Short BIOGRAPHY
Concerning the
MAERTEN LEM
Dynasty 1400 –
1500
By : Ruud J. LEM (NL01-IXj) Spring 2017
This biography is about the Flemish Merchant
Martin Lem, born about 1410 at
Brugge in Flanders. His father, reportedly also
called Martin, and a grandfather
called Willem (William/ Guillaume) who was
married to Claire van Beernem, the
daughter of Jan, Lord of Beernem, nr. Brugge.
It has, however, not been possible as
yet, to work out this early genealogy, due to
lack of baptism-; marriage- or burialbooks.
These records came only into use from about the
middle of the 16 th.C.
This Merchant Martin Lem -I-, commenced his
business around 1430 and went to
Portugal where he started to import goods from
Flanders and export goods from
Portugal. About the early years nothing is
known, but from 1450 onwards there are
entrees about a partnership with a Zegher
Parmentier. ( Civiele Sentencien SAB – folio
259). Somewhat later in 1451 or ‘52, Martin was
asked to deal with a case about
jewellery, which the Bruggian merchant Rombout
de Wachtere had sold through two
of his agents, these sold the goods but failed
to handing over the proceeds. That all
will be dealt with in 1466/’67 through the
courts; all nicely recorded!
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However, we do find entries about a marriage of
Martin Lem -I- at about 1432 in
Lisbon and the mention of a son born, equally
named Martin, expected around 1435.
Info : Anais de Flandes 1624, by Emmanuel
Sueyro, a chronologist living in Antwerp.
He wrote about known Flemish and Brabant-people
from early days! It is not known
where Sueyro obtained his information from, but
there were some LEM- familydescendants
living in Brugge in 1600! Perhaps he paid them
a visit…
However, we find more information about the
woman Martin married, a certain Lady
Joana, of noble origin, whom we later find back
in Brugge as : ….Jeanne van
Poortegaale…. It can be expected that Martin
lived now in Brugge and that he
accompanied his shipments himself, as merchants
traditionally used to do.
However, around 1445 Martin Lem -I- engaged in
a relationship with a ‘ single,
unmarried young woman (muhler solteira) called
Leonor Rodrigues (*1425 – 1506)
and 7-8 extramarital children were born, which
Martin Lem in 1464 asked king
D.Afonso V, to legitimate. That was done by
contract and the children were named,
but not put in sequence and without birthdates!
Historians believe that Martin Lem
married Leonor, as in 1500 she stated that she
was : the widow LEME. It hence can
be expected that Martins first spouse, Joana,
had died before 1464.
From 1452 onwards a number of contracts between
the king and Martin Lem are
known, too many to mention here! Martin Lem
made also a loan of a sum of money
to the king for the first Siege of Tanger and
Arzila, in north-west Africa, both places
were reputedly centres of pirates and the
Portuguese king wished to establish a new
Province here (Ceuta). This 1463 siege was no
success, but the second one in 1471
was and Martin Lem’s son Antonio (*c.1446), who
was in the service of the Infant D.
Joao, was ennobled by the king and allowed to
have his own Coat-of-Arms, based to
that of his father. He became an escudeiro and
the family-name was to become
LEME (1471)
In 1464 Martin Lem -I- lived in Lisbon and was
ennobled as an escudeiro and his
own Coat-of-Arms was confirmed in Portugal.
This CoA was however already, earlier
in possession of the ancestors of Martin Lem in
Brugge. (info : Arquivo da Torre do
Tombo, Lisboa, Chancellery of D.
Afonso V, book 13, fo. 134)
But in 1466 Martin Lem, 56 years of age,
decided to go to Brugge, in order to be
present at the wedding of his ‘ first born son
Maerten Lem-IIa, who was also
appointed on September 2, 1467 as the
Burgomaster of the Corpse (Mayor/Maire) of
Brugge. This Maerten, born c. 1435 married
Adrienne van Nieuwenhove, the 19-year
old daughter of a Patrician- family of Brugge.
Evidence of this has been found in the ‘
quarterly divided Arms ‘ as shown on p.1
Reading of Heraldic Arms is a ‘speciality’ and
goes back centuries; the traditions
were very much in use in the 15 th.C ; the ‘
first-son born became the inheritor on
the day his father died. Historians believe
that Martin Lem -I- died c. 1474 when on a
document of 1478 was mentioned that a loan was
made by Maerten, the son of
Martin Lem. ( Archivo Historico
Portuguez, Vol.IV 1906 p.434 Anselmo Braancamp/ Pero Estaco)
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In 1466 en ’67 also the Legal Case about the
jewellery took place in Brugge where
Martin Lem -I- was the defendant, as he still ‘
looked ‘ after the proceeds!
It hence is not very likely that he was
appointed as burgomaster, as claimed by
some! As we have learned, his son Maerten Lem
-IIa- became the burgomaster.
The Coat-of-Arms we also find back on the
portrait of Maerten Lem-IIa- which can be
seen in the Museum ‘ the Potterie ‘ at Brugge.
The same CoA was also shown on
the tomb of Maerten Lem -IIa- who died in
Leuven on March 27, 1485. This again
provides proof that this Maerten Lem -IIa- was
the son of Martin Lem -I- the noble
Merchant. Also his grandson Maerten Lem -IVa
(1516-1597) inherited this CoA as he
was the first-born son of Maerten Lem -IIIb
(1476-1539)
Interestingly, Maerten Lem, the burgomaster, before
his death in 1485, had given
notary, lawyer and factor Loys (de Carmin) the
order, in case he would die, to
disband the Trading-Company; to pay the owners
of the merchants-ships and to pay
the balance to his widow. The clerk dealing
with the transcription in 1487 added that
this burgomaster Maerten Lem was ‘ the young/
de jonghe/ le jeune’ ; hence we
know that he was the son of Martin Lem -I- who
was known in Portugal as ‘ the old
/o’velho/senior’. (info : SAB – Clerks of the
Vierschaer 1484 – 1486 folio. 125)
We have now learned that this ‘burgomaster
Maerten Lem -IIa, was also in business
as a merchant; we therefore can really speak of
the ‘ Lem -Dynasty of Merchants.
Next to these merchants, another son, for a ‘
change ‘ also named Martin (!) -II c
(c.*1445) son of the marriage to Leonor
Rodrigues, was active as a merchant in
Portugal, with shipments to and from Madeira,
the Acores and Flanders.
Clearly: the use of this name Martin has
created many times confusing reports and
several historians assumed that these were the
same!
Above we have shown that a ‘ first-born son ‘
Maerten Lem (*c.1435-+ 27.03.1485)
did exist and the Coat-of-Arms is compelling
evidence.
In case the father Martin Lem -I- would have
been that burgomaster, the CoA would
have been very different, notably: a single
silver shield with 3 black merlets.
Maerten Lem (II a)- Coat-of-Arms has been
described by the Armeiro Mor in Lisbon
as the ‘ alliance -Arms ‘ of two families : the
Flemish family LEM and the Portuguese
family VELHO ( also found as Barrosos). These
Arms were actually the ‘ businesscard’
of the beholder and Maerten Lem did chose this ‘
quarterly divided Arms ‘ in
order to emphasize his descend from the
marriage of Martin Lem to Joana Velho.
This also has been underlined by the
inheritance which Maerten Lem-IIa- bequest to
his wife Adrienne, including the LEM -Company;
no descendants were later known to
have been merchants to Portugal.
A book will be published in the near future, to
be named :
‘ Biography of Martin LEM, noble Flemish
Merchants to Portugal, 15 th. C. ‘
4
The book will carry many copies of documents,
contracts, entries, maps, charts etc.
related to these Merchants of the late
Middle-Ages.
Many people have been waiting a long time for
such a publication!
New Milton, UK, Spring 2017 @RJL email :
Ruud@rjlem.co.uk
