Show ContentsBorlase History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Borlase Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Early Origins of the Borlase family

The surname Borlase was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Borlase. Cornwall was a land set apart, a land of mystique and quaint customs, more strongly related to Brittany and Wales than to England. It was not until the 10th century that they submitted to the Saxon rule of England. Since then, their influence has moved east into Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Some say that the first settlers was a man from Bordeaux who settled at Borlase.

The family "descended, it is said, from a Norman family, who settled in the parish of St. Wenn, Cornwall, where they adopted the Cornish name of their place of residence (Borlase's MSS.) Pendeen, near St. Just, became their chief abode about the middle of the seventeenth century." 1

"Castle Horneck, which signifies the iron castle, is situated, according to Norden, on the site of "an ancient ruined castle." It stands on a mount near Penzance, and appears to have been in former times a place of some importance. Castle Horneck was for several generations a seat of the family of Levelis; but it has been for about a century in the Borlase family; and it is now the property of Mr. Samuel Borlase, a minor, son of the late John Borlase, Esq." 2

Early History of the Borlase family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Borlase research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1463, 1500, 1510, 1530, 1564, 1576, 1588, 1590, 1593, 1600, 1604, 1614, 1619, 1620, 1621, 1624, 1628, 1629, 1630, 1634, 1640, 1642, 1643, 1644, 1648, 1659, 1665, 1672, 1682, 1689, 1695 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Borlase History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Borlase Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Borlase, Borlace, Borlacy, Borlasy, Borlasey and others.

Early Notables of the Borlase family

  • John Borlase of Bockmere (died 1593), High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1588
  • Sir William Borlase (ca. 1564-1629), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1604 and 1614
  • William Borlase (ca. 1588-1630), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1614 and from 1628 to 1629
  • Henry Borlase (c.1590-1624), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Aylesbury in 1621 and for Marlow in 1624
  • Sir John Borlase, 1st Baronet (1619-1672), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1644, supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War
  • William Borlase (1620-1665), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1665
  • Sir John Borlase, 2nd Baronet (1642-1689), an English politician
  • William Borlase (1695-1772), antiquarian and naturalist

Migration of the Borlase family to Ireland

Some of the Borlase family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Borlase migration to the United States +



Borlase Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Guy Borlase, (b. 1885), aged 20, Cornish miner, from Bugle, St. Austell, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Cedric" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 14th May 1905 en route to Hancock, Michigan, USA 3

Borlase migration to Australia +

Borlase Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Borlase, aged 24, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Lord Raglan" 4
  • Mr. William Borlase, (b. 1828), aged 29, Cornish labourer departing from Plymouth on 13th November 1856 aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 28th January 1857 5
  • Henry Borlase, aged 24, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "General Hewett"

Borlase migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Borlase Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • J.H. Borlase, (b. 1858), aged 20, Cornish farm labourer departing on 10th August 1878 aboard the ship "Hydaspes " arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th November 1878 6
  • Mr. James H. Borlase, (b. 1858), aged 20, Cornish farm labourer departing on 10th August 1878 aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th November 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Borlase (post 1700) +

  • George E. Borlase (b. 1859), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Sherbrooke, 1899-1917
  • Henry Borlase (1806-1835), English separatist clergyman, born at Helstone, Cornwall, on 15 Feb. 1806
  • George Borlase (1743-1809), Cornish churchman, registrary and Knightbridge professor of moral philosophy at the University of Cambridge
  • William Copeland Borlase FSA (1848-1899), English antiquarian and politician, born at Castle Horneck in Cornwall, he rose to become Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1886 but was quickly brought to bankruptcy and had to give up his seat
  • Nancy Wilmot Borlase AM (1914-2006), New Zealand-born, Australian artist
  • Peter Borlase (b. 1985), New Zealand rugby union former player and current coach
  • Charles Bonython Borlase (1820-1875), India-born of Cornish extraction immigrant to New Zealand aboard the Victory in 1848 and rose to become Mayor of Wellington in 1874
  • Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren GCB GCH PC (b. 1753), 1st Baronet, British Royal Navy officer, diplomat and politician from Stapleford, Nottinghamshire
  • Albert Borlase Armitage (1864-1943), Scottish explorer of Antarctica and a captain in the Royal Navy
  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  3. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  4. South Australian Register Wednesday 25th October 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Lord Raglan 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/lordraglan1854.shtml
  5. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
  6. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf

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