Jan Adriaensz Leeghwater, b. 1575 at De Rijp, Dutch province of North Holland, d. February 1650 at Amsterdam, a Dutch architect noted for his mills and dikes. In the drainage and reclaiming of several lakes in North Holland between 1608 and 1635 he was an important figure. He engaged in similar work in Prussia, Denmark, France, and England. In his Haarlemmermeerboeck (1641) he published a plan for the drainage of this lake, which was carried out in 1845-1852. One of his buildings was the beautiful little townhall of his native town. Leeghwater was also a clockmaker, cabinetmaker, and engraver. In 1605 he obtained a patent on a diving bell which he had invented, in which he could stay under water for some time. In 1642 (reprint Saerdam, 1688) he published Een cleyn chronycke ende voorbereydinge van de afkomst ende 't vergrooten van de dorpen van Graft en de Rijp. This book contains some information on the Mennonites of these villages. He was a Mennonite, probably a member of the Waterlander congregation. A Laurens Leegwater was a preacher of the Mennonite congregation of Koog-Zaandijk in the early 17th century.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 305. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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