Forcade (Noble family)

Forcade (de), also written Fourcade (de), Forcada (de), Forquade (de), Forquada (de), Forcade (de la), Fourcade (de la), Laforcade (de) and Lafourcade (de) belongs to the nobility of Guyenne and Gascony, in France, and of the Kingdom of Prussia. The family traces its roots to Béarn and the Kingdom of Navarre.

In old Béarnese, the letters "f" and the "h" were used interchangeably. Any variations using the letter "h", such as Horcade (de), Hourcade (de), Horcada (de), Horquade (de), Horquada (de), Horcade (de la), Hourcade (de la), Lahorcade (de) and Lahourcade (de), can be considered as meaning the same.

The etymology of the word Forcade (also Hourcade), in the Béarnese dialect, means "oakwood" in English (French: bois de chêne.)Hourcade can also mean the quantity of straw (or other things) that one can pick up at one time with a pitchfork.

La Horcada in the Gascon dialect, means "oak forest" in English (French: forêt de chêne.)

There are three fiefs in Béarn that are called "Forcade". In the 1863 Topographical Dictionary of the Lower Pyrénées, these were "Fourcade", a fief in the commune of Lespielle-Germenaud-Lannegrasse, known as "La Forcade" in the Census of 1385 and "Forgade" c. 1540 during the territorial reform of Béarn. The second is "La Fourcade", a fief in the commune of Asson. The third is "La Fourcade-Meyrac", a fief in the commune of Pontacq. The latter was the only noble dynasty of "Forcade" identified in the Census of 1385 in Béarn.

In addition, there is a hamlet called Lahourcade, part of the commune of Monein. It is surrounded by Lagor to the north, Pardies to the east, Monein to the southeast, and Lucq-de-Béarn to the southwest. The toponym Lahourcade has taken many forms over the centuries. It appeared as Lo Casteg et la Mote de Pardies (1344), Laforcade de Pardies (1438), Laforcade deu Casterot de Pardies and Laforcada, in 1546 and 1572 respectively, during the territorial reform of Béarn, Lafourcade (1607), Sainte Agathe de Lahorcade (1678) and Lafforcade (1704). In 1385, Lahourcade had 48 feux and was a part of the Bailiwick of Lagor. Lahourcade is also the home of the Château Forcade.

...
Wikipedia