Fjaltring church / Fjaltring kirke, Vandfuld herred, Ringkøbing amt.

Fjaltring Church, ab. 12 km southwest of Lemvig
Fjaltring sogn, Vandfuld herred, Ringkøbing amt.

The church in Fjaltring has a Romanesque choir and nave, a late Gothic tower to the west and a southern cross wing. The Romanesque sections are in granite ashlars. The bricked-up door is seen circa on the middle of the north side of the nave. In the same wall are two Romanesque bricked-up windows, in the east wall of the choir one. The north side of the tower is in raw granite boulder and to the west and south in monk bricks. A large modern granite portal to the south lead to the original vaulted tower room , now furnished as a porc and with a pointed arch to the nave, which has a beamed ceiling. In the south wall of the nave is a large opening to the cross wing, which has an octagonal rib vault .


A communion table in granite ashlars behind a Renaissance panel. The late Catholic altar cupboard has biblical figures and the apostles. A Romanesque granite font, a baptismal bowl from ab. 1575. A pulpit with a sounding board from the middle of the 1600s, restored in 1922 with colours in Empire style.

Kærsgård was in 1516 conveyed by Christen Steen of Strandbygård to Anders Spend of Rammegård who had to cash it himself from Palle Juel's heirs. Anders Spend's son Jens Spend of Rammegård exchanged it in 1560 to the Crown. Later it came under Rysensten (Manor) together with Volder in Ramme parish.

In 1453 Mattis Mørk of Fjaltring gave estate to Ribe chapter.

In a ploughing at V. Mærsk Mark (field) was found a gold coin from Jacob IV of Scotland.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Fjaltring (1330-48 Fialterwangh, 1436 Fieltringh); Tofting (1595 Thouting); Kærgård (1595 I Kier); Kærsgård (1560 Kiersgaard); Ruby (1683 Ruderbye); Nr. Dybå (* 1420 Diubuad, 1595 Dyby, 1664 Nørdybboe); Sønderby (1560 Synderbye); Mårupgårde (1453 Morthorp gardh); Nr. and Sdr. Skalkhøj ( 1595 Skalckhyff, Skallckhøuff); Ottedal (* 1441 Odal, 1595 Ottedall); Musholm (1610 Mushollm); Kirkegård (1610 Wedt Kiercke); Harbosgård (ab. 1525 Hardheboess gordt); Kjeldbjerg (1609 Kieldebierg); Klostergård ( 1595 Closter, 1664 Clostergaardt); Gadegård (1610 Paa Gade, 1638 Gadgaard); Ø. and V. Vrå (ab. 1525 Wedt Wrofue, 1624 Wroe); Gavlshøj (ab. 1525 Gowelsshywe); Mærsk (1595 Mersk, Mersch); Kærside (1664 Kierszide).

There are no listed prehistorics in the parish, but there were 5 hills, among those Møgelhøj, Skalkhøj and Gavlshøj. In the parish were several sacrificial findings from Bronze Age, in Dybådalen (river valley) a bronze sword and a finding, consisting of a hængekar ( belt jewelry) two necklaces, a broche etc. Here in Fjaltring and Trans parish ends the large oldtidsvej (prehistoric road), which from the Viborg area stretches through the western part of Viborg and the northern part of Ringkøbing amt out to the North Sea; it is possible that there once was a sea port by the mouth of Dybå (river), a center for the bronze and amber trade.

Source: Trap Danmark, Ringkøbing amt, 1965.


photo Fjaltring kirke 2003: grethe bachmann