A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Bonge family of Germany.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Tiercé en barre: d'arg., d'or et de sa. C.: trois pl. d'aut.: de sa., d'or et d'arg. L.: à dextre d'arg. et de sa., à sen. d'or et de sa.”
The Bonge arms were recorded in Silesia, c. 1765.
Silesia was farming country in the east of the German lands, held in large estates by families who stayed put for generations. Owning land was what entitled a family to arms, so the region fills a good deal of the register.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Germany in this period.
Reigning in Germany when the Bonge arms are first recorded.
In the Holy Roman Empire, coats of arms were often granted to individuals by the Emperor or his representatives. These arms were then passed down through the generations to all legitimate descendants of the original holder. Younger branches of a family usually kept the same shield design without needing to change it, as the arms belonged to the entire lineage.
The family name Bonge has deep roots in the historical region of Silesia, where records confirm members of the family were living as early as 1765. During the eighteenth century, Silesia was a vibrant territory that shifted between different cultural influences, and families like the Bonges were often part of the local agrarian or artisan classes that formed the backbone of the region. The name itself likely evolved from regional dialects, possibly originating as a descriptive term or a shortened version of a longer Germanic name common to the area. Because Silesia served as a crossroads for trade and migration between Central and Eastern Europe, the Bonge family likely experienced the social changes brought on by the shifting borders and economic developments of the Prussian era. By settling in this region, early ancestors established a presence that persisted through generations, reflecting the resilience of families who lived through the complex political history of the Silesian landscape.
A Middle Low German term for a drum or a container.
