POTTER United Families

Residences of Louis de Potter
Louis’ grand-parents, on one side, lived in the castle of Kerckhove in
Avelgem between Renaix and Audenaerde.
On the other side, Louis’ grandparents lived in the castle of Tourhout
in the “Domain of Ravenhof” where they had a linen bleaching plant.
Like Nicolas’ grandfather, they used milk cows (to whiten fabrics),
also in… Tourhout!
Louis’ and Nicolas’ families were immediate neighbours of the estate
“Domain d’Aertrycke” which belonged to the family de Potter
d’Indoye, and the immediate neighbouring estate of “Verloren Kost”
where Nicolas’ father was born and lived until the nineteen-sixties.
The castle of Ravenhof in Tourhout played an important role in the
implanting of the family of Louis de Potter around Bruges in the 16th
century, arriving from Courtrai (probably 1400-1450) via Dixmude
(1450-1600). In 1370, the domain was called “Het Goet ten Walle”
(the land of the little valley-hill).
Louis’ grand-father arrived there in the late 1700’ies. Nicolas greatgrand-father
arrived in the early 1800’ies from Renaix via Ghent.
The Domain and castle of Ravenhof was the residence of several
families of dignitaries who made the history of the famous Tourhout
quality agriculture “woods and plains” with fertile grounds.
Allied to the family de Cuypere, Louis’ ancestors stayed there for a
century, running this large linen bleaching company operated.
To this end, they used the low meadows of the domain, located
behind the city walls between the current Wool market, the South
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