Re: Thomas Molyneux and Catharine Slabbaert

Dear Jan,

This is very interesting and I am glad you brought this up

Thomas and Catharine are interesting as they are also ancestors of Prince Charles. Gerald Paget in his huge work on the ancestors of Prince Charles calls Catherine's father Ludovic Salaboerte, Governor of Bruges.

I hope you can find proof about the mother of Catharine, to me it sounds pretty good and believable.

With best wishes
Leo


----- Original Message ----- From: <jankinloss@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Newsgroups: soc.genealogy.medieval
To: <gen-medieval@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 8:43 AM
Subject: Thomas Molyneux and Catharine Slabbaert


I was able to visit the City Archives of Bruges recently and have
since corresponded with staff of the archive regarding Thomas Molyneux
and his wife. I have been able to collect the following information,
which I am sure will be of great interest to anyone who has read
Oxford University's 'Dictionary of National Biography' entry for
Thomas Molyneux, particularly in relation to the identity of his wife,
'Catherine Stabeort, daughter of an opulent burgomaster'.

Thomas Molinet, an English merchant, born in Calais, established
himself in Bruges in about 1560. He married the sister of the
Calvinist cloth merchant, Godefroid Slabbaert. (Ludo Vandamme, 'De
socio-professionele recutering van de reformatie te Brugge,
1566-1567' (PhD thesis), Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven, Leuven,
1982.)

Thomas Molinel, "anglus" [Englishman], married Catharine Slabbaert in
the Parish of Our Lady, Bruges, in 1565.

The baptisms of two children of Thomas Molinel in the Parish of Our
Lady appear in 'Pariochieregisters Brugge, Geboorten 1565-1600' on
page 156:

Catharina Molinet, baptised 12 July 1572 at O.L.Vr.2de
Thomas Molinet, baptised 02 April 1574 at O.L.Vr.2de

The baptisms of Daniel, Samuel and Alicia are not listed in this
register for the period 1565-1600.

Thomas Molinel/Molinet, silk and hops trader, is mentioned three times
in the City Archives list of law suits :

1569: "Joos van Grijspere c. Thomas Molinel", 1180/26/1569
1569: "Ghysbrecht de Sluutere c. Thomas Molinel, Jan van Heede",
"Thomas Molinel was een Engelse zijdehandelaar." 1192/26/1569
1570: "Molinet, vanden Heede", 1320/28/1570

He is also mentioned in the survey of civil sentences: on 09 February
1563 he asks his agent, Matheeus de Queestere, to plead for him in
Antwerp in a dispute against Anthoine le Couvreur.

Catharine's father, Ludovic, does not appear in the list of
burgomasters or aldermen of Bruges for the period 1530-1580, however
it does seem that he was an important figure in the cloth trade in
Bruges. In a list of committee members of the cloth crafts, Ludovic
Slabbaert is mentioned several times as "dean". Also:

"Half March 1563 he [Godefroot Slabbaert] became a member of the cloth
cutters craft, in which his father Loys was engaged for years and
years. Loys (Ludovic) died between May 1563 and May 1564. Both
brothers of Godefroot, Loys and Adriaen, were also members of this
craft and even his sister Catharine, as wife of the English
Calvinistic merchant Thomas Molinet, was a member of the same
professional environment." (Email from the City of Bruges Archive
citing Ludo Vandamme's licentiate's thesis about the Calvinistic
period in Bruges (1566-1584).)

In another article by Ludo Vandamme ('Calvinisme in het Brugse
koopmansmilieu: het consistorielid Godefroot Slabbaert") mention is
made of Thomas Molinet: born in Calais and settled in Bruges in 1560,
he was a convinced Calvinist, lived in a large house on the Djiver (an
important street in the middle of Bruges) and carried on trade with
France, England and the Baltic countries.

Finally, in the City Archives 'notarial documents' for the period
1563-1565 mention a Ludovic Slabbaert, married to Adriane Cobrysse
with four children: Adriaen, Louis, Catheline and Godefroit.
Ludovic's second wife was Godelieve Wouters. This would appear to be
Catharine Slabbaert with her three brothers and parents, though it is
not proven.

I have more information from the archive but it is in Flemish, so if
anyone can assist with translation, please let me know. And if anyone
gets the chance to visit Bruges, maybe we can follow up some of this
information and seek out further sources.

Regards, Jan.






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