The famous prisoners of the Gevangepoort

In the previous story, we briefly mentioned the imprisonment of Cornelis de Witt. But Witte de With, the famed naval commander, was also locked up in the notorious Gevangenpoort. 

On May 7, 1650, he was imprisoned by order of Stadtholder William II and the States General for abandoning his post without permission — a crime that could have cost him his life. He spent 22 weeks in the so-called "knights’ chamber". Legal disputes delayed the proceedings, but after William II's coup on July 30, a special court of ten judges was formed. 

In November, De With was charged with 259 counts of negligence, and on December 3, the death penalty was demanded. In 1619, another dramatic trial took place. Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was executed for high treason. His sons, Willem and Reinier, blamed Stadtholder Maurice and plotted an assassination with preacher Hendrick Slatius. The attempt failed. Willem escaped, but Reinier and Slatius were arrested and imprisoned in the Gevangenpoort. Their mother, Maria van Utrecht, pleaded for mercy — to no avail. 

A century earlier, in 1541, Catharina de Chasseur was imprisoned there. After her failed marriage to Gerrit van Assendelft, she was found guilty of counterfeiting. Initially sentenced to the stake, her punishment was later changed to a secret execution. On the night of April 11 to 12, she was drowned in the Gevangenpoort. Legend says her ghost still haunts the area near her ex-husband’s house on the Westeinde.