SCHINCKELLE - English Summary

Actually the main sources used in the study of heraldry are seals and armorials. Seals represent an important source, but they don't reflect any colours, contrary to armorials and illuminated manuscripts. Presently armorials are not only revised but are published integrally, for example: the armorials of Gelre; the volume "Flanders" from the armorials of the Golden Fleece. Genealogical manuscripts, illustrated with coats of arms are sparingly quoted as heraldic sources. Nevertheless family archives conceal a treasure of such-like manuscripts. The study and the edition of genealogies foreseen with armours is yet an unexplored domain. The integral publishing and revision of the Schinckelle manuscript, an abundant source of family coats of arms in West-Flanders, may therefore be considered as pioneer work. The editors can only hope that their initiative will serve for a model.

The Schinckelle manuscript comprises 42 folios continuous text, alternated by genealogical schemes. It has been written with much carefulness. The language is French, but with citations from older manuscripts in Flemish.The author neither identifies himself, nor does he quote a year of realization. It was however possible to identify him as being Roeland Schinckelle (1622-1667) and his work was realized between 1654 and 1666. The manuscript includes more than 500 exquisitely painted coats of arms, belonging to approximately 175 different families. The painted coats of arms have either been effectuated by the author himself (he was also an amateur-painter) or otherwise maybe (realized) by the painter Vigor Boucquet from Veurne. Later various small complements in different writings were added to the text in the manuscript.

Two "Schinckel" families have existed, but with very different coats of arms. The manuscript only deals with one of the families, namely: the one that wrote their name as "Schinckelle", with double "l", since approximately 1450.The other family wrote their name as "Schynckele". Notwithstanding the fact that both families lived already since the 14th century in the area of Veurne, and both had numerous representatives in the bench of magistrates of the town and/or castellany of Veurne, they were, and still are, not aware of any mutual genealogical connection. Both families were equally held in great respect and in 1643 the king of Spain granted a knighthood to a member of each family in an interspace of barely 70 days.

A genealogical manuscript is only seldom completely original , but mostly a summary of earlier researches, compilations of the family archives with supplementations and corrections from own investigations. Besides printed versions (de l'Espinoy, Sueyro and Sanderus) and the genealogical collections of M. and C. Gailliard. Roeland Schinckelle also consulted notes from other hardly known genealogists like Leonard de Cant and Charles van Hondeghem. He also used personal memoranda of his ancestors - some of them had already carried-out their own genealogical investigations - like his grandfather and also Leonard de Cant, who seems to be a relative of the Schinckelles. Was the idea to compose an abundantly illustrated genealogical and heraldic manuscript present from the start? We have all reasons to believe that the genealogical and heraldic manuscript of the "de Bryarde" family, of the castle of Beauvoorde, and compiled in 1623, has been a source of inspiration. There were close family ties between these two families which we were able to reconstruct. A later annotation he made and which we found in the collection of handwritings of the University of Gent proved that the author continued his investigations, even after completion of his manuscript.

After the authors death the manuscript remained in the family. In 1723 we traced it in the possession of François de Schinckelle, mayor of Kortrijk. At the end of the 18th century it reappears in Veurne where two ardent genealogists, namely: "van der Meersch de Rosendaele" and "Dacquet", scrutinized it thoroughly. A proof was found that Charles Dacquet was one of those that anonymously made additions to the manuscript. A century later, in 1893, the genealogist Arthur Merghelynck also consulted it thoroughly at the then-owner, Albéric de Crombrugghe de Looringhe. This information was a stimulation to find out how the manuscript found its way to this family. We were able to make a full reconstruction. From there it appears that, after the Schinckelle line had run out, it was the other family Schynckele (who's line extinguished in 1816) that brought the manuscript by inheritance into the family de Crombrugghe (indeed also the genealogical and heraldic manuscript de Bryarde, after extinction of the de Bryardes, became property of the family de Crombrugghe, again by inheritance). The whereabouts of the latter manuscript are unfortunately unknown.

The town archives of Veurne preserve a reliable 18th century copy of the Schinckelle manuscript, however without coats of arms. The author of the copy does not identify himself, but was identified as being Guillaume F.D. Van der Meulen from Roesbrugghe, who copied multiple old manuscripts and compiled new ones. We were able to reconstruct the family tie as from Van der Meulen up to the donation of the copy to the town archives of Veurne approximately in 1860.

In order to draw the scheme in which the manuscript was originated, a reconstruction of the Schinckelle genealogy took place, starting from the grandfather of the author until the extinction of the family in 1764. The signification of the family name was sourced and the spreading there-off in Flanders. Special attention was paid to the occurrence of the double "l". Against all expectations it appeared that historical sources from the 16th to the 18th century of the Veurne area rigorously respected the spelling with double "l".

The reconstruction of the genealogy was issued as a true family history, with much attention for the historical events which the family members had lived and undergone like the tumultuous years of the religion wars in the 16th century, as well as the 17th century wars of the French and the destruction of their family estate Walcourt (Hof ter Walle) in Adinkerke. In 1643 Roeland's eldest brother Jan was granted a knighthood. He however ended his life abroad fleeing from his multiple creditors, his properties were sold in public. His younger brothers had a less sensational career. François, a military man, was the father of Dennis, later a famous mayor of Kortrijk; Roeland, the genealogist, became mayor-landholder of the town and castellany of Veurne. The Schinckelle family extinguished in 1764 in Madrid.

We furthermore investigated some heraldic aspects of the manuscript itself, namely the numerous changes of the coats of arms and differences, and especially the myth that the ermine in their coat of arms was allegedly a mark of honour awarded to them in the 14th century by the duke of Bretagne. Some of the depicted coats of arms without family names were identified.

The 17th century manuscript can integrally be consulted in fac-simile by the reader. The writing in French is still very legible. Besides there is a Dutch translation. Finally the reader will find indexes on names, places and coats of arms.

The book is out of print, for a CD version, contact Vlaams centrum voor Genealogie en Heraldiek (Handzame), vzw