Gerrit de Graeff (III.) van Zuid-Polsbroek
Gerrit de Graeff, "vrijheer van Zuid-Polsbroek" (24 February 1766, Amsterdam – 16 December 1814) was a member of the influential De Graeff family of Amsterdam. He belonged to the patrician class of the city and held the feudal titles Free Lord of Zuid-Polsbroek as those of Purmerland and Ilpendam. Biography. De Graeff was a son of Gerrit de Graeff (II) van Zuid-Polsbroek, patricier of Amsterdam, and Christina van Herzeele. In 1794 he was married to Emilia Henriette Stadlander (1766–1826). They couple had four children: The family lived at Herengracht in a  mansion now the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje. Most of the time he resided at his castle Ilpenstein, and he also owned the country estate "Bronstee" near Heemstede. At Ilpenstein De Graeff has owned a big art collection, including paintings from Rembrandt van Rijn, Gerard Ter Borch and Jacob van Ruisdael. The collection some very famous pictures like "Catharina Hooft with her Nurse", painted by Frans Hals, and the Pickenoys representative Marriage portraits from Cornelis de Graeff and Catharina Hooft. Both are seen now at the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. De Graeffs free and high Fief Zuid-Polsbroek. Zuid-Polsbroek was an "allodium" and a  vrije en hoge heerlijkheid ("free and high Lordship"), a type of local jurisdiction with many rights. Since 1610 the "vrije en hooghe heerlijkheid" was a possession of his family. As a "free an high Lordship", Zuid-Polsbroek was an independent ("semisouverain Lordship") of the provinces Holland or Utrecht. Since 1155 the lords of Polsbroek were able to speak the high ("blood court") middle and low justice over their territory. Zuid-Polsbroek was a half-independent ("semi-sovereign") entity of the provinces Holland or Utrecht, like the larger Barony of IJsselstein to the east. During the late middle ages it became  unsure if Zuid-Polsbroek belonged to the States of Holland or to the province (unie) of Utrecht. Polsbroek paid their duties to the States of Holland. But in 1795, when the French introduced the municipal system in the Netherlands, the rights of the "heerlijkheid" were largely abolished, although the "heerlijkheid" itself existed until the early 20th century. Afterwards Zuid-Polsbroek became a separate municipality in the province of Utrecht. Gerrit de Graeff van Zuid-Polsbroek died only three years after his father at his citypalace at Amsterdam. His only son Gerrit succeeded him as Free Lord of Zuid-Polsbroek in  1814.