On the floodplains near Ingen lie the remains of Geldersweert Castle, a fortified house that belonged to the dukes of Guelders. The castle was originally given to Charles of Guelders the Younger, Lord of Spankeren, the illegitimate son of Charles, Duke of Guelders as a wedding present. It was demolished in the early 19th century but the name still lives on in the ferry that has been travelling between Ingen and Elst since 2003.
Charles of Guelders the Younger
Geldersweert was a fortified house lying about 800 metres to the west of the Ingen to Elst ferry that was owned by the dukes of Guelders. Charles, Duke of Guelders died in 1538 without any legitimate descendants. Although he had a number of illegitimate children, the law did not allow them to succeed him however, it did allow them to inherit his land and his castles and one of his illegitimate sons, Charles of Guelders the Younger, Lord of Spankeren, inherited Geldersweert Castle.
Elsabe of Geulders
Elsabe or Elisabeth, Lady of Geulders, was one of Charles of Guelders the Younger, Lord of Spankeren’s granddaughters. In 1632, Elsabe married Daniel de Bedarrides, a Huguenot who had fled the principality of Orange in southern France, and was serving as an officer in the Dutch States army. When Daniel requested to be recognised as a member of the noble Guelders family, his request was rejected. The committee decided that the fact that he was a foreigner, far outweighed that fact that he had married into the noble and wealthy family. Daniel went on to become an elder of the Reformed church in Ingen. Elasbe died in 1678 in the castle she was the last ever Lady of Guelders.
The castle´s foundations
The influence of the river took its toll on the castle and it fell into disrepair. It was finally demolished in 1803 and a new house was erected in its place by the owner of the local brickworks. In 1971, the foundations of the manor house were excavated, mapped and dated to the beginning of the 16th century. Archaeologists found the foundations of a fortified house that was relatively modest in size and construction, around 20 by 15 metres with foundation walls that were about one metre thick. It also had a single tower on the north-west corner.
