In 1418, Roger Van der Woestine bought the seigniory of Beselare. In 1428, Philip the Good granted permission to knight Olivier Van der Woestine to establish the (still existing) archers’ guild of St Sebastian.
The Vander Woestyne family pioneered the reclamation of the rough forest area of Beselare and the creation of fertile fields. To facilitate this, they built several straight avenues, one of which was no less than 2 km long and ended at the castle.
Built into the wall of the porch of Beselare church is the gravestone of Adrien Vander Woestyne, which was found during the clearing works after WWI. It is undamaged and in very good quality, with the following inscription: ‘Here lies buried noble lord Adrien Vander Woestyne, knight de welke overleden de 8ste dag van oktober anno 1527’.
Ghostmarkies
In 1705, the territory of Beselare was elevated to a marquisate by Louis XIV. The last of this lineage disappeared from Beselare in 1804, the ghost marquis.
