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The armorial bearings
were designed by H.K. Nagtegaal from Delft, a leading heraldic artist
and genealogist from the Netherlands and were assumed in 2006.
The arms are partially
canting: A "Laar" (from the Latin word "Hlaeri") means an "open spot
in a forest" while "akkers" is Dutch for agricultural fields. The key
refers to the profession of the great-grandfather of the armiger,
Lodewijk J.M. Laarakkers, b. Hertogenbosch 28 October 1874, prison
warden, house master of the Correctional Facility of Scheveningen (The
Hague), decorated with the gold medal of the Order of Oranje Nassau
(23 Oct. 1939), d. Wassenaar 12 October 1953.
Lodewijk was married at
Hertogenbosch, on 15 November 1902, to Anna Elisabeth Jadot,
b.Hertogenbosch 5 August 1867, d. The Hague 30 August 1937.
The oldest known
ancestor of the armiger is Jacobus Jacobsz. op de Laeracker (literally
in English "on the Laeracker") who lived in 17th century and was a
farmer on the Laarakker at Haps. The Laarakker was the property of the
monastry of Sint Agatha in Cuijk but was leased by the family. He
married, (Cuijk 1 November 1681 and Haps (Roman Catholic) 15 November
1681) Judith Peters Bloemers, who died at Haps on the 10th of May
1717.
An older coat of arms,
from the 14th century, is known. This is a seal which was used by
Hendrick Dircksz Laarakker, who was a "schepen" (an alderman) of Cuijk
and Haps. However, it has not been possible to prove that the current
Laarakkers family descents from this person.
The armiger was born in
The Hague, is a practicing Roman Catholic and is a member of the
Nederlandse Genealogische Vereniging and the Centraal Bureau voor
Genealogie. He has published a book about his family history called "Ons
Voorgeslacht. Stamreeksen Laarakkers, Van Zwet en De Groot,". |
