He who wants to buy everything he sees........ parts 1 and 2 Jan Derix and Sjef Verlinden

The books tell the fascinating story of the Venray Sheep Companies, which played an enormous role, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries.

• The sheep flocks and the Peel: At that time, the region around Venray and the Peel largely consisted of vast, wild heathlands. Agriculture at the time was entirely dependent on sheep manure to make the barren sandy soil fertile. Thousands of sheep grazed on the heath.

• International trading companies: What many people don't know is that the shepherds and traders from Venray (such as the well-known 'Grote Compagnie' - Great Company) organised themselves into large trading networks. They travelled far across national borders with gigantic flocks of sheep.

• Trade routes to Paris and London: The sheep were driven from Venray along the old 'kinkenwegen' (trade routes) to large markets. They travelled through Belgium to Paris and later, via the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, even by steamboat to London. The wool and meat brought in a lot of money, and the flocks were also very welcome along the way in Flanders and France to fertilise the fields.