I. Denijs de Clerc (died before 1396) x N.N. Loetins
Little is known about our earliest ancestor Denijs. He lived in Erondegem, a small and ancient village in the eastern part of Flanders and died in or before 1396, when his wife is mentioned as 'widow of Nijs de Clerc' on a list of 'buitenpoorters' of the city of Geraardsbergen. Buitenpoorters lived in the countryside, but paid an annual fee to a city, to receive juridical protection and privileges. Although she's not listed with her own name, it's quite certain that she was a member of the Loetins family. This was a local upperclass family: Hendrik Loetins, probably her brother, was bailiff of the noble Van Erpe family, the local lords who lived in a castle nearby.
We do know that Denijs owned quite some land in Erondegem and in the adjoining parishes Erpe en Ottergem. These parcels of land were scattered. Therefore I tend to think that he was not a farmer himself, but that he owned the lots as investment and rented them out. It's more likely that he was active in the textile manufacturing.
Denijs' property - which we know only partially - shows that he was quite well to do. Also, it is an indication that his family must have lived in this area for some time already.
A fact is that our family name is recorded in Erondegem as early as 1295 and 1330. Not as 'De Clerc', but in the original, Latin form: 'Clericus'. One can assume that these namesakes were ancestors. But more research has to be done.
After Denijs died, two (maybe three) of his sons left Erondegem, to settle in the city of Ghent. One of them was Pieter de Clerc.
