Unnamed mother of Georges Rapareilliet

• Georges Rapareilliet, aka Joris Jansen Rapalje, was baptised 28th April 1606 in the church of St Nicolaes in Valenciennes, Hainut, Spanish Netherlands (now in the Nord department of northern France).
• Georges' baptismal record lists him as an illegitimate child (this is not the case for his six older siblings), there are several theories to explain this.
  • One common theory is that Protestant Walloons, who were forced by law to register their children with the Roman Catholic churches, were discriminated against by the Catholic priests who refused to acknowledge Protestant marriages and so recorded children born to these unions as illegitimate. A major flaw with this oft quoted theory is that none of Georges’ five elder siblings are recorded as illegitimate, this is even the case with Georges’ brother Nicolas who’s baptismal record six years prior to Gorges has been shown to be in the hand writing of the same person as Georges’ record.
  • A more robust theory is that Georges’ mother was not his father’s wife (Elizabet) but rather an unnamed woman with whom his father had an affair.
  • While it is possible that further evidence may come to light in the future for the time being we must accept that there is a reasonable argument that Georges’ mother’s identity is unknown and will remain so.
• In either event with both Elizabet and Jean dying when George was quite young it should not be assumed that Georges was ever aware that Elizabet was not his mother.

Name: Unknown

Birth Date: before c.1590

Birth Location: Unknown

Partner: Jean Rapareilliet

Known Children: Georges Rapareilliet

Death Date: after April 1606

Death Location: Unknown

References:

• Hugh T. Law, "Chapter 7, Ancestors Traced to France: Joris Jansen De Rapalje and Catharine Trico," How To Trace Your Ancestors to Europe, 1987
• transcription of Georges Rapareilliet's baptism