POTTER United Families

Across ages, transcription of names, on corn paper or papyrus, was
done with a bird’s feather, at candle light, in the cold, war after war,
many times in a row! It sometimes caused an “s” to become “r” or
“z”... Or “tt” to become “t”... And “o” to become “u”. Also, with
changes of official language, names varied from “de Potter” into “le
Potier” or “de Poorter” or “ ‘s Potters”.
In the 10th century, craftsmen living in the cities of Pottes (BE) and
Potte (FR), were identified as “Pott(i)er” or “Potier” or “Potters”
and “Po(t)tiez”. They lived all over the lower water regions, along
the rivers of Aquitaine, Brabant, Britanny, Flanders, Hainaut,
Picardy... Their crafts and art blasons (coats of arms) were often
conferred onto their city of deployment.
In the 11th century, the names “de Pottes”, “de Pottelle”, “de
Poterre” or “le Pottier” were being more consistently used. They did
refer to afore mentioned powerful iron and clay craftsmen along the
Escaut river. While some (natural childs?) “ Pottes(de)” and “(‘s)
Potters” still survive today in Ypres, here is a family “Pottes”
research made by late cousin Amaury de Ghellinck:
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