The name 'Raversijde'

Het Graafschap Vlaanderen Gerard Mercator - 1606

The name 'Raversijde' is already mentioned in publications of 1280 AC. In the year 1280 the name 'Rasie' is used for Raversijde in the publication of 'Warkoënig - history of Flanders'. In the following publications Raversijde was transformed to : 'Rausye', 'Walrauinside', 'Walravenzyde', 'Walrauensyden' and 'Rauensye'. In an etymological context one can reduce Raversijde to 'Rave'-'Raven' which is the diminutive of 'Walraven' and 'Wilraf', which is an old first name and 'ide'-'yde' which means a beach, a port, sanctuary or sterile plain. In short we can define Raversijde as 'the sanctuary of Wilraf'.

Raversijde was in ancient history a part of the feudal estate 'Saint Donatien' and part of the earldom of 'Graafschap van de heerlijkheid'.
Historians from today think that Raversijde was destroyed many times by tempestuous weather and was totally destroyed in the year 1334, like other villages that were situated on the island 'Ter Streep'.

But such as 'Raversy' was destroyed, many years later on, we witness its rebirth.
In the middle ages and more specifically at the beginning of the 15e century 'Raversijde' was mentioned as one of the 13 villages that were specialised in herring fishing.

At the end of the 15e century Raversijde even got the quality of village as mentioned in texts of those years.
The name Raversijde is also mentioned in the disputes between Flanders and the United Kingdom concerning 'the turnovers from the sea'.
An alignment attempt between both failed so that the Belgium coast could fear for an invasion of the English.

As anticipation for the invasion in 1406 'the lord of Ghistel' sent armed troops to Raversy.

During the 13th, 14th and 15th century Raversy had a country lord.
The lord of Rousye had on his armour a silver cross with 12 birds at the edge on an azure-blue background.
The lord of Rasie was also mentioned in a list of 'lords in service of 'Gewijde van Dampiere, earl of Flanders' and at the side of the earl 'Rogier van Ghistiele'.

Files of Middelkerke from 1569 mention a description of the place where stood a chapel at Raversijde. In 1560 Raversy was mentioned as one of the churches and chapels of the diocese of Brugge.
At the end of the 15e century there was a lot of disorder in Raversy because a few trouble-makers made a living place at the chapel of Raversy.
After the riots of the 17th century the chapel got in decline so that the goods of the chapel were divided among the neighbouring churches.
In 1681 the chapel was even let to a farmers .... In 1735 the chapel was totally destroyed by a terrible storm.

In the 19th century the industrialisation of the surroundings took a large development. There was a 'cod-liver oil factory' and several brick stone factories.
Remarkable is that one makes report of 'the highest dune' in the surroundings of Ostend and more particularly at Raversy.
An other remarkable realisation at the end of the 19th century is the construction of a lighthouse in 1894. This lighthouse was destroyed at the beginning of the first World War.
At the end of the 19th century there was also an natural-historical museum (museum Stracké) build at the boarder of Raversijde.

The next evolutions at Raversijde can we show by means of postcards ...