House mark
Encyclopedia
A House mark is a graphical
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...

 figure used as a mark of recognition, that consists of simple lines with no fixed color
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...

s. A house mark is similar in appearance to pictogram
Pictogram
A pictograph, also called pictogram or pictogramme is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial in appearance.Pictography is a...

s and many logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...

s.

The term house mark is also used in everyday language to denote an easily recognisable mark used for identification, and then preferably in the form of an image, but not necessarily containing only simple lines. Thus an Ex libris
Bookplate
A bookplate, also known as ex-librīs [Latin, "from the books of..."], is usually a small print or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the inside front cover, to indicate its owner...

 may be labelled a house mark.

Background

The purpose of a house mark is to have a recognisable mark that a person, a nuclear family, multiple generations of an extended family or owner of a property, can use to mark objects, cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

 or buildings for recognition of ownership. The use of house marks dates back to long before writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...

 was public knowledge.

Besides farmers, house marks have also been used by traders, craftsmen
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...

 and other citizen
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...

s on Bryggen
Bryggen
Bryggen , also known as Tyskebryggen is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings lining the eastern side of the fjord coming into Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has since 1979 been on the UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites. The name has the same origin as the Flemish city of Brugge.The city...

 in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

, on building blocks in the cathedral Nidarosdomen
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537. Since the Reformation, it has been the cathedral of the...

 and on personal seals in other Norwegian cities. There are also house marks written by hand on documents, for instance the house marks of mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 workers at Røros
Røros
is a town and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Røros. Other villages include Brekken, Glåmos, Feragen, Galåa, and Hitterdalen....

.

The Norwegian word bomerke or boemerke probably came from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. There is no Norwegian referrals before the 17th century. Today bomerke is only written as bumerke in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...

. Both in Denmark and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, the word bomerke (with multiple spellings) is used from the 14th century and in the 16th century. In the Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

ic codes of law from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, we find the word einkunn used to denote owner marks used to tag animals. It is likely that this word has also been used in Norway.

Description

The house marks differ from the more complicated pattern
Pattern
A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...

s of coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 and flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...

s which include surfaces and solid colors.

The form of house marks is based on function. They should be easy to cut, scratch or engrave with a knife or similar tool. At the same time they should be distinctive and easy to remember.

House marks can be made from one or two lines and up to quite a complex pattern of line figures. Based on appearance house marks resemble line figures in rock carving
Petroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...

s and in early writing system
Writing system
A writing system is a symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language.-General properties:Writing systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that the reader must usually understand something of the associated spoken language to...

s. It is unclear how extensive such ancient line figures were used as marks for people or property ownership.

The basic forms of a house mark is often runes
Runic alphabet
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter...

, characters and numbers, stylized figures, international symbols like crosses, stars, and astrological
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...

 or astronomical
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...

 characters.
One characteristic of house marks is that they may consist of a basic form with addition or deduction of lines. In this way related people can have marks that resemble each other, but differ by details. This is equivalent to cadency
Cadency
In heraldry, cadency is any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members of the same family. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which a given design may be owned by only one person at once...

 and adding brisure
Cadency
In heraldry, cadency is any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members of the same family. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which a given design may be owned by only one person at once...

s as methods to change the coat of arms.

Many house marks are placed in the shield-shaped frames. We see this in seals, on buildings and on tombstone
Headstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...

s, for both farmers and city dwellers in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

 and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 areas, during the 1700 and 1800 century. Some of these house mark shields also has color and is approaching the heraldic coat of arms.

Literature

Norway:
  • Sivert Aarflot: Om nogle af Hovedkaraktererne iblandt de saakaldte gamlævis Bumærkji, som ellers heder Runebogstaver, Norsk Landboeblad 1811
  • H. J. Huitfeldt-Kaas, Oluf Kolsrud et al.: Norske Sigiller fra Middelalderen, Kristiania
    Oslo
    Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

     - Oslo 1899-1950
  • Fredrik B. Wallem: En indledning til studiet af de nordiske bomærker, Årbok 1902 for Foreningen til Norske Fortidsminners Bevaring, Kristiania 1903
  • Johan Koren Wiberg: Bomerker og Innflyttere vedkommende Kontoret i Bergen, Det Hanseatiske Museums Skrifter Nr 10, Bergen 1935
  • L. Strømme: Bumerke frå Sunnmøre, Oslo 1943
  • K. and Jon Haukanes: Segl og bumerke frå Hardanger, Oslo 1944
  • Hans Krag: Norsk heraldisk mønstring fra Fredrik IV’s regjeringstid 1699-1730, bind II, Ålo 1955
  • Hans Krag: Tømmermerker og bomerker, Heraldisk Tidsskrift 1/53, København 1960
  • Hans Krag: Nogen norske seglmerker, Heraldisk Tidsskrift 1/157, København 1961
  • Lars Kindem: Vossaboki 2, Voss
    Voss
    is a municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Voss. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen....

     1933-38 (nytt opplag 1981)
  • Jakob H. Vik: Bumerke frå Kvam
    Kvam
    Kvam is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. The parish of Vikør was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Parts of Strandebarm were merged with Kvam on 1 January 1965...

     i Hordaland, Hardanger Historielags tilleggskrift nr 13, Øystese
    Øystese
    Øystese is a village located at the Hardangerfjord in Kvam municipality, Norway, about 7 kilometres east of Norheimsund. Riksvei 7 passes through. In 2004 Øystese had a population of 1641.-External links:* *...

     1962 (Vik)
  • Kristian A. Bentsen: Merker og bumerker, Agder
    Agder
    Agder is a historical district of Norway in the southernmost region of Norway, corresponding to the two counties Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. Today, the term Sørlandet is more commonly used.-Name:...

     historielags årsskrift nr 46, Kristiansand
    Kristiansand
    -History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...

     S 1968
  • Albert Joleik: Soga om Flora
    Flora, Norway
    Flora is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Florø, which was founded in 1860, has 8,448 inhabitants . The Eikefjord area, which is the second largest place in Flora, has about...

    , Flora 1980, med bumerker tilrettelagt av Anders J. Moen
  • Åsta Østmoe Kostveit: Kors i kake, skurd i tre. Tegn og symboler i folkekulturen, Oslo 1997


Other countries:
  • Allan Tønnesen: Helsingørs bomærker, København
    Copenhagen
    Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

     1968
  • Allan Tønnesen: Bomerker og runer, Heraldisk Tidsskrift 51/23, København 1985
  • Tuve Skånberg: Glömda Gudstecken. Från fornkyrcklig dopliturgi till almogens bomärken, Lund
    Lund
    -Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...

     2003
  • C. G. Homeyer: Die Haus- und Hofmarken, Berlin
    Berlin
    Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

    1870
  • H. Spruth: Die Hausmarke, Wesen und Bibliographie, Neustadt a.d.A. 1960

External links

Norway:
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