By coincidence we bought, with a few years in between, twice a wax seal with the coat of arms depicting a man sitting in a coffin, so not in a boat as one of the former owners thought
the coat of arms was very easy to find at CBG Den Haag,
the story behind the name Kist was much more fun.
The family legend about the surname
Waye / Waije becoming Kist
("kist" is Dutch for coffin)
The family Waye / Waije came from the town of Meenen, now Menen near Kortrijk, West Flanders
At the beginning of the Eighty Years' War against Spain, the Dutch Geuzen conquered Meenen. After recapture of the city by the Spaniards in 1578 and because of the danger of persecution by Alva and his followers, many Protestant inhabitants fled to the north. Among these asylum seekers was also Joost Jansz. Waye and his family. In October 1581 Joost Jansz. became a member of the Reformed Church in Delft and registrated as "poorter" (burgess) of the city Delft. He was a chair turner, in Dutch called "houtdraaier" or "stoelenmaker"
According to family legend, Joost Jansz. Waye may have been apparently dead, made ready for his burial and layed in a coffin. Regaining consiousness, he knocked the lid of his coffin off and stepped out.
He then was called "de man van de kist" (the man from the coffin)
Archived documents show that, after that he started using the name:
Waye anders Kist (for: Waye otherwise Kist)
His son, Joost Joostsz., started using the name Kist officialy
The oldest known document of a Joost Kist with a seal with this coat of arms is dated 17 September 1717 in Rotterdam
text: Marx Warmerdam
both sold by: delta 98 den haag, The Hague, Netherlands
