The von Berckefeldt surname is of the old “high German” and comes from the old feudal system. In 1978, Paul and Marie Berckefeldt published a brief family history that was so appreciated by our family and spoke to the history of the family and the country from which they came. The following are edited excerpts from that earlier family history.

For almost two thousand years after its initial appearance in history, the region comprising present day Germany was occupied by a multiplicity of independent or semi-independent states. The inhabitants of the region possessed all of the prerequisites for political union, including a common racial background and language, mutual customs and institutions, and a community of religion. The ethnological and geographical origins of the Teutonic tribes are obscure. It is probable that the various tribes of the Teutonic stock had infiltrated central Europe long before the beginning of the Roman era. But it was not until 113 BC, when the Cimbri and the Teutones defeated a Roman army in what is now Austria, that any of these tribes begin to figure in written history. Several of the tribes began to be known collectively as the Germani, a word from Celtic meaning the “Shouters”. The strongly defended frontiers of the Roman Empire insured generally peaceful relations with the Germani during the 1st and 2nd centuries. Of greater importance, the Germanic tribes, formerly a multitude of semi-nomadic groupings, began to federate and coalesce into nations. Among these nations were the Alamanni, Goths, Suevi, Frisii, Lombards, Vandals, Saxons, Franks and the Bergundians. Through the centuries, the Franks became the dominant force, controlling what is now most of modern day France and Germany. Eventually the division of the East and the West Franks became more pronounced. The Rhine River was usually considered the line between the East and West Franks. Besides territorial rivalries, linguistic differences served to worsen relations between the two great divisions of the Franks. The West Franks abandoned their native tongue and took on the Latinized speech.

In the new German realms royal authority was largely nominal. The feudatory chieftains retained absolute control of their domains, and the right to elect their sovereigns, called Electors.

Feudalism, from the Old High German FEHU meaning cattle or possessions, characterized the form of social and political organization prevalent in Western Europe approximately between the 9th and 15th centuries. The feudal system was a form of society and government based on the ownership of land, and the system developed most fully in France, Germany, Northern Spain, Italy, England and Scotland. It developed in response to the most pressing need of early medieval society: protection from attack. The fall of the Roman Empire left the majority of the people of West Europe prey to plundering attacks by Germanic bands. People were obliged for their safety to place themselves under some powerful chieftain of the conquering Germanic tribes. These chieftains, for faithful military service and in consideration of the continuance of such service, had been rewarded by their king with vast tracts of conquered territory. A chieftain in turn let sections of land to lesser tenants in return for loyal service and so on down. Thus developed the system that gave to society during an age of lawlessness, a high measure of security.

Feudal society divided people into three main classes: the Nobility, whose official function was fighting; the Clergy and the peasantry. Nobility possessed various special hereditary privileges, rights, and honors, including titles; an aristocratic or patrician class. Nobility granted parts of their holdings to others, over whom they thereafter exercised certain rights including that of taxation and the administration of justice, and from whom they were entitled to various services. Those who granted the land were known as lords, the lords of the nation formed the nobility and their rank depended on the extent of their possessions. The de in the names of French nobles and the von in the names of German nobles (both meaning “of” or “from”) express the idea of ownership of land that is fundamental to the feudal concept of nobility.

The nobility of Europe flourished from about the 9th to the l9th centuries. In Germany, titles of nobility existed from early medieval times until they were abolished when Germany became a Republic in 1918. After 1918, members of the former nobility were permitted to use the titles only as part of the name. In Germany, there are two types of Nobility, the Ur Adel and the Brief Adel. The Ur Adel is the very oldest of German nobility. To be considered the Ur Adel, you must have been part of the German nobility prior to 1300. The Brief Adel was a nobility acquired by reward such as in England when the Queen would knight someone, such as she did Winston Churchill for his meritorious service, thus thereafter, he was known as Sir Winston Churchill. Translated from the German, the word Adel means nobility, the word Ur means very old, and Brief means letter or paper.

The von Berckefeldt family belongs to the Ur Adel.

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Following is a translation from the German made by Karl von Berckefeldt for us in 1975:

B E R C K E F E L D T

Evangelical (Protestant) – Very ancient aristocracy of Grubenhagen with its ancestral estate at Pipinsburg near Osterode/Harz-Mountains. The first authentic proof document appears in 1189 with Conradus de Barckinvelde as witness, whereas the genealogical tree begins 1305 with Barthold. (Compare Johann Wolf’s Record “History of the Eichsfeld”, Volume 1, Page 13, Document 12).

CREST (shield): On red ground a striding silver hound, setter, pointer (Bracke) with a golden collar and red tongue above seven (1.3.3.) golden Byzantine coins.

The preceding was extracted and translated from the ancient aristocracy handbook “The Gotha Genealogical Handbook of the Ancient Aristocratic Houses” published by Justus Perthes, Gotha. This publishing house does not exist anymore.

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The following translation is from pages 392 through 395 from a book in German on the history of Germany, titled “Geschichte Furstentams Grubenhagen” by Max.

Name of the family is derived from the village of Barkefeld; it is located between Rollshausen and Germershausen, district of Giboldhausen. A second village of the same name was located between Pölde and Hattorf. It is mentioned in a document of the Emperor Otto I, in a deed of foundation of the Monastery Pölde, when a villa (country house) Berkeveld is mentioned. A third village in 1055 named Berchinevelt which is renamed Berkenervelt in 1313. It is near the castle of Hanstein, now it is named Birkenfeld. This last one mentioned here cannot be considered as well as the other two because they are not mentioned in documents of the Grubenhagen until the 13th century.

The family proper derived its name from a fortress which already existed in 1134. In a document of 1319, Delius considers “Berfeld” and many others as a fortress close to Rübeland at the Unterharz. Delius mentions as the first family member Johann von Berckefeldt and his son Sighard. Sighard lived 1096 according to a “Pöldish” publication. According to a second script which is just as vague as the first one, a knight Werner von Berckefeldt lived at the Pipinsburg near Osterode. He was castellan at Castle Windhauser in 1134. The otherwise well informed Wolf does not know any other older members. The Conradus von Berckefeldt is mentioned in a document as a witness in church matters. Without doubt, Conradus von Berckefeldt is mentioned by the same Bishop as witness for the Monastery Weende in 1208 as Henricus de Berckenfelde. Guden mentions Sigfried and Herdwig von Birkenfeld in 1209. Herdwig is witness according to a document of the Monastery Weende in 1210. He is called here Hartwicus de Berkenfelt.

In 1227 lived the knight Heinrich von Berckefeldt.

According to the Grubenhagen’s documents the von Berkenfelds are not mentioned before 1296. At that time the brothers Jordan, Ernst and Johann von Berkenfeld lived at the castle Lutterberg.

1325 Wedekind von Berkenfeld possessed three feudal lands from the Dukes of Grubenhagen. 1327 Ernst von Grubenhagen appoints Thomas von Oldershausen and Pyl von Berkenfelde as knights.

In sovereign documents, the knight Pyl von Berkenfelde is mentioned also in 1337 and 1340.

The knights von Berkenfelde were buried in the monastery of Augustin at Einbeck. In 1540 the Monastery was destroyed by fire. The Alexander Monastery gave permission to the family to transfer the coffins to the Thomas Chappel. At the same time they lent the property against security to Otto von Berkenfelde.