History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 82

Desiderius Hacket, Chatelain of Bruges, was head of the house of Erembalds. His
brother Bertulph was Provost of St. Donatian's, hereditary chancellor and chief of the
Count's household. Also under suspicion for the assassination of Count Charles,
Desiderius Hacket and his young son Robert, escaped from the tower fleeing Bruges.
It is believed that his nephew Burchard escaped to southern Ireland. Hacket and his
son crossed the great salt marsh north of the city, reached the castle of his son-in-law
Walter Cromlin, Lord of Lissewege where he remained hidden until Theirry d'Alsace
became Count of Flanders a year later. He was sent to trial, proved his innocence,
was restored to his former rank and became abbot of Dunes, founding a monastery at
Lissewege. One of his descendants, Louis of Gruthuise, was created earl of
Winchester by Edward IV. Hacket founded a branch of Dunes at Lissewege called Ter
Doest Abbey which was noted as an early Cistercian Abbey and strongly connected to
the Knights Templar. The Hacketts of County Kildare, Ireland, are also known as the
de Ridelsford family of Lincolnshire. Haket means hooks, which is also a type of fish.
Haket was a prominent Christian name of this family and along with Lucy [also a fish]
Hacket and Lucy evolved into surnames in Britain.
On July 29, 1128 Count Thierry d' Alsace and a large army of Knights took the
Erembald city of Ypres. The people of Bruges and the knights also plundered
Ruddervoorde. Lambrecht of Ruddervoorde, Lambrecht of Wingene, Folket of Tielt
who had been supporters of count Willem, withdrew back to the castle of Wijnendale.
They surrendered and recognized Count Thierry as the new count of Flanders. The
Erembald Clan was in total disarray. Those who had participated in the assassination
of Count Charles were dead or hunted men. Those Erembalds who were not involved
were nonetheless implicated through association.
With the recognition of Thierry d' Alsace as Count of Flanders, the Erembalds of
Ruddervoorde came under the protection of a just overlord. In 1128 Lambert van
Ruddervoorde I was a witness to count Thierry d' Alsace. In 1154 Lambert van
Ruddervoorde II and his brother Eustachius served as witnesses to bishop Gerald of
Tournai and count Thierry d' Alsace. By the year 1230, the lordship of Ruddervoorde
belonged to Lamkin van Ruddervoorde after the death of his father Knight Haket who
received it from the Dean of St. Donatian church in Bruges. The Lordship of
Ruddervoorde lasted into the 14th century but with increasing frequency the young
Erembalds of Ruddervoorde began to migrate to Britain. They disappeared from
Flanders at the same time the "Rutherfords" began to appear in England, Scotland
and Ireland. The English county of Gloucester has a town called Ruddeford listed in
the Domesday Book of 1086. The Yorkshire wapentake of Austhorpe also lists the
town of Redeford. Both properties were owned by Roger de Busli who, like the
Rutherfords, was from the coastal area of Flanders called Bray. Roger de Busli was
the master of Tickhill Castle with which the Rutherfords were long connected.
Fortunately, the Ruddervoordes and other Flemings who came to Britain were among
the first to use both surnames and heraldry. The works of Mrs. Beryl Platts have been
central to the idea that the Rutherfurd/Rutherford family, like their near relatives:
Douglas, Bruce, Stewart, Lindsay, Hay, Bethune, Lyle, Erskine and Crawford came to
Scotland from Flanders and Normandy. The Rutherfords have always followed the
Douglases - in Flanders and in Scotland. Therefore, a secondary working theory has
been that a detailed study of the Douglas family history in Flanders would certainly
shed light on the origins of the Rutherfurds.

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