Kusza coat of arms

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Kusza
Details
Battle cry	NE CEDE ARDIUS (Yield Not Unto Difficulties)
Alternative names	NIEZAPOMINAJKA (Forget-Me-Not)
Earliest mention	More than 60 Golden Books
Towns	The Subritzky family owned the villages of Subocz, Zubr, and Krasne Siolo in Northern Poland (now modern Latvia).
Families	Herb Wlasny (PERSONAL ARMS) SUBRITZKY (Polish spelling Kusza-Zubrzycki)

Kusza - (pronounced Ku-Sha) is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by only one szlachta family, SUBRITZKY (Polish spelling = Zubrzycki), in the ancient times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and is regarded as 'Herb Wlasny' (a personal gift from the King). The KUSZA arms of the Subritzky family are recorded in more than 60 Golden Books and armorials. The Subritzky (Zubrzycki) family are old "Immemorial" nobility and fought with Napoleon in 1812. Later the remnants of the family immigrated to New Zealand in 1843, and became the New Zealand's first Polish settlers.^[1][2]

Polish heraldry is unique in that it follows none of the laid down rules observed by the western herald. The bend , bar, pale, etc were almost unknown in Polish heraldry. However, Polish arms often bore ancient "ciphers" as charges which are said to trace their origins back into the mists of time, to the tribal clans of old.

Knighthood in Western Europe was a development of the feudal system and as a general rule followed the code of knightly conduct known as chivalry. This system of fealty came into being around the time of Charlemagne and was spread by Frankish conquest to Northern Italy, Spain and Germany, and later, in 1066, it was taken to England by the victorious Norman warlords of William the Conqueror. By the time feudal knighthood reached Poland in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century Poland had long since implemented her own system of both heraldry and nobility.

Poland possessed no "fountain of honour". The nobility was an exclusive class in which all members were considered equal. Membership into this elite group was attained through either "valorous deeds on the field of honour" - or by adoption. In Poland only the nobility were permitted to bear a coat of arms, (Herb Polski).

The King of Poland had no power to award letters patent, this privilege could only be granted ny the "Diet" (Parliment of Nobles). The social structure of the nobility fell into four groups:

1. . Magnates (wealthy landowners, "Krolewieta").
2. . Village gentry of modest means. (Owned a village).
3. . Small landowners. (Owned part of a village).
4. . "Grey Nobility". (Knights of little or no wealth).

In Polish nobility all knights (szlachta) were equal, all nobles were knights, and all knights were noble. The King having been elected for the term of his life was considered to be "The first among equals". The nobility ran parliment, ruled the nation and formed the vanguard of the nation's army. A coat of arms was exactly what the name implied - the symbol borne on a knight's surcoat and shield in defence of the fatherland.

A Polish knight may have had vast estates and carried his sword on a jewel encrusted belt, but he was only the equal of the poor knight who had his sword tied to his waist with a piece of rope and owned a few acres. At the "Diet" each nobleman had an equal speaking voice throughout the proceedings. Little regard was paid to wealth and money but bravery in battle was considered a paramount. The Poles held to the belief that noble birth was the guarantee of noble character and were forbidden to marry outside of their class. Blood was the assurance that the brave would produce the brave, the valient would produce the valient and therefore the highest aristocratic values and traditions of the Commonwealth of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania would always be maintained.

Unlike western knights the Polish knight swore no fealty to an overlord but regarded himself rather as the defender of the Commonwealth, its people, and also Christendom. The Patron Saint of many Polish knights was the Madonna of Czestochowa, a sacred painting housed in a monastery on Jasna Gora (Bright Mountain). It was thought at one time to have been painted in Nazareth by Saint Luke and later taken from Jerusalem to Byzantium by Empress Helena.

Within the Polish nobility ennoblement was bestowed upon an individual for bravery on the field of battle. Once ennobled the coat of arms bestowed upon the knight became hereditary to all descendents, both legitimate males and lineal females (that is unmarried daughters). Polish arms were seldom quartered or labelled with marks of cadency as all members of an extended family carried the exact same arms and were considered closer than brothers. The degree of actual kinship within this clan (rod) had little effect on this bond. A Polish nobleman carried a "linked" surname, that is, he carried a surname hyphenated with a coat of arms name. In the case of [SUBRITZKY-KUSZA], "Subritzky" is the surname and Kusza is the coat of arms name. The coat of arms name was either the name of the actual charge on the shield, or the family's battle cry. In heraldry, coats of arms such as these are referred to as "proclamatio" arms (the old Latin word for battle cry).

On 1495. During battle a Tartar Moslem mercenary who was called Fiedz, used his crossbow to kill many enemy Knights and saved the life of HM King Jan I Olbracht of Poland/Lithuania. After the battle, "Fiedz the Tartar" was brought before the entire Polish Army and ennobled by the King himself. For his valourous deeds on the field of honour he was ennobled into the Polish/Lithuanian system and given the everlasting right to bear the coat of arms [KUSZA (CROSSBOW].

KUSZA (Crossbow): This coat of arms was given personally to "Fiedz the Tartar"^[3] a Moslem mercenary by His Majesty King Jan I Olbracht of Poland in the Year of our Lord 1495. The descendants of Fiedz are the Subritzky (Kusza-Zubrzycki) family, who reside in New Zealand. Fiedz the Tartar was the grandson of an un-named Tartar warrior who was a member of the Kondrat Banner (Tartar Cavalry Regiment), which crossed into Lithuania in the Year of Our Lord 1401 at the invitation of the King of Poland. All of the men in the Kondrat Banner were said to be of the highest class of "Immemorial Tartar Nobility", and blood descendants of Genghis Khan. The Subritzky family were the Lord's of the villages of Subocz, Zubr and Krasne Siolo.

There are four variations of this coat of arms. They are:

BLAZON:

• KUSZA I 'On a red field, a silver crossbow, without the arrow, and pointing downwards';
• KUSZA II 'On a red field, a silver crossbow, without the arrow, pointing upwards';
• KUSZA III 'On a red field, a silver crossbow, with a cyphered arrow, pointing upwards, and beneath the charge three silver chevrons (battons)
• KUSZA IV 'On a red field, a silver crossbow (with an arrow), pointing downwards/sometimes upwards. NOTE: This coat of arms is sometimes referred to as ZMUDSKI, from the part of the Polish Commonwealth where this family lived (Samagotia).

This noble Polish family uses several different 'battle cries,' including "NE CEDE ARDUIS" which translates as "YIELD NOT TO DIFFICULTIES." This is used by the main branch of the family, whilst "NIEZAPOMINAJKA", which translates as "FORGET-ME-NOT", is used by the descendants of Captain Ludolph Anton Subritzky.

On the 26th December 1842 a converted ship-of-war, the three masted (380 ton) Saint Pauli weighed anchor on the Elbe Stream in Hamburg. The ships captain was Peter Schacht and on board were 140 German settlers, 4 Missionary's http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-MinNewZ-t1-g1-t2-g1-t4-body-d8-d1.html and a ships company of approximately 20. The Saint Pauli was bound for New Zealand.

Among the passengers on board the Saint Pauli were eleven members of three related families Sophie Elisabeth Subritzky (nee Korber), widow of Romualdus Subritzky of Kurlandia, in the Commonwealth of Poland; hers sons Ludolph, Heinrich and Johannes Anton; her married daughter Sophia Spanhake and son-in-law Frederick Spanhake and their baby son Otto*; Sophie's brother Heinrich Korber, his wife Maria and their two sons Jurgen and Johann. On the night of the 20th January 1843 Otto Spanhake died of convulsions and was buried at sea.

During the sea voyage there were several enormous storms, an outbreak of lice off Cape Verde Islands http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Verde and a number of cases of smallpox. The Saint Pauli twice crossed the Atlantic ocean, first to the provisioning harbour at [Bahia] in South America, then back to the coast of Africa, rounding the Cape of Good Hope and plunging deep into the great Southern oceans; making good use of the old trade route ["The Roaring Forties"] .

The Saint Pauli dropped anchor in the heavily forested harbour of Nelson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson,_New_Zealand , New Zealand on the 14th June 1843 after a voyage of 176 days during which time four young children had perished, seven couples had been joined in Holy Matrimony, one baby had been born and two passengers had jumped ship at Bahia, the reprovisioning harbour. This was the first shipload of German settlers http://www.theprow.org.nz/german-settlement-in-nelson/ to Nelson and the descendants of many of these families http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/NelsonSettlement.htm are still to be found in the region to this day.

In 1845 after great hardship, continual flooding, and dismal conditions in the fledgling settlement of Nelson, the three families walked off their land and took a passage onboard the Palmyra http://lynly.gen.nz/SPEmigratingtoAustralia.pdf bound for South Australia. The Subritzky, Korber and Spanhake families were not long settled in Adelaide when gold was discovered in the neighbouring state of Victoria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_gold_rush . Along with just about the entire population of Australia the Subritzky's took part in the "rush" of 1851. They remained on the "diggin's" for several years, and then later decided that it would be far more profitable to move into the business of supplying the diggers, and together set up various business enterprises in and around the town of Maldon http://www.maldoncastlemaine.com/ . While in Australia Ludolph and Johannes Anton Subritzky married and began families, Heinrich was to marry much later in life after returning to New Zealand.

In 1859 the Subritzky brothers were made aware of the intended sale of Kawau Island http://www.kawauisland.org.nz/index.php?content=history.htm in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand and also the opening up of the [Mangonui] area in the Far North. Ludolph and Heinrich crossed the Tasman aboard the (steamer) Prince Alfred arriving at the port of Auckland on the 17th January 1860. They were beaten to the purchase of Kawau Island by Governor George Grey http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/george-grey-painting so instead purchased the estates of Ohore (Houhora) and Awanui. The original buy was more than eight thousand acres and shortly afterwards they leased a further twenty five thousand acres from the Government. They were the first European settlers north of [Kaitaia], their nearest neighbours being the Matthews and Puckey families http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WilThro-t1-body-d4.html at the Kaitaia Mission Station.

At the heads to [Houhora] harbour beneath the shadow of Mount Camel they built the Subritzky homestead which still stands to this day. The [Subritzky Homestead] was built in the style of European farmhouses of the period but using local materials. It was constructed between April 1860 and June of the following year, after which time they moved into business and began trading with the local Maori. First using a 27 foot whaler and then later with the small schooner the Isabella, which was to become the first of their many ships. In 1862 Ludolph returned to Australia and there chartered the 135 ton schooner Montezuma which he used to bring his wife and children to New Zealand. Later the same year Sophie (Old Sophie as she is known in the family), joined them and in1868 Johannes Anton and his family sold up the brother's business interests in Maldon and sailed to New Zealand aboard the (barquentine), Prince Alfred.

In the Far North of New Zealand the Subritzky family ran a vast business empire, the hub of their operations being the "Mount Camel Station". Within a short space of time they either owned or controlled almost all of the Far North from Awanui northward. The township of [Awanui] was built by the Subritzky's as a safe port for their many ships. They ran the Post Office and Hotel and owned the General Store, Flax building http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/flax-and-flax-working/4 and several [Gum Stores]. They provided the land for a church and assisted in its' construction. The influence of this family stretched far and wide and lasted well into the 20th century. They imported cattle and developed their own breed of short horn. They established flax mills and began processing fibres for sale and export; they were also heavily involved in the Kauri Gum industry. The Subritzky's developed a shipping link with Auckland then later expanded across the Tasman and up into the South Pacific Islands.

Another family enterprise at the time was smuggling. The Subritzky's formed a tight, self-contained little community, although they still maintained contact with the outside world with their own ships. These ships would occasionally come direct from overseas to Houhora and land their cargoes at night. The original Subritzkys were proud haughty men, accustomed to obedience and they saw no reason to search the country for excise men so they could pay duty on their own imports. On one such occasion it is said that the family schooner Greyhound made a voyage to Australia. On the return journey Johannes Anton brought back a car one of the first privately owned cars in Auckland and the first in Northland. It was a 1902 Oldsmobile and the locals nicknamed it "The Queen Street Greyhound".

This car and it's owner Johannes Anton (Captain John Anton Subritzky) has the colourful distinction of participating in the first 'drag race' along Queen street in Auckland; he was aged about 74 at the time. There is no record of him beating his opponent, but both gentlemen were taken to Court and fined ten pounds each for racing down Queen Street and endangering public safety. He also had the first recorded automobile smash in Auckland when his car collided with Tram Number 40 on the 12 October 1904.

At the end of the 19th century, New Zealand was in the grips of a severe depression and this saw a considerable decline in the family fortune. Crippling land taxes were imposed on the large estate owners and this forced the breakup of the majority of the Mount Camel Station. In 1898 the homestead was sold to Ludolph's married daughter Lousia Wagener and has remained ever since in the care of the Wagener family. In 1991 the Subritzky Homestead was named a National Historic Place.

The shipping interests of the family have remained to this day. Subritzky Shipping Line http://www.waihekeshipping.co.nz/home.php which operates a passenger and vehicle transportation service between the port of Auckland and the Islands in the Hauraki Gulf, is the oldest privately owned shipping company in New Zealand. Captain Brett Subritzky is a sixth generation Master Mariner father to son that stretches from the days of sail down through steam and diesel to the modern Hamilton jet, which is fitted to the Port Kennedy. In all some 22 members of the family have attained the rank of Master Mariner, some being 'Foreign Going', and others 'Home Trade'. Another well-known family member was Les Subritzky http://www.skipper.co.nz/nzps37.htm#Diving legend , New Zealand's first professional scuba diver. During the 1950's through to the 1970's Les was a household name in New Zealand and twice held the record for the deepest dive in Australasia. He also has the distinction of leading the very first diving expeditions on many of the shipwrecks that dot the New Zealand coastline. The Subritzky family have also followed the heritage of their Polish warrior ancestors and to date some 100 members of the family have served in the New Zealand Armed Forces. They have served in every major conflict that New Zealand has been involved in, and have shed their blood for their new homeland on the battlefields of Chunuk Bair (Gallipoli) and the Somme(WWI), Crete and Monte Cassino (WWII), to the Tet Offensive in the Republic of South Vietnam. More recently, Driver Pamela Subritzky served on Peacekeeping Operations in the Sinai Desert, and in 1998 Gunner Danny Subritzky completed a Tour of Duty on Peacekeeping Operations in Bosnia with the NATO Forces, and more recentliy East Timor, Gulf War II, Solomons and Afganistan.

Nowadays the Subritzky family flourishes from Auckland northwards, where they have strong blood ties with the three most northern Maori tribes; Ngapuhi http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/ngapuhi, Te Rawara http://terarawa.co.nz/ and Te Aupouri http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/muriwhenua-tribes/3. Their descendents, both Pakeha and Maori number more than three thousand, and as unbelievable as it may seem, all are known to each other the family even today is very closely knit. In 1993 almost all returned to a large family gathering held at the Old Subritzky homestead to celebrate their 150th anniversary in New Zealand. They are prominent in shipping, seafaring, farming, the legal profession, the military and also the tourist industry.

The Subritzky, Spanahake and Wagener families are now almost legendary in the Far North, and as well the Subritzky's in particular are a well known and respected family in the Auckland region. Their settler forebears of the original family have now passed into the pages of history. Romualdus Subritzky is buried in the Church of Saint John, in Luneburg (now modern Germany). Old Sophie lies in the Subritzky family cemetary on the slopes of Mount Camel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houhora across the harbour from the family homestead. Ludolph and his wife Maria lie together on Sophies right Houhora Cemetery http://www.interment.net/data/nz/northland/mt_camel.htmin unmarked graves; while to the left of Sophie in a ruined grave lies her son in law Frederick Spahhake. Sophie Spanhake, Frederick's wife and Old Sophie's daughter died in childbirth on the Australian goldfields and lies buried in the Barossa Valley; she was aged 31. Heinrich and his wife Mary-Jane are buried side by side at California Hill cemetary Awanui. Johannes Anton and his wife Elisabeth are buried together in [Saint Saviour's] churchyard at Kaitaia.

Historically the Subritzky (Polish spelling = Zubrzycki) family can trace direct descent from the ancient Tartar Princely House of Subotai (Golden Horde). In 1495, King John Albert of Poland ennobled an ancestor 'Fiedz the Tartar', into the Polish nobility and awarded his descendants the everlasting right to bear the Coat of Arms "Kusza" (On a red shield, a silver crossbow pointing downwards). One of Fiedz the Tartar's offspring settled in the Minsk district and was called "Obdula Zubr" (Obdula the Buffalo). His children were baptised and became Christians, and from then on were called Zubrzycki (a monogenetic nickname). They owned several villages in Northern Poland including the villages of Sobocz and Zubr, which are located in the Minsk district, near the Russian border (now in modern Latvia). Romualdus Zubrzycki-Kusza and his brother Jan, are said to have joined Napoleon's Grande Armie in the war of 1812, and after the defeat in Moscow they were unable to return to their home town, and so instead struck out for the relative safety of the Kingdom of Hanover. On the 25th December 1843 when Sophie and her children signed onboard the Saint Pauli their surname was entered onto the shipping register as "Subritzky" and in New Zealand it has been spelt as such to this day. The ancient history of the Subritzky family is well documented and appears in numerous Polish armorials. (The Subritzky family also have a strong oral tradition of being descended from the Polish noble family Sobieski-Janina).

In 1999, the Subritzky family was one of eight families chosen to be representative of the spirit of the true New Zealand pioneering family and were featured in several 'Millennium Projects' including the official television series 'New Zealand Our People, Our Century' http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/our-people-our-century---families-at-war-2000 and the official history publication. Little did the widow, Sophie Subritzky realise when she set sail for the Antipodes all of those long years ago; with three small sons, and married daughter, that she would become the matriarch of a dynasty that would play such a significant role in shaping the history of northern New Zealand.

Notable bearers of this coat of arms include:

• Sir James Henare KBE, DSO last Commanding Officer of the 28th Maori Battalion
• Sir Stephen Roberts CMG, MA LittD Melb. pp. (Chancellor Emeritus, University of Sydney)
• Richard Matthews, Professor, ONZ (microbiologist),
• Johannes Anton Subritzky, Captain (Ship Owner),
• Captain Ludolph Anton Subritzky,(Master AS Medora)
• Ludolph Johann Heinrich Subritzky aka Captain John Louis Subritzky (1st JP in the Far North),
• Alfred Subritzky, Captain Master AS Greyhound,
• John Henry Subritzky, Captain (Master Cutter Mahurangi),
• Bill Subritzky QSM (evangelist),
• Major John Subritzky, MID, Northland Regiment
• Alice Evans (historian and author),
• Wilf Wagener MBE (historian and museum director),
• Dame Miriam Dell, ONZ, DBE (champion of women's issues),
• Bert Subritzky, Captain, Scow Master (Owner of the scow "Jane Gifford")
• Les Subritzky (New Zealand's first professional diver),
• Maria Beniston (genealogist and author),
• Russell Johnson (judge) VRD (Chief District Court Judge),
• Florence Keene QSM (author of Northland New Zealand history),
• Graham Standring (NZ TQ Racing Car Champ, Midget Champ x 3, 15 x NZ Team),
• Bryce Subritzky (New Zealand Speedway champion),
• Tau Henare MP (unionist and Member of Parliament),
• Captain Basil Subritzky (Subritzky Shipping Line),
• Don Subritzky (Military Aircraft Collectior)
• Mike Subritzky (historian, author and war poet),
• Padre Mike Subritzky (New Zealand Army Chaplain)
• Sophie Bird celebrated child violinist,
• Kaye Dragicevich (northland historian, journalist and writer),
• Roy Wagener (Author),
• Richard Subritzky Survivor M.V. Marchioness,
• George Henare OBE actor,
• Captain Brett SubritzkyWaiheke Shipping,
• Lance Corporal Daniel Subritzky AAM US (Decorated Soldier and Peacekeeper)
• Michael Moore (Subritzky Shipping Line),
• Glen Subritzky Rugby Talent Scout,
• Wayne Zubritzky aka Wayne Subritzky Key Grip - Lord of the Rings
• Justin Bird (celebrated child musician),
• Des Subritzky QSM (Long serving Deputy Mayor of Dargaville),
• Sue Bradford MP (Activist for the poor and Member of Parliament),
• Shadow Subritzky Rugby Player - NZ Māori,
• Jeanie Subritzky (nee: Davidson) Last widow of te Hokowhitu a Tu The New Zealand Maori Pioneer Battalion.

• Polish Nobility Association Foundation "http://pnaf.us/"
• Search Results Szlachta -Wikipedia, "Szlachta"
• List of Polish nobility coats of arms - Wikipedia, "List of Polish nobility coats of arms"
• "The Polish Nobility http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/PolNobility.html"
• "Polish Heraldry and Nobility: A Brief Introduction http://www.pgsa.org/Heraldry/herldintro.php"

• Polish heraldry
• Heraldry
• Coat of Arms
• POLISH SZLACHTA (NOBLES) Szlachta

• Mike Subritzky War Poetry
• Mike Subritzky Welcome to Auschwitz
• Mike Subritzky Folksy Poems
• Mike Subritzky Aotearoa Sound Archive
• Mike Subritzky The KDV Mill Camp
• Mike Subritzky KDV Scrapbook
• Mike Subritzky Convent Kid
• Mike Subritzky Gunner Yarns
• Mike Subritzky Family History
• Mike Subritzky Writing Reviews
• Mike Subritzky Antarctic Timeline
• Mike Subritzky Britain's Small Wars
• Mike Subritzky Operation Midford/Digger History
• Polish Nobility Association [1]
• Lithuanian Nobility Association [2]
• LITHUANIAN ASSOCIATION OF BARONIAL NOBLES [3]
• Polish Heraldry and Nobility [4]
• SUBRITZKY FAMILY NOBILITY [5]
• Polands Titled Families [6]
• SUBRITZKY FAMILY NOBILITY [7]
• History of Polish Orders of Chivalry [8]