Treschow (noble family)

Treschow is a family originating in Denmark and with branches in Norway and Sweden. The family counted many merchants in the 17th century and priests in the 18th century. A member of the family, Michael Treschow, was ennobled by letters patent in 1812, wherefore his branch of the family became members of the nobility of Denmark and Norway. Members of this family have been industrialists and landowners, notably in Vestfold.

The family may be followed back to Niels Hansen († 1593), who lived in Næstved, Denmark. His son was Rasmus Nielsen Træskomager († 1633). He and many of his descendants were merchants. His son Giort Rasmussen Treschow (ca. 1623–1665) was a shipowner and a merchant.

The family came to Norway with Giort Treschow's sons Gerhard Treschow (ca. 1659–1719), an industrialist who ran a shipping company, a sawmill and a papermill in Oslo, and Herman Treschow (1665–1723), who was his brother's general manager in Trondheim. Herman Treschow was the grandfather of Michael Treschow (1741–1816), who was district governor in Roskilde.

Michael Treschow, son of parish priest Herman Treschow in Søllerød, Denmark, was in 1812 ennobled by letters patent, thus becoming part of the untitled nobility. By the provisions of the patent, the patrilineal descendants of Michael Treschow, including unmarried females, were considered noble. However, as most of the family members were Norwegian subjects, persons born after the 1821 Nobility Law were not considered as noble in Norway. The family's most prominent living member, Mille-Marie Treschow, would have forfeitet her noble status by marrying a commoner if official nobility still had existed. Also her children bear the surname Treschow, but would not have been considered as noble according to the letters patent, as noble status is inherited only patrilineally. The agnatic descendants of Michael Treschow are nevertheless included in the Yearbook of the Danish Nobility, which is published by a private organisation.

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