Ramblings for Monday, June 12th, 2017

It was with a degree of tragic irony that I departed the WWII Leubringhan Cemetery and headed to the ancient port city of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Unbeknown to my uncle Henry Sambells, the very lands of the Pas-de-Calais upon which he fought and died – was the original homeland of his clan over a thousand years earlier. At that time the Comte de Boulogne played a significant geopolitical role in relocating members of my ancient French family to England in the mid-twelfth century. According to the early Pipe Rolls (taxation records, 1154-1189) of King Henry II, it is clear that our family’s earliest medieval English ancestors were direct descendants of Comte (Counts) de Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise at the turn of the first millennium. The remainder of my journey on this first day of the tour would take us to see some of the ancient features of Boulogne. The following brief overview of the historical origins of the city of Boulogne and its relationship with neighbouring territories will speak to my early French roots and genetic origins of the Sambells clan.  

Origins of Boulogne-sur-Mer

Boulogne-sur-Mer emerged as a coastal port community over two thousand years ago. It is within the estuary of the Liane River in what was then the northern Belgic province of Gaul. A coastal cove – since silted, and today called Anse de Bréquerecque – was the site of the Roman port. Located on the right bank of the River Liane, the cove was associated with fishing. Upon a nearby hilltop lay a fortified Iron Age settlement inhabited by indigenous peoples called Morini. These people were one of a confederation of Celtic Belgae tribes inhabiting this coastal area of northern Gaul. Their realm of influence extended southeastward and inland following the fertile alluvial valley of the La Canche River – the heart of the Pas-de-Calais region of modern-day France. East of the drainage basin lay the central community of Arras, the focal point of another Belgic tribe called Atrébates. Within their sphere of influence at the headwaters of the La Canche River, lay the small yet productive farming and textile producing fiefdom of St Pol. It is from the ruling counts of St Pol that the Sambells family descended. It is significant to note here that the paper trail of my genealogy research identifies that our bloodline extends from one or more of these Belgic tribes of Gaul who occupied the Pas-de-Calais region during the Roman period from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. 

In 43 AD, the Roman invasion of the coastal land of northern Gaul saw the establishment of a port facility which connected the rest of the Roman empire to the British Isles. This main settlement – called Gesoriacum – became the chief base of the Roman navy’s Britannic fleet. By the 4th century, instability in administration and numerous raids by Saxons along both sides of the English Channel witnessed the sack of Gesoriacum in 310 AD. Sometime after that, the name of the upper settlement was changed to Bononia. However, by the early 5th century, the cumulative effects of internal rebellion, external threats posed by expanding Germanic tribes in Northern Europe, and the cost of administering the distant frontier of Britain made it difficult for the Roman Empire to defend its home territory. Consequently, the Empire relinquished control over Britain. Nevertheless, this period of invasion not only spurred increased commerce but also left its mark on the genetic mixing of indigenous peoples with those from other European and Mediterranean lands. 

Genetic Roots of the Sambells Clan

Interestingly, DNA sampling from three members of the Sambell/Sambells clan in Canada has confirmed my paper trail conclusion that the medieval European origins of the Sambells clan lay within the Pas-de-Calais region of present-day France. DNA samples tested, show that our ethnic makeup is 99% European – 46% from the British Isles; 28% Scandinavian; and 25% West and Central Europe) with less than 1% representing people from Central Asia. Secondly, as I had suspected, the Y-DNA identified haplogroup is R-M269 (also known as R1b1a1a2) which is the dominant male lineage in all of Western Europe today. Thirdly, the percentage of autosomal DNA which we carry from ancient European cultures is 47% from Hunter-Gatherer Cultures, 40% from Farmer Cultures, and 13% from Metal Age Invaders. Furthermore, these characteristics are based upon several genome samples representing Mesolithic and Neolithic peoples in Europe. For example, the sample taken from an 8000-year-old skeleton representing the Hunter-Gatherer culture of the late Mesolithic period – found at the Loschbour rock shelter in Heffingen Luxembourg – represents one of the early Mesolithic contributors to my own Hunter-Gatherer DNA. Loschbour is a mere 300 km from St Pol! 

The assemblage of cultural artefacts and human remains from other archaeological sites in Germany show that the more recent farming cultures such as the Linearbandkeramik migrated from the Mediterranean Near East into the European continent about 8000 years ago. Taking a route through Greece, and into the Balkans, they arrived in Central Europe about 5700 years ago. Their timber longhouses were constructed from wicker-like materials and held together with mud. Their pottery shows unique parallel lines which form spiral designs with triangles and chevrons. These people contributed DNA to the pre-existing indigenous population of Hunter-Gatherers and hence reflects the 40% Farmer cultures in my DNA sample. 

Medieval Geopolitics of the Pas-de-Calais

Despite the fall of the Roman Empire the importance and influence of the coastal settlement of Bononia continued intermittently during the Middle Ages. By the mid-9th century, Boulogne had become a fortified administrative centre of the lowland county. The community was destroyed by the Normans in 882 and rebuilt about 912 AD. The site was the prize in disputes between the territories of Flanders and Ponthieu at the turn of the first millennium. Because of its well-developed port advantage, Boulogne grew as an influential economic and political centre. The hinterland of the port included the productive farmlands of the Pas-de-Calais. In particular, the oat and textile producing region of St Pol at the headwaters of the La Canche River served as the most distant fiefdom separating the allied territories of Boulogne from those associated with the rivalling Counts of Flanders. It was therefore in the interests of both Boulogne and St Pol to develop alliances for mutual benefit. Boulogne saw St Pol as a buffer zone to curtail the rivalling Flemish counts who were attempting to expanding their territory of interest southward into the Pas-de-Calais region and westward towards Boulogne. Likewise, St Pol saw their geopolitical allegiances more closely associated with the counties within the La Canche valley and was, therefore, more inclined to align with the more powerful authority of the Counts of Boulogne.

As a means of demonstrating allegiances, arranged marriages, gift giving, and military support in the form of men at arms were tactics used among all the various ruling houses which administered at the time. In 1066 Eustace III, Comte (Count) de Boulogne, assisted William the Conqueror in his conquest of England. His wife founded the city’s Cathedral of Notre Dame, which became a site of pilgrimage from the 12th century onwards. It is likely that Roger Comte de St Pol offered men at arms to assist Eustace III when he supported William the Conqueror in 1066. However, no records have yet been found to confirm this speculation.  Nevertheless, records do show that the Comte de St Pol responded to the call by Pope Urban II to recover the Holy Land from Islamic rule. From 1095-1099 a contingent of men at arms led by Hugo Candavene the Comte de St Pol marched under the auspices of the House de Boulogne as members of the First Crusade. It is to this count and his descendants that I have been able to trace the origins of the Sambells surname.

Travel Observations:

– – – Chateau de Bologne

Today the late medieval castle of Boulogne is most impressive in its size and overall classic appearance. The eastern part was built over a section of the original Roman wall. However, the present castle is considerably larger than that of the medieval times of my ancestors. The fourteenth-century structure we see today is well preserved with its high stone walls, circular towers, and remnants of a surrounding moat. Construction of the present buildings began in the 1230s when King Louis VIII gave the county of Boulogne to his half-brother Philip Hurepel. By design, this structure included a large “bailey” or enclosed courtyard protected by a ditch and palisade wall. The moat is easily accessible by a public path. Access to the central courtyard is via a bridge walkway which long ago likely included a draw-bridge and gate. The rooms around the inner courtyard are now a museum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 – – – Basilica de Notre-Dame de Boulogne

Although classified as a minor basilica, the imposing 101 m high dome of Notre-Dame is a prominent landmark of the city. It was built between 1827 and 1875 on what was the site of the original and ruined medieval Cathedral of Boulogne. Unfortunately, the architect was self-taught resulting in the collapse of some interior arches in the early 1900’s.  Situated on the upper city level the area was heavily bombed by allies during the siege of Boulogne in WWII. It was during the preparations for the siege that my uncle Henry Sambells was killed as a member of the 6th Field Coy. Royal Canadian Engineers.  The present dome was rebuilt in the 1950’s and most of the interior carefully cleaned except for some walls noted below.

 NEXT – – – Exploring the Château de Saint-Pol