Benthorn

Benthorn
Hamlet
Coordinates: 52°4′34″N 4°33′45″E
Country	Netherlands
Province	South Holland
Municipality	Alphen aan den Rijn

Benthorn is a hamlet in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located in the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn, about 2 km east of the centre of Benthuizen.

Benthorn used to be a heerlijkheid (manor), owned by the States of Holland and West Friesland. It was sold to Adam Adriaan van der Duyn, lord of 's Gravemoer, in 1724.^[1] In 1812, Benthorn became a part of the municipality of Hazerswoude, but on 1 April 1817 it became a separate municipality again.^[2]

According to the 19th-century historian A.J. van der Aa, in 1840 Benthorn consisted of 0.85 square km and had 10 inhabitants in 2 houses.^[1] Because of the small size of the municipality, it was merged into Benthuizen in 1847.^[2]

Part of the hamlet had to be demolished for the construction of the high speed railway HSL-Zuid, and only three farms remain. The name of the hamlet no longer appears on recent topographical maps of the area.^[3]

The former municipality of Benthorn (1817-1847), in red, on an 1868 map of the municipality of Benthuizen.^[4]

References

1. Abraham Jacob van der Aa, "Aardrijkskundig woordenboek der Nederlanden", vol. 2 (B), 1840, p. 280. "Benthorn".
2. Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2011.
3. ANWB Topografische Atlas Nederland, Topografische Dienst and ANWB, 2005.
4. J. Kuyper, Gemeente Atlas van Nederland, 1865-1870, "Benthuizen".