Josse van Huerter

Joost De Hurtere (1430 in Torhout, Duchy of Burgundy – 1495 in Horta, Azores islands, Portugal), also known by several transliterations (such as Josse van Huerter, Josse van Hurtere, Josse De Hurtere or Joss van Hürter, and later in Portuguese, Joss de Utra or just Dutra) was the first settler, and captain-major of the Portuguese island of Faial in the Azores. After 1482, the island of Pico was also incorporated into his captaincy. His son, Joss de Utra would later inherit the captaincy from him after his death. Biography Early life De Hurtere, a name of Flemish origin, appears frequently in Portuguese writings with many variations. What is known, is that the family name De Hurtere evolved through Portuguese transliteration to Utra and later Dutra (a contraction of De Utra, "Of Utra"). Similarly, the city of Horta (settled by De Hurtere and his Flemish compatriots) would owe its name to an adulterated variation on the De Hurtere name. Joost, has also appeared with some variations; Joost De Hurtere himself used Josse and the shorter Joss in communications, although Joz, Job, Jobst and Jost have also been identified. He was the second son of Leon De Hurtere, Lord of Hagebroek, of a governing family with feudal holdings in Wijnendale, West Flanders: his father was a bailiff and chairman of the municipal council of Wijnendale appointed by Adolph of Cleves, Lord of Ravenstein. Marcelino Lima was among the first who stated that the De Hurtere holdings were specifically in Hagebroek, refuting the claims of the German navigator and geographer Martin Behaim, in his Globo de Nuremberga (who believed that the noble family lived in Moerkirchen). The De Hurtere family was of noble lineage, and established heraldry, who dedicated themselves in the homeland, which was confirmed by a 1527 document, by Jacques De Hurtere, of Flanders, the cousin of Joss de Utra (second Captain-Donee of Faial), and chronicled by Manuel Luís Maldonado.