Vosselare is a village and submunicipality of the municipality of

Deinze Deinze () is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It comprises the city of Deinze, and the towns of Astene, Bachte-Maria-Leerne, Gottem, Grammene, Hansbeke, Landegem, Meigem, Merendree, Nevele, Petegem-aan-de-Leie, ...

, Belgium in the province of

East-Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

History

The parish is first mentioned in 694 as Fursitio in the yearbook of the St-Peter Abbey of Ghent, and again in 802. Later on it is referred to as 'Voslariensis ecclesiae' (1087), Vurslar (1122), Vorselar (1125), Furselare (1130), Vurselaer (1140), Vorselaer (1147), Vursselare (1230, 1320, 1579), Vorslaer (1330), Vurselare (1364, 1500) and Vosselare for the first time in 1650.De Potter, F. and Broeckaert, J., 1870. Geschiedenis van de gemeenten der provincie Oost-Vlaanderen. Eerste reeks - Arrondissement Gent. Zevende Deel. The name ‘Vosselaere’ is also used. Although other explanations are given, the name Vosselare probably originates from 'Vurst' and 'Laar', meaning an open, empty space in a forest. The village of Vosselare was attacked by Charles de Valois's army in 1300. The village was also affected by the battle of Nevele on 13 May 1381. On 25 May 1452 there was another battle near the village, between the city of

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, under the command of Jean Van Melle, and the Count of Estampes.

Geuzen Geuzen (; ; french: Les Gueux) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called Watergeuzen (; ; frenc ...

attacked the church and a farmhouse on 4 October 1575. The village was attacked by

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

's French troops in May 1673, October 1674, January 1675 and during the siege of Ghent in 1678. Six thousand French knights occupied the village and destroyed the harvest on 18 August 1684. The church was pillaged twice in 1688, and again in 1691 and 1696. Mortality also increased between 1676 and 1695 by an (unnamed) epidemic disease.

Famous families

The

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800. ...

Vosselare is known from its lord 'Willelmus de Vurslar' or 'de Forselar' (1122, 1125), while his brother Balduinus de Furslare is mentioned in 1130. The family is also mentioned later as Heinric van Vurselare (1364) and Arnold van Vurselaer (1413) but the

was already passed over to Thomas van den Turre, who was mentioned as a participant in the

Battle of the Golden Spurs The Battle of the Golden Spurs ( nl, Guldensporenslag; french: Bataille des éperons d'or) was a military confrontation between the royal army of France and rebellious forces of the County of Flanders on 11 July 1302 during the Franco-Flemis ...

Van Hoorebeke, A.L., 1845. Notice historique sur la commune et l’église de Vosselaere (Flandre Oriental), suivi par la liste de ses curés et des épitaphes qu’on y a recueillies. in 1302.

Monuments

Heerlijkheid castle

Within Vosselare, the

(or the 'Hof Ter Meeren' or 'Hof ter Mere' castle) is of importance. It belonged to the lords ‘de Meere’ or ‘van der Meere(n)’. The heerlijkheid covered parts of many neighbouring communities. The castle was destroyed during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and was rebuilt in 1923–1924. There is also the heerlijkheid castle of the 'Goed ter Meersch', also located in Vosselare. A large farm with the same name still remains. It is supposed to have been a possession of the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, passing over to the Van der Meersch family in 1314. The castle of the Van der Meersch family, located on the site of the current farm, Goed ter Meersch, was destroyed during the Battle of Nevele, 13 May 1381.

Church

The church is first mentioned in 1087. Van Hoorebeke argues that it was possibly one of the first churches in Flanders with a belltower. A new church building is supposed to have been built by the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

at the end of their existence, resulting in a close connection between the church and the Van der Meersch noble family, who are supposed to descend from a Knights Templar. The church was severely destroyed in 1940 and was rebuilt in 1953 by the architect Vaerwyck-Suys.

Meerelinde lime tree

Previously, there was a large lime tree named ‘Meerelinde’ at the crossroad leading to the Hof ter Mere castle, which was, in the 19th century, referred to as one of the most impressive trees of Europe. Reports on its circumference at the base vary: 9.20 meters (1856Journal de l'agriculture pratique, d'économie forestière, d'économie rurale, et d'éducation des animaux domestiques du Royaume de Belgique, Volume 8. 1856), 9.75 meters (1845), or more than 12 meters (1870). More than 30 people fitted in a cavity in the trunk in 1838. The tree had an age of ca. 800 years in the 19th century.

References

{{Reflist Deinze Populated places in East Flanders