The arms of Schilling von Canstatt: a gold ewer on a red shield, with crowned helm, ewer crest and red and gold mantling

vonSchilling

of the house of Schilling von Canstatt

A Family History

The Schilling von Canstatt are an old Swabian noble family. The first reliably recorded member, Heinricus dictus Scilling, appears in records from 1268 as a member of the garrison at Hohenneuffen Castle; by 1278 he was a knight.

The family later held a seat at Cannstatt, near Stuttgart, and took the town as a permanent part of its name. Early on, it gained the hereditary office of wine taster to the Court of Swabia, and its branches served chiefly the House of Württemberg and, later, the margraves of Baden. In the middle of the nineteenth century, a branch of the family moved to Bavaria.

The Arms

The arms show a gold wine jug on a red shield, with the same jug rising from a crown above the helm and red and gold mantling flowing around it. It is a fitting emblem for a family of hereditary wine tasters.

Through the Generations

  1. 1268Heinricus dictus Scilling is recorded at Hohenneuffen Castle.
  2. 1278Heinricus is a knight.
  3. 1490–1554Georg Schilling von Canstatt, Grand Prior of the Order of St John in Germany and Prince of Heitersheim.
  4. 1725The family acquires Hohenwettersbach, near Karlsruhe, and sits among the Imperial Knights until 1805.
  5. 1786–1837Paul Ludwig Schilling von Canstatt, orientalist and pioneer of the electromagnetic telegraph.
  6. c. 1850A branch of the family moves to Bavaria.
  7. 1879A family of the Bavarian line is recognised as barons by the Kingdom of Bavaria.
  8. 1911The family's baronial rank is confirmed by the Grand Duchy of Baden.
  9. TodayThe von Schilling family in London.

Swipe sideways to travel through the centuries.

Notable Members

Georg Schilling von Canstatt c. 1490–1554

Born at Neuffen, beneath Hohenneuffen Castle, Georg joined the Knights of St John, survived the great siege of Rhodes in 1522 and later served as governor of Tripoli and captain-general of the order's galleys. In 1546 he became Grand Prior of the order in Germany, and Emperor Charles V raised him to the rank of Prince of Heitersheim.

Paul Ludwig Schilling von Canstatt 1786–1837

A diplomat in Russian service and a scholar of Asian languages, Paul Ludwig built one of the first working electromagnetic telegraphs, which he demonstrated in St Petersburg in 1832, several years before the better-known systems of Cooke, Wheatstone and Morse.

The Schillingskreuz

The Schillingskreuz memorial stone, carved with the Schilling von Canstatt arms and the year 1341
The Schillingskreuz above Neuffen, with the family arms and the year 1341
Family photograph at the Schillingskreuz
Family photograph at the Schillingskreuz

A family visit to the stone

In the woods above Neuffen, on the saddle between the Hörnle and the Kienbein, stands a small memorial stone known as the Schillingskreuz. Its weathered face bears the name “Schillingskreuz”, the arms of the Schilling von Canstatt and the year 1341; a cross is carved on the back.

According to local tradition, a Herr von Schilling was fatally injured in 1341 while hunting bear at the Schillingsloch, a cave below Hohenwittlingen, and died at this spot as he was being carried home to Neuffen.

A wooden cross is said to have marked the place until around 1800. The present stone was set up in 1904, modelled on a picture of that older cross. The story rests on local tradition, and the stone itself records little beyond the name, the arms and the date.

A Letter from 1882

Handwritten letter from Eduard von Schilling to his nephew Karl, Cannstatt, 24 March 1882

Written in German script at Cannstatt on 24 March 1882 and signed Eduard von Schilling, this short letter sets down the virtues the family held dear and passes them to a nephew named Karl.

Transcription

Die alten Tugenden eines Schilling waren u. sollen es auch ferner bleiben, große Willenskraft für Ehre u. Recht, auch mit Ruhe u. Unerschrockenheit für sein Vaterland, u. angestammtes Fürstenhaus einzustehen, sowie auch die Tugenden der Frauen u. Jungfrauen zu schätzen.

Dieses, mein lieber Neffe Karl, diene Dir zur Erinnerung an Deinen alten Onkel

Eduard von Schilling
Cannstatt, d. 24. März 1882

Translation

The old virtues of a Schilling were, and shall remain so in future: great strength of will for honour and justice; the readiness to stand up, calmly and fearlessly, for his fatherland and his hereditary noble house; and also to hold in esteem the virtues of women and maidens.

Let this, my dear nephew Karl, serve as a remembrance of your old uncle.

Eduard von Schilling
Cannstatt, 24 March 1882

Family records list an Eduard Schilling von Canstatt, born in 1802, as the father of Theodor, born in 1848, from whom the present family descends.

Places

Rhine Danube Neckar Lake Constance CannstattHohenneuffenHohenwettersbachHeitersheim Bavaria Swabia N
Cannstatt, near Stuttgart, gave the family its name. Hohenneuffen is the castle where the family is first recorded in 1268. Hohenwettersbach, near Karlsruhe, was the family's estate from 1725. Heitersheim was the seat of Georg as Prince and Grand Prior. Bavaria became home to a branch of the family in the mid-nineteenth century.

A Note on the Name

In German, von simply means “of”. It is a particle marking noble descent rather than part of the name itself, which is why it keeps its small “v”, and why the family is listed under S rather than V. Since 1919, when Germany abolished the legal privileges of the nobility, the particle has been treated as part of the surname.

The historic form, Schilling von Canstatt, means “Schilling of Cannstatt”. As with many German noble families, the place name fell away over time as branches settled further afield, and the particle moved to the front, giving the shorter form: von Schilling.