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Wingene (Municipality, Province of West Flanders, Belgium)

Presentation of Wingene - Image by Filip van Laenen, 12 November 2001

Presentation of Wingene
Municipal flag of Wingene

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Presentation of Wingene

The municipality of Wingene (13,328 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 6,842 ha) is located south of Bruges. The municipality of Wingene is made of the former municipalities of Wingene (7,951 inh.) and Zwevezele (5,378 inh.).

Wingene was mentioned for the first time in 821. Both Wingene and Zwevezele were probably founded in the beginning of the evangelization of Flanders, as proved by their patron saints, St. Amandus for Wingenen and St. Aldegondis, one of the first disciples of St. Amandus, for Zwevezele.
Among the several families that ruled the villages in the Middle Ages, the van Haveskercke family is of special significance. In the beginning of the XVIIth century, the brothers Jan and Jacob van Haveskercke were lords of Wingene and Zwevezele, respectively. The family kept Wingene for one century and Zwevezele for half a century. Wingene was erected a Barony for Jan van Haveskercke in 1632.

Source: Jaarboek 2004 - "Kroniek van de gemeente Wingene", by André Vandewiele and Jo Patteeuw, Heemkundige Kring "Ons Wingene"

Ivan Sache, 3 January 2008

Municipal flag of Wingene

The municipal flag of Wingene is horizontally divided red-yellow-red.
According to Gemeentewapens in België - Vlaanderen en Brussel, the flag was adopted by the Municipal Council on 23 December 1986, confirmed by the Executive of Flanders on 26 May 1987 and published in the Belgian official gazette on 3 December 1987.
The flag is a banner of the muniicpal arms.

The municipal arms of Wingene, "Gules a fess or", were the arms of the van Haverskercke family.
The Gelre Armorial shows "Gules a fess or" for Henri, lord of Haverskercke (Haefskirke, #951, folio 81r). Brian Timms says they are shown in the Chifflet-Prinet Roll, for Jean de Haverskerque (#73).

The very same arms are used by the municipality of Haverskerque, located in the north of France (Department of Nord) and the cradle of the Haverskercke family. The exact genealogy of the Haverskercque family is still controversial.
In its review Le Parchemin, September 2000, the Genealogic and Heraldic Office of Belgium attempted to clarify the Haveskercque genealogy. The oldest recognized ancestor of the lineage is Balduinus, Forester of Count of Flanders Thierry of Alsace, mentioned in a chart dated 1137. Today, the Haverskercque family is among the 40 oldest Belgian families.

Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 3 January 2008