1100's - Earliest Record of the name "Crommelin"
The name "Crommelin" first appears in recorded history in 1133 in an "Accord conclu par le comte de Flandre, entre l'abbe de St. Pierre, de Gand, d'une part, et ROBERT, fils de HACKET, jadis chatelain de Bruges, et WALTER CROMMELIN, d'autre part, au sujet du domaine de Testrep et de la dime de Groede." (Fragment in DuChesne, Histoire Genealogique des maisons de Guines, etc. preuves. Pg. 71).
[Translation: Agreement concluded by the Count of Flanders, between the Abbott of
St. Pierre of Ghent, on one side and ROBERT, son of HACQUET, formerly Lord Castellan of Bruges,
and WALTER CROMMELIN, on the other side, on the subject of the estate of Testrep and of the
tithing of Groede.]
Also recorded in the 'Histoire de Gand' (Pg. 50): "Is dezelfde als GAUTIER CROMMELIN, Zwager van ROBERT, Zoon van Hacquet, Kastelein van Brugge ten jare 1133."
1300's - Next Earliest Mention of the name
Then appears: "HEINDERIC CROMELIN. Was 1303 Scepen van der Kuere te Gend. Zulks was hy weder in 1308 en werd toen genoemd: HEINDERIC CROMMELINC. In 1311 komt hy weder als zoodanig voor en werd genoemd HEYNDRIC CROMMELIN." (Memorieboek der Stad Ghent van 1301-1795. Gent. C. Annot-Braekman, 1852-54).
1400's
Jean Crommelinck - No recorded history.
Pierre Crommelinck - His father was Jean Crommelinck. Born about 1475 in Cambray, France. Died about 1555.
Married: Unknown born about 1480.
His two children were:
* Armand Crommelinck (See below)
* Josse Crommelinck - Born in Kortrijk, Belgium. He married and had one child, Wauthier (Wouter or Wouthier)
who married Christina van den Bussche (Born in Ingelmunster) on 15 April 1585. Wauthier and Christina
left their homeland, Belgium, because of their religious convictions at a time of religious persecution and settled in Haarlem, Holland.
They had one child, Josse Crommelin, who was baptised in de Groote Kerk in Haarlem, 22 September, 1591
He died young and unmarried thereby ending the lineage from Josse Crommelinck.
1500's
Armand Crommelinck - Born between 1499-1500. Died between 1590-1591 in Castle
Ingelmunster, Kortrijk. [Perhaps now Kasteel van Ingelmunster].
He married Susanna Jossedr de Wale, daughter of Joost de Wale. She was
born about 1515-1520. They married about 1542 in Castle Ingelmunster and had 7 children.
Armand Crommelin and Susanna Jossedr de Wale lived in the sixteenth century in troubled times
- of wars, cruel persecutions, firstly under emperor Charles V of Spain who ruled the Netherlands,
and then under the tyrannical domination of Phillip II, his son, who caused the scattering of
many Dutch families. Among them undoubtedly were members of the Crommelin family.
After having married Susanne de Wale, a lady of his own nationality, Armand was driven by the
stress of Roman Catholic persecution in the Low Country to seek refuge in France, at that time
under the Protestant king, Henry IV at whose court he and his family appear to have been kindly
received and graciously treated. Settling at St. Quentin, Armand entered a mercantile life - a
pursuit not uncommon at that time among people of noble birth.
Castle Ingelmunster
Kortrijk (Courtrai), Belgium
Originally Armand resided in his country house close to the Castle Ingelmunster in the neighbourhood of Kortrijk (Courtrai) in Belgium where he had improved a
very considerable landed property. At the same time he had agents and servants at Courtrai who
purchased under his direction an immense quantity of linen fabrics and exported them to foreign
countries, notably England. In the face of persecution, his linen factory was moved from Kortrijk, Belgium to
St. Quentin, France in 1579. Since he died at Ingelmunster around 1590, he probably still owned his Kortrijk (Courtrai)
property in Belgium while he conducted business just across the French border at St. Quentin.
Today Ingelmunster Castle is
associated with Kasteel Bier
Place Crommelin, St. Quentin, France
"Place Crommelin" commemorates Armand Crommelin's contribution
to the prosperity of
St. Quentin, France.
[Source: St. Quentin Website]
(Click for views)
The manufacture of textiles, particularly linen, seems to have been
advantageously pursued by many of his descendents. It was undoubtedly due largely to the traditional
skill of the family in this industry that his great-great-grandson, Louis Crommelin, had the
distinction of inaugurating the linen industry in Ireland.
Much detail about the Crommelin family in St. Quentin is available in the volumes registering
baptisms, marriages and funerals kept between 1665 and 1685 for the Reformed Church at St. Quentin
which was outside the town at Le Haucourt.
There is also a register for the years 1592-1617. The
registers provide a good picture of the community of merchants and artisans working in St. Quentin
and give an idea of the close interweaving of kin connections and patronage connections between
families through the lists of godparents and witnesses at marriages or funerals. The Crommelins
were linen merchants of longstanding and considerable wealth. They appear to have been Protestants
since the sixteenth century as they shifted residence from Ingelmunster and Courtrai because of
persecutions in the Netherlands (Holland & Belgium) before settling in St. Quentin, a town noted
for its large Catholic Cathedral.
St. Quentin, France about 1656
Of Huguenot stock, the Crommelins adopted as their family motto, "Mieux vaut quitter patrie que foi" which translated means,
"Better to leave your homeland than your faith."
Armand had seven children: Pierre, Josse, Adrien, Martin, Jean and two daughters Jehanne and Francoise who married
the brothers, Jean and Robert Deleau, respectively.
* Pierre Crommelinck (see details on Page 2)
* Josse (or Joshua) Crommelinck of Haarlem had 6 sons, none of whom left male issue beyond the next couple of generations.
Josse settled in Haarlem, and traded in Friesian linen, called Dutch linen and became wealthy.
He was an Anabaptist and a good husband. He married Jeanne Ruyshout with whom he had nine children. Unfortunately
he drowned tragically in the Haarlemmer Meer while going to Leiden.
He left Pierre, Armand, Jean, Jacques, Adrian, Josse, Catherine, Susanne and Marguerite.
Of the six boys, only Pierre and Jacques had children and only Isaac, the son of Pierre who married, left only two daughters.
* Adrien Crommelinck of Rouen had a grandson Francis, son of Jacques, who was his last male representative.
Adrian became a well-known merchant and added to his regular linen business several enterprises and became very wealthy.
In 1657 he built that beautiful bleachery which had two regular pavilions on each end near the dunes, close to Zandvoort.
Only little knowledge remains relating to the issue of the three girls.
Adrian Crommelin settled in Rouen, he was successful in business, and only had one son, named Jacques who got only little involved in commerce.
Jacques had one son named François who died young after having spent lots of money.
Jacques also had one daughter named Anne who married Albert van der Schalques, merchant in Rouen, widower of a daughter of Jan van Daele.
She appears to have had several sons and daughters with van der Schalques, of whom there was one girl named Anne, a wealthy woman,
who married François van Emmerick and who lived in Rouen - forced to live separated from her husband who was a religious refugee.
She suffered to see her only son die at the age of 25 or 26 years old, a young well-built man and already advanced in the royal navy at (Le) Havre.
* Martin Crommelinck left no mentionable posterity at all. He died unmarried in his boyhood in England.
* Jean Crommelinck (see details on Page 2)
