"Deutschen Namenslexikon" by Hans Bahlow:
Bork, Borck used as part in name of places in Pommern, also shortening for Boruslaw.
Borkow(ski) also frequently used in East Preussen.
Borck is the wendish word for wolf, and there are two wolves in Borck's coat of arms. Under emperor Henrico Aucupi are known the knights Borcke (also called Buck). And in 919 was Heinrich Borcken with duke Barnim to the first tournament in Magdeburg. He must not be mistaken with the black knight Heinrich Borck who probably is a ancestor of the house Falckenburg.
The familiy Borke/von Borcke "urkundlich" 1186/87 with "Pribislaus filius Borkonis", son of Borkos who is known as is the progenitor. On their property they established 4 places: Regenwalde (1282), Labes (1295), Wulvesberg (Wolfsberg-Stramehl 1348) and Wangerin (before 1410). They also lived in "Falkenburg an der Drage", the castle "Pansin am Krampehl", Usedom and "an der Peene".
The Wendish family Borcke settler in Lobese about 1193. And about 1270 the knight Wolf Borcke (Borko) settler in there by the river Rega and he bild a castle in wood on a hill there. The remains of a old house and the castle moat still there.
The real estate of the Borcks expanded and finally the entire district was named Borkenland after the Borcks. They blended with the later immigrated German nobility, like the von Ostens, Wedels, Flemmings and adopted German customs. They founded so-called Hagen villages in the area, usually areas that were previously cuøtivated and surrounded by natural barriers. Among these villages were Borckenhagen (named after Wolf Borck), Klaushagen (after Klaus Borck), Gerdeshagen (after Gert Borck) and Henkenhagen.
Some sources tell us that Wolf Borcke in 1400 gabe the city Labes freedom in 1400. But this might be wrong because according to Neues preussisches Adels-Lexcon", volum I page 281: Wolf Borck soll im Jahre 1114 das Dorf Labes zur Stadt erhoben haben".
Lobese/Labes, today called Lobez, have the same city vapen but without a year.
Janec (Borco) Bork
The Wendish family Borck settled in Lobese about 1193. And about 1290 the knight Wolf Borcke (Borko) settled near the river Rega. Borko built a wooden fortress, surrounded by an embankment and moat, on top of a mountain several kilometers down the river. Still you can see traces of moats and the last house of the town, where the castle was situated. The family Borken soon became the ruling family in the region with great estates. The city got a coat of arms with one running wolf and 1400 at the top, and some web pages tell us that Wolf Borcke (Borko) gave the city Labes freedom in 1400. But this might be wrong in accordance to "Neues preussisches Adels-Lexicon", band 1, page 281: "Wolf Borck soll in Jahre 1114 das Dorf Labes zur Stadt erhoben haben".
The city, today called Lobez, also have this coat of arms but without 1400 at the top. You find Lobez south of Kolberg (today called Kolobrzeg) in Polen.
Click on a picture and use arrow key.
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| Janec (Borco) Bork | Borchk | Lobez | Labes |
L. Quandt: Genealogie und Geschichte der Kleist von 1289 bis 1477: ...... "Schon die obige Wappensippe zeigt es, die Borken sind abzuleiten von Fürst Mistislaw zu Gützkow in 1127, dieser von den Königen der Wilten, zu oberst von Dragowit in 789" (Balt. Studien XXII).
Similarity in coat of arms do not always mean that the families have the same progenitor, coat of arms can be inheritance after a marriage of the two families. Three wolfs are running to the left in the oldest (1289) coat of arms for Kleist. Later the running wolfs also are found in the coat of arms for other families.
Genealogical table: Family von Borcke
My ancestors:
1. (Borc I.) Borko (ca 1120-1187), knight, "Freier Erbherr" in Borckenland by Kolberg
2. Pribislav (Pribislaus) Bork, "Freier Erbherr im Borckenland"
3. Janec Borco II. (Johannes?) Bork (1242-1287), knight, "Burggraf" in Kolberg", "Herr" of Lobis (Labes) and Vressow (Fritzow), * Teslawa. Uncertain parents.
4. Johann (Johannes/Henning?) Borcko, knight 1282, "Herr" of Wulvesberg-Stramehl and Regenwalde. Uncertain parents.
5. Borcko (Borko) senior von Wulvesberg, "Junker", knight of Wulvesberg- Stramehl and Regenwalde
6. Johannes III Borcko, knight, "Herzogl. pommerscher Rat, Schloss- und burggesessen" of Stramehl and Regenwalde
7. Ulrich I von Borcke (1370 - abt. 1426), "Herr" of Wulfsberg, Regenwalde and Strame, * Hedwig von der Osten
8. Wulf von (Wolff Borgke) Borcke (1388-1451 Regenwalde), "Herr" of Schoenenwalde and Strammyl, * Adelheid von (Dosse) Dossen
9. Hippolita (Ursula) von Borcke, * Claus (Nicolaus) von Damitz, Kanzler by Herzog Erich von Pommern, "Herr" of Dumzin and Karvin.
10. Elisabeth von Damitz, + after 1512
11. Michael Schlieffen born abt. 1482, + 1552, * 1471 Jasper (Caspar) Schlieffen
12. Luitgard Schlieffen, 1510-1586, * Nikolaus Kalsow, 1497-1577
13. Martin Calsow, 1539-1594
14. Luitgard (Ludgardis) Calsow, 1567-1619, * 1587 Jacob Tesmar, 1558-1610
15. Hildebrandt (Tessmer) Tesmar, 1602-1662
16. Dorothea Tesmar * Elias Petrus Tuchs(en) + 1693 as mayor in Kolberg, Polen.
17. Johan Friedrich Tuchsen, 1660-1730, commander at Bergenhus fortess in Norway.
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