POTTER United Families

DIARY OF JAN DE POTTER 1550-1620
Chronicle writer, Jan de Potter (pen name “Pottre”) seems to
represent a real patriot of the ancient times in our cities. People had
respect for any citizen keeping such day-to-day records.
Jan was a good Catholic but admired the novelties proposed by the
Reformation, contradicting both Kings Philips II and William the
Silent. He was born in Brussels in 1525 as son of Anthonius de Potter
and Margaretha van Assche. He became a wealthy citizen who
worked in the urban administration of the city. He was a man with
limited acquaintances, simple but of a righteous and virtuous nature.
His parents were merchants and shortly after the death of his father
in 1549 Jan took the same role as him in the City Council. He did this
until 1557 and then moved into a house on the Cheese Market.
On 30.11.1549 he married Magdalena Trijsens, of whom he had 5
children. The eldest son, Henneke, later became a priest, called Jan as
well. Another son Pauwel (1552) studied law in Leuven. Jan (father)
had 2 sisters: 1. Lijsken (she married 4 days before Jan married
Magdalena) on 26.11.1549 and 2. Margaretha, who was nun in the
monastery of Jericho in Brussels and who died there in 1553.
In 1558 Jan became “charitable man of the poor” in the St. Nicholas
Church near the Grand ‘Place of Brussels, and stayed in the ministry
for 2 years. In 1564 he was a merchant again and we now find him in
the Mercers craftsmen guild.
In 1570, he sold his house to escape persecutions and excessive
demands of the soldiers who were staying with him and robbed and
tormented him in every way. He then moved to the guild of charcoal
masters, who, as a Canon of St. Goedele, was probably free of such
lodgings. He stayed with them for over a year. On 26.06.1576 Jan
then became counselor of the City of Brussels.
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