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This paper presents a comprehensive study of toponyms in Overhespen and Neerhespen, tracing their historical evolution through extensive archival research and cartographic analysis. Primary sources, including scarce parish registers, original documents, and ancillary materials such as the Atlas van de Buurtwegen and maps by P.C. Popp, were critically examined. To effectively manage the diverse set of place names, they were organized into thematic categories – ranging from watercourses and forests to buildings and roads – with each name accompanied by a reference to its earliest attestation. A distinctive feature of this work is the development of a Historical Atlas of Overhespen and Neerhespen, which integrates a thesaurus of land parcels detailing their type, area, and ownership with a series of detailed maps. These maps provide a snapshot of the villages between 1828 and 1860, augmented by additional cartographic sources illustrating municipal boundaries, watercourses, and transportation networks. The study also contextualizes the evolution of local municipal structures from the late medieval period through successive mergers and realignments up to the present, emphasizing the implications of these changes for toponymic research.
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How to Cite: Kempeneers, P. (2025) “Overhespen en neerhespen. Een toponymische en geschiedkundige studie”, Handelingen van de Koninklijke Commissie voor Toponymie en Dialectologie. 96(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/hctd.94154