The pasture is said to have been a gift from  Duke Reinoud I out of gratitude for his beautiful welcome in the city. Citizens were allowed to keep 3 animals on the common in exchange for a small fee. The Ijssel was rerouted after 1552 to run closer to the city, the river then separated the city from the pasture. The profit for the city in 1889 from the pasture was  f5693.