Documentation: Isolde van Walraversijde
Isolde van Walraversijde (Pronounced in Dutch: isol-da varn wal-raver-sighj-da) is a 15th Century woman from the fishing village of Walraversijde, on the western coast of Flanders, who has since settled in the town of Iepers [1] (known for its linen trade), working as a seamstress.
Given name: Isolde
Isold (and its various derivatives, including Isolde) was a common name in Western Flanders in the Middle Ages, particularly in the area surrounding Kortrijk (see Figure 1). Between 1391 and 1428 there were 21 instances of the name being used, with a frequency 2.22% (1.26% for all of Flanders), according to Vlaamse Vrouwennamen en Hollandse Naamgeving in de Middeleeuwen [2] (Leys & van der Schaar, 1959, p. Appendix III). This has been confirmed as a reliable source by the College of St Gabriel of the SCA. (von Wolkenstein, 2004)
Figure 1: Modern day Belgium. The cities of Kortrijk and Ostend can be seen in the coastal region of Western Flanders (BelgiumMap4’.GIF (GIF Image, 395×311 pixels) - Scaled (0%), 2000)
By-name: van Walraversijde
Walraversijde was a 15th Century fishing village, located between the two costal Flemish ports of Oostende [3] (as depicted in Figure 1) and Nieuwpoort. The village can be seen in Figure 3, south west of Ostend.
Figure 2: Comitatus Flandriæ Written in Latin? (“1680_Flandriæ_de_Witt.jpg (JPEG Image, 4824×4020 pixels) - Scaled (0%),” 1680)
Figure 3: A close up of a small section of Comitatus Flandriæ by F. de Witt (1680). Edited to show the village of Walraversijde.
According to the website of the Province of West-Flanders
“Walraversijde was named after Walraf. Originally the village was situated north west of the present domain of Raversijde, where the beach is now to be found. In January 1394, when part of Ostend was inundated as a result of heavy storms, Walraversijde also suffered severe damage. Hectares of land disappeared under a thick layer of sand which had been blown inland from the dunes. This forced people to move, and the village was rebuilt further inland, behind the newly located dunes.
The dunes were fortified in 1399 with a new dike. Between 1420 and 1430 an impressive chapel was built in the new village. A chapel with no less than three aisles, various altars and a tower as high and impressive as that of any church. Being dedicated to St John, the chapel was highly prestigious and of great symbolic importance. It signalled to the outside world that the fishermen were part of the Christian community and that they were as much heaven orientated as they were sea-orientated. The fishermen themselves considered the chapel to be a symbol of safety and protection. Not only was it a beacon for ships at sea, but it was also a place where one could pray for a safe return. However, the memory became fainter when the old chapel tower was demolished in 1860.”
(Provincie West-Vlaanderen, 2009)
Today Walraversijde is part of a museum complex, known as Raversijde. As well as the recreated fishing village of Walraversijde (See Figure 4), the Prince Karl Memorial Museum and the Atlantic Wall (WWII fortifications) are open to visitors.
Figure 4: Modern reconstructions of the fishermen’s houses in Walraversijde. (“Walraversijde06.jpg (JPEG Image, 1280×960 pixels) - Scaled (0%),” n.d.)
Locative by-names (defined by the use of the word van, meaning of) were common in the Low Countries, either as a name bestowed upon them by their community, or a name inherited from their father. While there is no known record at this time of Walraversijde being used as a by-name, Aryanhwy merch Catmael (Sara L. Uckelman) has compiled a list of recorded Dutch surname’s, including an extensive list is locative names (Uckelman, 2005). This website has been endorsed by the College of Saint Gabriel.
References
1680_Flandriæ_de_Witt.jpg (JPEG Image, 4824×4020 pixels) - Scaled (0%). (1680). . Retrieved May 24, 2011, from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/1680_Flandri%C3%A6_de_Witt.jpg
BelgiumMap4’.GIF (GIF Image, 395×311 pixels) - Scaled (0%). (2000). . Retrieved from http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Images/BelgiumMap4%27.GIF
Leys, O., & van der Schaar, J. (1959). Vlaamse vrouwennamen en Hollandse naamgeving in de Middeleeuwen,. Leuven: Instituut voor Naamkunde.
Provincie West-Vlaanderen. (2009). The archeological site of Walraversijde. Retrieved May 24, 2011, from http://www.west-vlaanderen.be/kwaliteit/Leefomgeving/raversijde/welcome/thearcheologicalsiteofwalraversijde/Pages/default.aspx
Uckelman, S. L. (2005, September 22). 15th C Dutch Surnames. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/dutch/dutch15surnames.html
Walraversijde06.jpg (JPEG Image, 1280×960 pixels) - Scaled (0%). (n.d.). . Retrieved May 24, 2011, from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Walraversijde06.jpg
von Wolkenstein, G. (2004). Flemish Feminine Names 1259 - 1530. Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/names/vlaamse.htm
[1] English: Ypres
[2] English: Flemish and Dutch Naming in the Middle Ages
[3] English: Ostend
Given name: Isolde
Isold (and its various derivatives, including Isolde) was a common name in Western Flanders in the Middle Ages, particularly in the area surrounding Kortrijk (see Figure 1). Between 1391 and 1428 there were 21 instances of the name being used, with a frequency 2.22% (1.26% for all of Flanders), according to Vlaamse Vrouwennamen en Hollandse Naamgeving in de Middeleeuwen [2] (Leys & van der Schaar, 1959, p. Appendix III). This has been confirmed as a reliable source by the College of St Gabriel of the SCA. (von Wolkenstein, 2004)
Figure 1: Modern day Belgium. The cities of Kortrijk and Ostend can be seen in the coastal region of Western Flanders (BelgiumMap4’.GIF (GIF Image, 395×311 pixels) - Scaled (0%), 2000)
By-name: van Walraversijde
Walraversijde was a 15th Century fishing village, located between the two costal Flemish ports of Oostende [3] (as depicted in Figure 1) and Nieuwpoort. The village can be seen in Figure 3, south west of Ostend.
Figure 2: Comitatus Flandriæ Written in Latin? (“1680_Flandriæ_de_Witt.jpg (JPEG Image, 4824×4020 pixels) - Scaled (0%),” 1680)
Figure 3: A close up of a small section of Comitatus Flandriæ by F. de Witt (1680). Edited to show the village of Walraversijde.
According to the website of the Province of West-Flanders
“Walraversijde was named after Walraf. Originally the village was situated north west of the present domain of Raversijde, where the beach is now to be found. In January 1394, when part of Ostend was inundated as a result of heavy storms, Walraversijde also suffered severe damage. Hectares of land disappeared under a thick layer of sand which had been blown inland from the dunes. This forced people to move, and the village was rebuilt further inland, behind the newly located dunes.
The dunes were fortified in 1399 with a new dike. Between 1420 and 1430 an impressive chapel was built in the new village. A chapel with no less than three aisles, various altars and a tower as high and impressive as that of any church. Being dedicated to St John, the chapel was highly prestigious and of great symbolic importance. It signalled to the outside world that the fishermen were part of the Christian community and that they were as much heaven orientated as they were sea-orientated. The fishermen themselves considered the chapel to be a symbol of safety and protection. Not only was it a beacon for ships at sea, but it was also a place where one could pray for a safe return. However, the memory became fainter when the old chapel tower was demolished in 1860.”
(Provincie West-Vlaanderen, 2009)
Today Walraversijde is part of a museum complex, known as Raversijde. As well as the recreated fishing village of Walraversijde (See Figure 4), the Prince Karl Memorial Museum and the Atlantic Wall (WWII fortifications) are open to visitors.
Figure 4: Modern reconstructions of the fishermen’s houses in Walraversijde. (“Walraversijde06.jpg (JPEG Image, 1280×960 pixels) - Scaled (0%),” n.d.)
Locative by-names (defined by the use of the word van, meaning of) were common in the Low Countries, either as a name bestowed upon them by their community, or a name inherited from their father. While there is no known record at this time of Walraversijde being used as a by-name, Aryanhwy merch Catmael (Sara L. Uckelman) has compiled a list of recorded Dutch surname’s, including an extensive list is locative names (Uckelman, 2005). This website has been endorsed by the College of Saint Gabriel.
References
1680_Flandriæ_de_Witt.jpg (JPEG Image, 4824×4020 pixels) - Scaled (0%). (1680). . Retrieved May 24, 2011, from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/1680_Flandri%C3%A6_de_Witt.jpg
BelgiumMap4’.GIF (GIF Image, 395×311 pixels) - Scaled (0%). (2000). . Retrieved from http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Images/BelgiumMap4%27.GIF
Leys, O., & van der Schaar, J. (1959). Vlaamse vrouwennamen en Hollandse naamgeving in de Middeleeuwen,. Leuven: Instituut voor Naamkunde.
Provincie West-Vlaanderen. (2009). The archeological site of Walraversijde. Retrieved May 24, 2011, from http://www.west-vlaanderen.be/kwaliteit/Leefomgeving/raversijde/welcome/thearcheologicalsiteofwalraversijde/Pages/default.aspx
Uckelman, S. L. (2005, September 22). 15th C Dutch Surnames. Retrieved May 25, 2011, from http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/dutch/dutch15surnames.html
Walraversijde06.jpg (JPEG Image, 1280×960 pixels) - Scaled (0%). (n.d.). . Retrieved May 24, 2011, from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Walraversijde06.jpg
von Wolkenstein, G. (2004). Flemish Feminine Names 1259 - 1530. Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/names/vlaamse.htm
[1] English: Ypres
[2] English: Flemish and Dutch Naming in the Middle Ages
[3] English: Ostend