Bosschaerts - Persyn Genealogy - Index additional webpages: Bosschaerts genealogical research

At a research in the ancient archives at Lille in France, concerning certificates about the fortress of Cassel, we have found an interesting item.
The area northwards of the fortress of Cassel is still Dutch-speaking, at least partly by its inhabitants. In former days it belonged to Flanders, but now it is a part of France, the departement Nord Pas-de-Calais. Tom has examined the map of this area once thoroughly: the landscape is a relatively flat with agrarian destination. Only the city Cassel arises from this landscape. It once was a reinforced citadel, on top of a rock point. At the foot of this rock point, just northwards is an area on the topographical map now called: "sillebosats-veld" (field). This area is surrounded by Haeghedoorne, Hardifort and Cassel. Sillebosats is an abbreviation of Seigneur-Bossarts. Another source translates it as " 's Heerens Boschaert". This links with the 'sillebosats veld', the 'Bossarts-Veld' or "lez le Bossart".

Sillebesats France

After a laborious research in the ancient archive in France, Tom has found some manuscripts which indicate the concerning area. It is defined as "sHerBossaerts", and concerns a "denombrement of leene". It dates from 1507: Jan van Belle (Jean de Bailleul), stadtholder, was appointed by archduke Charles of Austria (Karel V, born in 1500) to enlist all the feodalities and sub-feodalites. In 1328 the battle of Cassel took place, between count Louis de Crécy (acting for the king) and the rebellious Flemish cities Mardick (a strong Norvegian harbour close to Duinkerken), Gravelines, Cassel and other Flemish cities. Louis de Crécy wins, and as a victor he thinks he has the right to assassinate a lot of the inhabitants of Cassel and to banish many others. Also he does dedicates an irrisponsible financial charge to pay-back by the defeated. (In the very long list of all the killed people of these battle, nobody was found with our family name.) I suppose that the Bossaerts have swerved to the safer north (or were banished). This is only a theory. The tale sounds credible. More crediblely than other possibilities.

Several ancients certificates are found: they do not indicate a feudality, but they mention the borders of the adjacent ground. One is called sHerBossaerts.
A feudality of sHerBossaerts has not been found so far. The area is relatively small and is probable a sub-feodality. It is not necessary that this sub-feodality belonged to Jan van Belle; any man in power might have the rights of this concerning piece of country. In the neigbourhood was once a castle, what can be derived from the name Coie. Today the remains or ruins of this caste are not found.
The place Coyecques exists. This hamlet is found at south west of St. Omer in the northern department of Pas-de-Calais in France.
On another map this place is called as Keeye-Veld; or "Koie, ou la Coie, seigneurie où il y avait un château". It is a small step from Coie to Coyecques: it is the area of the occupants of Coie (suffix - iacus).