17 In the nightingale 72

In 1977 gable stone watcher Jan Matthijsen, who for years published about gable stones in the Maaspost paper, did not see IN DEN ACHTEGAEL on the facade of Boschstraat 113, but instead on a small building behind it. At the time he also expressed the hope that one day the gable stone would be moved from the back to the front of the building. That is what indeed happened in 1997.

The stone probably originates from this site, because the house names 'het nachtegaaltje' and 'le rossignol' were once known at Houtmarkt and later Koemarkt, as this part of Boschstraat near St Matthias' Church was called. From the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries, many wealthy families lived here, including aldermen, mayors and sworn officials, and later on also notaries. This naturally attracted people from other districts and regions, especially as many pilgrims visited St Matthew's Church.

Achtegael or Nachtegael?

It is remarkable of course is how achtegael is written. Haven't they forgotten an N there? When pronouncing Den Achtegael, you clearly hear an N, but whether it belongs to Den or to Nachtegael must have been a question for the stonecutter, who probably found a double N rather odd and decided in favour of Den. It is a clear case of hypercorrection. To avoid an error, the right word  (nightingale with an n) has been corrected.

Fragments from the past: when Christiaan Tergau sold the property in 1842, the notary Helgers recorded that the property was called "The Nightingale". This spelling was not quite correct. Tergau, a tailor by profession, inherited the property from Francois Stams, who had been a bailiff at the court. Stams and his descendants Stams and Tergau owned several properties in the city.

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