Tolkien – a noble family in Prussia

Yé! Utúvienyes!

First look at this interesting book, J. Siebmacher's Wappenbuch. Ausgestorbener Preussischer Adel, Vienna 1878:

You can see here the coat-of-arms collection from Prussia. And on p. 97 you will find certain proof that the noble Prussian family Tolk (or Tolck or Tolkyn) is in fact the same family as the Prussian Tolkien family! It has been my theory - now I have the evidence! In 13th c. they were called Marklingerode (from Harz, Saxony), in 14th c. they were the Tolk family (Prussia), in 15th c. – Tolkyn, and in 16th c. – Tolkien.

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TOLCK I (no. 71)
 

Bei der Bedeutung des Namens is es erklaerlich, dass er in der Nomenclatur der altpreuss. Geschlechter sich wiederholt. Die zahleichen Traeger dieses Namens vom adeligen Stande, die sich zerstreut in Urkunden des 14. n. 15. Jahrh. zeigen, sind sehr schwer unter die verschiedenen Familien v. T. zu vertheilen, die es gegeben hat. Eine war die sonst den Namen von Merklichenrade oder von Lusian fuehrende, die jene Namen als Beinamen einer Linie trug, von der das grosse Rittergut Tolksdorff seinde Benennung erhalten hat. Das weitere vergleiche unter Merklichenrade. Peter von Merklichenrade neunt sich auf seinem Siegel Peter Tolck.

It is clear that the name comes from the nomenclature the Old Prussian nobles and it occured frequently in this land [meaning 'interpreter' in Old Prussian – R.D.]. These few noble bearers of family name Tolck who are scattered in documents from the 14th and 15th centuries, are very difficult to divide among the different families of the Tolck which have existed. One of them had the name von Merklichenrade or von Lusian, who bore those names as the epithets of a line from which the great estate of Tolksdorff [today Tołkiny, Poland – R.D.] received its name. The further comparison is under Merklichenrade. Peter von Merklichenrade calls himself Peter Tolck.

TOLCK II, TOLKIEN (no. 71)

Vgl. den vorigen Artikel. Ein zweites Geschlecht war im Brandenburgischen und Bartensteinischen, auch vielleicht im Labiauschen ansaessig und zeigt sich bis in das erste Viertel des 16. Jahrhunderts hinein. Matthias T. besass 1440 Borken, Spittehnen, Ardappen u. a. m. Cunz T. hatte 1454 Gueter in Bartensteinischen, Jakob um dieselbe Zeit Sollden (?) im Brandenburgischen, Ritter Nitsche Tolck war 1445 im Bartensteinschen ansassig und Mathias T. besass 1475 Gruenden im Labiauschen. Auch in Livland kommt im 15. Jahrhundert ein Geschlecht dieses Namens vor.

Schild: Wappen mit # Fassleiter (oder fassleiterartigen Instrument).
Helm: Die Schildfigur
Decken: # und w.

See the previous article. The second noble family was settled in Brandenburg [Russian Ushakovo, Polish Pokarmin] and Bartenstein [Polish Bartoszyce], and perhaps also in Labiau [Russian Polessk, Polish Labiawa], and appears in the first quarter of the sixteenth century. Matthias Tolck owned in 1440 Borken, Spittehnen, Ardappen [Polish Borki, Spytajny, Ardapy near Bartoszyce – R.D.] and others. Cunz Tolck had in 1454 goods in Bartenstein [Bartoszyce] Jacob around the same time had Sollden (?) in the Brandenburg [Ushakovo] district, Ritter Nitsche Tolck was settled in 1445 in the region of Bartenstein [Bartoszyce] and Mathias Tolck possesed in 1475 his goods in the Labiau [Russian Polessk, Polish Labiawa]. In Livonia, too, there is a noble family of the same name in the fifteenth century.

Shield: coat of arms with # barrel skid
Helmet: The shield figure
Blankets: # and w.
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In my opinion this information leads us to the conclusion that there is the possibility that the Tolkiens who emigrated from Gdańsk (Danzig) to London in 1756 could be the same family as Prussian Tolkien noble family with roots in Harz, Saxony. Important members of the guilds in Gdańsk were frequently of the noble descent.

APPENDIX 

MERKLICHENRADE (no. 36)

Actually Markelingerode, also called Tolk von Markelingerode and Lusian or Lusian von Markelingerode, the line called also Powarsche or von Powarschen according to their family nest. Comp. the article on LUSIAN. The whole family was extincted in Prussia with Albrecht von Markelingerode on Luseinen soon after 1550, when he had no offspring with his wife, Anna von Königsegg of Modgarben.

LUSIAN (no. 36)

A branch of the ancient knight family of Markelingerode from Harz, Germany, coming from the places close to Wernigerode, and very early in the last half of the 14th century transplanted into Prussia, where its name was usually written Merklichenrade. In Prussia they called themselves after one of his many beautiful goods Loseinen [Polish Łużany] or Losienen near Rossel [Polish Reszel] with Polonized form Lusian or von Luseinen. From this von Luseinen were the well-known Warmian bishop Fabian von Luseinen [Polish Fabian Luzjański] at the beginning of the 16th century and the Woywod of Culm [Wojewoda Chełmiński], Hans von Luseinen [Jan Luzjański] in the same times. This branch extinguished at the end of the 17th century, when Johann von Lusian-Lissonicki, who owned the Jaromiersz estate in West Prussia in 1639, died shortly before 1668, and later in this year hist daughter married Andreas von Helden-Sarnowski.

Shield: R. with 2 juxtaposed facing saw blades.