The Appearance of a Strange Kind of ‘Sea-Worm’ at the Dutch Coast, 1731–1735

Abstract

Between 1731 and 1735 a large variety of texts were published in the Dutch Republic concerning the appearance of an unknown species of worms at the seashore. Because soon after this discovery it became clear that these worms were ravaging the wooden piles that formed an essential part of the defence-system against the sea, their appearance caused great concern. Although around 1680 the presence of ‘sea-or pile worms’ had already been reported by dyke inspectors of the province of North Holland, not before 1731 the concern for the worm-plague resulted in a public ‘anxiety’ which became crystallised within the printing press. By examining the different perceptions and explanations of the appearance of the worms, and to place these findings within the early eighteenth-century Dutch context, this paper will try to provide an answer to the question why the discovery of the sea-worm became such an important issue in the Dutch public debate of the 1730s.