Flag of Scheveningen

History

The first trace of the coat of arms containing the crowned herrings dates back to the seventeenth century as the coat of arms of the local noble family De Huybert. Nowadays, the family name died out as there are no descendants left.

The first document reporting the coat of arms as the coat of arms of Scheveningen goes back to 1847. On page 165, volume X of the Geographic Dictionary of the Netherlands written by Abraham Jacob van der Aa, it can be read Het oude wapen van SCHEVENINGEN was drie gekroonde harinen, waarvan het veld niet wordt opgegeven. (The ancient coat of arms of SCHEVENINGEN consisted of three crowned herrings where the field [color] is not specified).

In 1984, in occasion of the celebrations of the seven hundredth anniversary of the founding of Scheveningen, the Royal Netherlands Navy assigned the name Hr. Ms. Scheveningen to the minehunter numbered M855. A coat of arms with two crossed herrings and the stork of The Hague was assigned to the ship. In response to some letters of protest sent to the newspapers, a petition and a parliamentary question, the Minister of Defence J. Rider, was forced to change the coat of arms of the Hr. Ms. Scheveningen with the one with the crowned herrings. This story shows us how strong the feeling about the coat of arms is amongst the Scheveningen people, that this is their coat of arms and is part of their tradition.