Glesborg church / Glesborg kirke and Mejlgård, Djurs Nørre herred, Randers amt.

Glesborg Church, 15 km west of Grenå
Glesborg sogn, Djurs Nørre herred, Randers amt.

The church has a Romanesque nave with a late Gothic longhouse choir, a western tower and a southern porch. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars, but only the long walls of the nave are preserved with the original doors. The south door has a cross in the thympanum, and in the still used north door is a little lion figure. On the north side of the nave are two round arched windows with monolit lintels and two lintels are walled in the choir. The solid tower in monk bricks is late Gothic with a pointed arch towards the nave. The porch is probably also late Gothic.

Upon the vault of the longhouse and walls are frescoes from the 1500s - and the coat of arms of the Århus bishop Niels Clausen Skade (1491-1520), the owners of Mejlgård and an inscription: "this church was painted by Søren Mikkelsøn Niels Klem". Plus the years 1520 and 1550. The walled communion table with panel works from the late 1500s with portalfields. The altar piece is a good Renaissance work from 1618, and it was like the pulpit given to the church by Jørgen Kaas of Mejlgård and Dorete Juul. The chalice is from 1683 with the coat of arms of Iver Juul and Helle Trolle. Brass candelabres from the beginning of the 1600s. The Romanesque granite font with double-lions of Randers -type. Smooth brass bowl from 1652. A late Gothic parish clerk stool from ab. 1500 with gable and iron mounted gate. Pews from 1620 with coat of arms of Kaas and Juul.


Mejlgård

Mejlgård Gods was in the first half of the 14th century owned by Niels Griis. The farm was then called "Mæthælsgård". Mejlgård came after him probably to Peter Markvardsen Skjernov, who still lived in 1386 and probably was married to a daughter of Niels Griis. The family Skjernov owned Mejlgård until Niels Markvardsen Skjernov died in 1560 as the last of his family. After this it belonged to his cousin and adopted son Axel Juul of Villestrup (+1577). In 1613 it was sold to Jørgen Kaas (Mur-Kaas) of Gelskov (+1619), who was married to Dorete Juul (+ childless ab. 1640). In 1663 it was sold to Erik Høeg Banner of Kongstedlund, whose son Iver Juul Høeg decided it as an estate for his wife Helle Trolle, who 1689 married Palle Krag of Katholm. Various owners up to the present.

The main building is listed in klasse B. It is built by Axel Juul of Villestrup upon a low islet in a natural lake. The south wing is decorated with a tall tower spire. About 650m southeast of Mejlgård are traces of a castle bank "Gl. Mejlgård."

Mejlgård's garden is open to the public . It is surrounded by hedgerows and open landscapes with a north western view to Kattegat. There is a restaurant in the former stable building.

Hedegård belonged in 1471 to Iver Juul, from 1496 to Søren Juul (+1535), and a thing witness says that he had got a part of it from his wife Dorete and bought a part of it from her brother Markvard Iversen Skjernov of Mejlgård. The family Juul owned it until Anne Juul (+1633)brought the farm to her two husbands Laurids Navl and Hartvig Kaas (Mur-Kaas) (+ childless 1625). It was ravaged by fire three times, 1770 it was split up in 8 farms, which belonged to Mejlgård.

Tustrupgård sold Erik Friis (of Vadskærgård) in 1619 to Jørgen Kaas.

Stenvad meadow and mill were in 1327 pawned by Valdemar Atterdag to Erik Holck and Ove Iversen.

A sacred well is found at Laen mark west of Glesborg village.

In the parish was the village Skærbæk (1345 Skærbæck), which 10 farms in 1711 were transferred to Mejlgård, while the settlers were moved to the houses Tranehuse and Tvedhuse. Also Hedegård was a village of 5 farms. From disappeared farms are mentioned Brogård (1688 Brogaard) in Laen and Vestergård (1563 Vestregaardt) in Glesborg.


Huldremose at Stenvad

Names from the Middle Ages:
Glesborg (* 1440 Glesburgh, 1461 Glessborrw ); Laen (* 1404 Ladins,* 1440 Lande);
Stenvad (* 1327 Steensvaadeng, 1481 Stienwath); Hedegård (* 1443 Hedegaard, 1495 Hedgardh); Kukkerhuse (1688 Kuckerhusene); Tustrup (1610Thuestrup); Hytten (1688 Glarhytterne) ; Mejlgård (1345 Mæthælgarthsmark, 1461 Medelgardh); Treå (* 1348 Treamølle).

Listed prehistorics:
The rests of a big famous kitchen midden is in Mejlgård Forest. Besides the big one were several lesser middens, at Hagenskær, Storekær and Græskærholm. At Stenvad are some big dolmens, a round dolmen, to long dolmens and a passage grave. The round dolmen has a chamber of five supporting stones and one cover stone, one long dolmen is 19 m long and has two chambers, one with a cover stone and the other in Horsmose is 49 m long. (where clay pots were found.) Two hills of which two Høbbeshøj and another hill, both at Laen, are rather large, but digged.
Demolished or destroyed:
A round dolmen, a long dolmen, two passage graves, two stone cists and 62 hills, one passage grave at Birkelund gave a good finding of ceramics. - From Glesborg is an important depot finding from early Bronze Age, 4 pålstave (war axes), 2 necklaces, 2 belt plates, 18 tutuli, 2 saws, 2 sickles etc. At Glesborg kær was found a burial site from early Roman period.

Source:
Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963; Niels Peter Stilling, Danmarks slotte og herregårde,1997.

photo 2002/2007: grethe bachmann