Philippe Kervyn de Volkaersbeke (19 April 1815 - 15 July 1881) was a Belgian politician and antiquary.

Life

Kervyn de Volkaersbeke was born in

Sint-Niklaas Sint-Niklaas (; french: Saint-Nicolas, ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and . Sint-Nikl ...

on 19 April 1815, the son of Jean Charles Kervyn de Volkaersbeke and Angélique Léonie de Nève.F. Van Molle, "Kervyn de Volkaersbeke, baron Philippe Auguste Chrétien", '' Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek'', vol. 2 (Brussels, 1966), 393-400. After secondary school in Brussels, he studied at the

University of Ghent Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when the ...

without taking a degree. From 1854 to 1857 he served on Ghent city council as alderman of public works, extending the city library. In 1861 he succeeded his father-in-law as mayor of

Nazareth, Belgium Nazareth () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of and Nazareth proper. In 2021, Nazareth had a total population of 11,844. The total area is 35.19 km² which gives a popu ...

, retaining that position until his death. In the 1861 parliamentary elections he was elected from the

arrondissement of Ghent The Arrondissement of Ghent (; ) is the largest of the six administrative arrondissements in the Province of East Flanders, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement. However, the Judicial Arrondissement of Ghent also c ...

. He was not re-elected in the 1864 elections, but he again represented the same constituency from 1870 to 1878. His maiden speech in the Chamber of Representatives, on 11 June 1861, was against the Anglo-Belgian Treaty of Commerce and Navigation then being negotiated, which he saw as a threat to Ghent's textile industry. He took an active part in parliamentary debates on the budgets for home affairs and public works, demonstrating concern for the bridges, roads and telegraph lines in his own constituency, as well as for the enlargement of the

Ghent–Terneuzen Canal The Ghent–Terneuzen Canal (Dutch: Kanaal van Gent naar Terneuzen), also known as the "Sea Canal" (Zeekanaal) is a canal linking Ghent in Belgium to the port of Terneuzen on the Westerschelde (Scheldt) Estuary in the Netherlands, thereby providin ...

, but also for the better accommodation of the

National Archives of Belgium The National Archives of Belgium (french: Archives générales du Royaume, nl, Algemeen Rijksarchief, both ) is the main depository of the State Archives of Belgium (''Archives de l'État''; ''Rijksarchief'') and is located on /, next to the Mon ...

and the State Archives in Ghent, better wages and working conditions for librarians and archivists in state employ, and an increase in the subsidy to

Ghent conservatory The Royal Conservatory of Ghent (Dutch: Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent) is a royally chartered musical institution. It is now a part of the University College Ghent. History The Royal Conservatory of Ghent is a royally chartered musical instituti ...

. He ensured that the

Geeraard de Duivelsteen The Geeraard de Duivelsteen ("Geeraard the Devil Castle") is a 13th century gothic architecture building in Ghent, Belgium. It served as defense (military), defense of the Portus Ganda, the city's port. History The building was built in the 13 ...

was acquired by the state to house the State Archives in Ghent. Before and during his political career, he was active in cultural and literary societies, and published on antiquarian themes. In 1850 he became one of the directors of the ''

Messager des sciences historiques ''Messager des sciences historiques'', published in Ghent from 1839 to 1896, was the most important Belgian history journal of the 19th century. Most of the contents related to the history of the medieval Low Countries. The initial editorial team w ...

'', to which he was a frequent contributor throughout his life. He published several books, two articles in the ''Annales de l'Académie d'Archéologie d'Anvers'', and sixteen items in the ''

Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' ( French; "National Biography of Belgium") is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ' ...

'', ten on members of the Borluut family. In 1878 he was appointed to the committee preparing the festivities for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Belgian independence. He died in Nazareth, Belgium, on 15 July 1881.

Writings

* (Ghent, multiple volumes, 1848 onwards) * with J. Diegerick, ''Documents inédits concernant les Troubles des Pays-Bas, 1577-1584'' (2 vols., Ghent, 1848–1850) * (Ghent, 1850) * (Ghent, 1853) * (Ghent and Paris, 1854) * ''Les Eglises de Gand'' (2 vols., Ghent, 1857–1858). * (Brussels, 1865) * ''Les Pourbus'' (Ghent, 1870) * (Ghent, 1873)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kervyn de Volkaersbeke, Philippe 1815 births 1881 deaths People from Sint-Niklaas Members of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)