Lieti comes to Lette. Traces of the centuries. @museum.de

From a long-term perspective, people have always moved across the globe, and they continue to do so today for a wide variety of reasons. Wherever they go, they usually leave traces behind, and these can often still be found even after a long time.

A few hundred years into our calendar—that is, from the year zero or the birth of Christ—people here lived in ethnic groups and were not yet organized under a central authority. Between the 4th and 6th centuries, these were primarily the Brukteri and then various ethnic groups of the so-called Saxons, before the Franks arrived. There was likely no violent expulsion from one ethnic group to another. Rather, the upper classes gradually intermingled, and the societies grew together over many generations. This is how the region of Westphalia came into being—that is what the Franks called the Saxons.

At first, there were isolated farmsteads. Gradually, their numbers grew, and they came to be situated closer together—in clusters and small villages. Some land belonged to no one, and several farmers worked it together.

What do the people live on?

The soils around Lette are sandy and loamy in some places, while in others there are bogs and swamps. Over the centuries, more and more land was reclaimed—that is, fertilized or drained. In some cases, farmers cut sod from fertile soil and laid it over poorer soils. This created mounds that can still be seen today in some places, such as in Großer Esch.

In the Lette area, crops such as grain and flax—and later potatoes—have grown well. Agriculture, livestock farming, and the textile industry are the most important economic sectors.

Who owns the land?

For centuries, the land belonged to the Church and the nobility. They were feudal lords—that is, the owners of land and farms. They received taxes from the farmers and, in return, had to grant them protection.

The House of Lette

The Lords of Lette: They are mentioned in a document dating from 1175. The family belonged to the lower knightly nobility and bore a coat of arms featuring a lattice pattern.

The Lords of Lette held both secular and ecclesiastical offices, which gave them considerable control. They owned forests, farmland, and estates—meaning that the serfs belonged to them and could be sold. This was made possible by the feudal social system.

The family’s seat was Haus Lette. In 1392, the von Lettes sold the house to their relatives, the von Merfeldts, who lived nearby; likely due to financial hardship, as they maintained an expensive lifestyle. A few years later, they were bankrupt.

Haus Lette was a moated castle and must have been a magnificent complex at one time, as can be seen in the drawing.

Nearly 350 years after its sale to the von Merfeldts, it was to be renovated even more elaborately around 1725 in keeping with the tastes of the time. But that never came to pass. There were inheritances, divisions, sales, mortgages, and a legal battle that lasted nearly 70 years. During this time, the house fell into disrepair.

The remains were demolished; the Dortmund–Gronau railroad line was laid through the site; and in 1968, the Cardinal von Galen Elementary School was built next to it.

All that remains are the old plans of the house, a pile of shards from the moat, and the von Lette family’s coat of arms with its lattice pattern. Haus Lette likely originated as a church administrative estate. There was probably also a chapel here—perhaps the first in Lette.

And how did the Christian religion even begin here?

Early Missionary Work and Bells in Dülmen

Since when has this region been Christian? Before Christianization, the Saxons had their own religion. But they adopted Christianity—and likely sooner than previously believed. After all, a bell-casting pit was discovered in Dülmen, right next to today’s parish church. This has astonished experts greatly.

The pit dates back to no later than around 775, and perhaps as early as 665. Could that be true? At first, the archaeologists themselves couldn’t believe it and had samples dated several times. The results remained the same: no later than 775. But wasn’t the missionary Liudger not in Westphalia until 792—that is, 17 years later?

But it gets even better: the pit was intended for three bells. And the bells were large—up to 90 cm in diameter. That’s three times larger than the oldest church bell known to date: the Canino Bell from Viterbo, Italy. Its diameter is only 35 cm. While there are other relatively early bells, none are this large. Bells this large require a proper church tower. And such bells are cast where they’re needed—the bellfounders are specialized craftsmen who travel around with their workshops and expertise. So wherever church bells of this size were made, a church must have stood there.

It is therefore very likely that there was a church in Dülmen with a set of three bells. Bells this large—and three of them—and so early?

This implies something astonishing: namely, that a Christian community existed here earlier than previously thought—possibly in peaceful coexistence with other cultures.

This is a topic for further research, and so history is constantly being rewritten.

And what is known about the origins of Lette?

The first mention: Lieti

The Frankish King Charlemagne also conquered Westphalia during the so-called Saxon Wars. He established administrative structures and founded monasteries, including the Werden Monastery on the Ruhr.

A record of this monastery’s holdings from the year 890 has survived: the Werden Urbar. It mentions a place named Lieti—today’s Lette. It thus belonged to the Werden Monastery. Three farmers were required to pay regular tribute to the monastery, such as barley, wheat, oats, livestock, and money.

It was a very turbulent time. And a mysterious castle also tells this story: the Jansburg.

In the Middle Ages, around the year 800, settlements and parishes sprang up everywhere, connected by a dense network of roads. Above all, the intersections of these roads and the borders of territories needed to be controlled and secured. In some places, tolls were also collected.

The Jansburg may have served such a function around a thousand years ago: it stands on a trade route between Borken, Dülmen, and Coesfeld. It is not known who owned the castle.

Today, all that remains on the site is thick underbrush growing on a few mounds, surrounded by farmland.

Archaeologists have reconstructed the layout, which shows a castle ring with a diameter of about one hundred meters. It is clear that the complex once consisted of several earthen ramparts and ditches. The ramparts were likely up to eight meters wide and two meters high, while the ditches were up to two meters deep.

In the digital terrain model, you can see the current ground relief color-coded. What remains of the castle complex today has disappeared due to natural erosion or soil cultivation.

The name “Jansburg” likely dates back to the 19th century. It probably derives from the pious Johannes von Merveldt, known as Jan. According to legend, he is said to have retired here as a hermit. Only on Sundays did he make a pilgrimage to the church in Lette, accompanied by two white wolves. But which church? Take a look in the niche next to the elevator.