from the widow of Lyoets Roorda and 7 pondemaat from two others. So all together he used 95.5 pondemaat. It is striking that at Buma State, as well as at Aysma State, a relatively large part of the property was 'new land'. This indicates that the owners of these states have done good business with the reclamation of land outside the dykes.
In the mid 1500s, [Wybrants-12|Buwe Wybrandts]] of Buma lived here, married to Ansck Gysbertsdr. They were known to be quite wealthy. Their son Mintze (aka Minthie Buwes van Buma) took over the property, but he died young. The upbringing of Mintze's son and the continuation of the company must therefore have been the reason why Hessel Hotthies van Aysma (owner of Aysma State) and Wybrich van Buma, a sister of Mintze, temporarily lived at Buma State. Around 1600 Watze Minthies Buma still lived on the state. In 1603 he had the entire farm measured by surveyor Pieter Jans. This shows that the state had 7 pounds of oldland and 69 pounds of newland. In 1640 the state was still inhabited by widow W. Buma. In 1700 Tjerk Reiners Buma was owner and resident.[4]
