User:Artix Kreiger/Famille de Villegas

The Famille de Villegas (de Villegas family) was a Belgian noble family of Spanish origin.

Origin
The family is of Spanish origin. The oldest known root in Belgium of the Villegas family can be traced back to an individual named Diego de Villegas. He was a Spanish merchant based in Antwerp and had been initally quoted in a record of transaction in the process of buying pepper on 21 March 1536. He married Adrienne de la Corona.

Ancient Arms
The Famille de Villegas had an initial crest. The ancient weapons of the Villegas family were imprinted with this: silver to the cross florence of sand, emptied of the field. The whole surmounted by A dextrochery arm with a silver sword held in a hand of flesh.

Medieval branch of Clercamp
The coat of arms of the Clercamp branch are drawn like this: Argent to the cross florence of sand, emptied of the field, to the bordure compted of sixteen pieces, eight Gules, each charged with a gold tower and eight d Each loaded with a boiler of sand. Crown: Count of the Netherlands with three florets separated by a raised pearl. Supporters: two leopards lionned with gold, each holding a banner, the one to the armor of the shield, the silver one to two wolves passing by sand, one on the other, and at the edge of the gules Loaded with eight gold flanks (of Ayala).

Contemporary Branch of Saint-Pierre Jette
The coat of arms of the Saint-Pierre Jette branch blasonnate like this: quartered: to the 1 of gold to the fascia bretessée and contrabretessée of sand (Kinschot); To the two fasces of gold and sinople of six pieces (Oyenbrugge); To the 3 of silver with five lozenges Gules, joined in band (van Ophem); At the 4th of a silver gules, summoned with a royal crown of gold, and the chief Azure loaded with three gold stars (Douglas Schott); On the whole: a silver escutcheon with a cross florented with sand, emptied of the field, at the border composed of sixteen pieces, eight gules, each loaded with a golden tower and eight silver, each loaded with A boiler of sand (Villegas). Crown: to thirteen pearls, three of which are raised. Supporters: two leopards lionned with gold, armed and lampasseed Gules, each holding a banner, to dexter to the arms of the mostly, and to azure senestre to the chevron accompanied by three barrels lying, the whole Argent (van der Laen ). Currency: Vilia ne legas (sand on a silver listel)

Modern branch of family
The weapons of the branch of Villegas blasonnent like this: silver to the cross anchored of sand. On the borders are Gules alternately charged with 8 golden towers and 8 cauldrons of sand.

Nobility
On page 80 of the book Cofradia di Santiago, the historical records depicted the knight Ruiz de Villegas on horseback in armor armor and helmet holding a shield to his arms Of the current coat of arms). This historic book is considered the oldest equestrian armorial in Europe.

An interesting document dated from 13 March 1728 signed by Richard de Grez revealed the eight noble quarters of Don Paul Joseph de Villegas, Ecuïer. Among his ancestors in the Hovorst branch count the following characters: Don Melchior de Villegas, Ecuirer (sic), Lord of Hovorst and Bouchout, son of Melchior, he had married Dame Jeanne Mechelmans.

An engraving signed by J. Harrewijn shows a bell decorated with the arms of Anne Pétronille de Villegas and her husband Don Gaspard del Vaus y Frias, former councilor and Master of the Chamber of Accounts of Bruges and then of the Council Of war of His Catholic Majesty and Contador principal del Exercito in the Netherlands. On this bumblebee, one can read "Illustris Domina Anna Petronilla De Villegas 1686". Her sister Regine was buried in 1735 alongside her husband Melchior van Velde in the great choir of the old church of St. Catherine in Brussels.

The branch of Villegas de Clercamp obtained concession of the title of count transmissible to the primogeniture male in 1820 and 1967. A second branch bearing the name of Villegas de Saint-Pierre Jette obtained confirmation of the title of count of Saint-Pierre-Jette in 1767, recognition of nobility and the title of count transmissible to male primogeniture in 1866, extension of this count title For all the descendants in 1934.

A third cadet branch bearing the name of Villegas obtained recognition of nobility in 1822.

Lineage
These are the known members of the de Villegas family through the Roodenbeke lineage
 * Charles-Emmanuel
 * Ferdinand, baron d'Hovorst
 * Ferdinand-Charles-Melchior
 * Ferdinand-Melchior-Charles
 * Gaspard-Bernard-Jean-Dominique
 * Gaspard-Joseph-Liévin-Ghistlain
 * Gaspard-Melchior, seigneur d'Aa
 * Le chevalier Jacques Ferdinand, seigneur de Serville
 * Le vicomte Gaspard-Joseph
 * Melchior-Joseph-Alexandre
 * Messire Didace-Ferdinand, seigneur de Bouchout
 * Messire Gérard-François-Balthazar, comte de St.-Pierre Jette
 * Messire Paul-Melchior, créé baron d'Hovorst en 1675
 * Messire Paul-Philippe, époux d’Anne-Thérèse de Kinschot, seigneur de Luttre
 * Philippe-Melchior-Emmanuel, seigneur de Clercamp