Smollerup church / Smollerup kirke, Fjends herred, Viborg amt.

Smollerup Church, photo: stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk

Smollerup church has a Romanesque choir and nave with late Gothic additions - a tower to the west and a porch to the south. The Romanesque section is in granite ashlars upon a bevel plinth. Both original doors are kept, the southdoor is in use with some high frame stones which support a large heavy tympanum; the north door is bricked-up with a half circular tympanum-field carved above two stone beams. Both doors are straight edged inside. In the north wall of the choir is kept a round arched window, which is in use, and in the south wall of the choir is a bricked-up circular opening: a leprosy window or eventually just a niche. The choir arch has bevel-edged kragsten and plinth stones. Choir and nave have flat beamed ceilings. The late Gothic tower, which narrow cross-vaulted bottom room is connected to the nave in a round tower arch, have small glare-fields along the peep-holes and smooth re-walled gables to the north and south. The southside is face-walled in present time. The porch has probably some Gothic wallwork, but is very rebuilt with red bricks.

Bell from the 1100s

The altarpiece is a fourwinged construction in Renaissance from ab. 1600-25 with a biblical painting in the large field.  Romanesque granite font with a smooth basin upon a cubic foot with claw-corners. A smooth copper bowl, probably from the 1700s. A Renaissance pulpit 1615, very heavily restored. Pews in late Renaissance with the year 1652 and initials M B D I. The bell, which is difficult accessible, is without doubt one of the earliest in the country, probably from the beginning of the 1100s. It has an inscription upon the beehive-shaped bellbody with deep majuskels "hoc vas ex benedic d(eu)s atqve tuere", "this vessel in ore, bless and protect it, God!" In the porch a strange gravestone for Niels Christensen (+ 1679) and Mette Jensdatter  (+ 16..) with coat of arms between a pillar. In the tower a grave-plate for Else Gregersdatter (+ 1642). The main entrance of the church yard was in 1957 re-newed and equipped with a pretty wrought iron gate.

Smollerupgård belonged to Viborg chapter in 1460; in 1468 the chapter exchanged it to the bishop, who had a bailiff there. In 1496 Las Bratze (Saltensee of Linde) dated a letter from S. in 1533 and 1542, which confirmed the bishop's ownership of S., but in 1541-55 Maren Andersdatter is mentioned of S. Maybe S. was among the farms she in 1555 conveyed to Hald manor. In 1664 and later it was under Lundgård. In the 1500s and 1600s S. was usually inhabited by the bailiff of Fjends herred.

Upon Tinghøj was held the judicial thing of Fjends herred, until it in 1688 moved to Kvaldersted.

Listed prehistorics: 17 hills, of which Gramshøj ,which is placed together with 4 other hills west of Smollerup and Råhøj west of the village, are rather large.

Demolished or destroyed: 25 hills.

 

opposite Smollerup church is a piece of land where a battle was fought in the 1400s as far as I know, but I haven't found any material about it - yet. 

Names in the Middle Ages: Smollerup (1392 Smullerup, 1524 Smollervp) Lånum (1392 Languum, 1480 Lanom, 1524 Laanom, Lanom); Øster Børsting (1465 Øster Børsting); Rørgård (1492 Rørgardt).

Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt , 1962.

photo March 2010: grethe bachmann & stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk

Falslev church / Falslev kirke, Onsild herred, Randers amt.

Falslev Church; photo stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk

tympanum with two lions

Falslev church has a Romanesque choir and nave with late Gothic additions: a tower to the west and a porch to the south. The Romanesque section is in granite ashlars upon a bevel plinth. Both original doors are preserved, the bricked-up south door has a tympanum with a flat relief with two elegant lions -  it seems the north door is earlier with a lion and a bear in each of the fields, framed by narrow round sticks with band decorations. Similar decorations are seen on the windows of the choir to the east and north; the north window was bricked up in the Gothic period with a frescoe inauguration cross in the brick -  a round arch window in the north wall of the nave is bricked-up. In the south wall of the nave is an ashlar with a chessboard decoration. The choir arch inside has profiled kragbånd. The nave has a beamed ceiling, while the choir in the late Gothic period had a cross vault, probably almost contemporary to a tower of re-used ashlar material and red monk bricks. The flat-lofted bottom room of the tower opens to the nave in a present re-opened round arch. It was originally open to the west in a tall pointed arch. From the same time as the tower is the porch with a flatcurved door in a pointed mirror. It has to the west and east small flatcurved windows , bricked- up to the west. The building was repaired in 1952, there were fragments of a frescoe, dated 1574.

Romanesque communion table

Upon the Romanesque ashlar communion table stands a carpenter neo-Romanesque altarpiece with a painting of Christ, a copy from the late 1800s. The altar chalice is in Renaissance (new cup), probably contemporary to the desc, which was given in the 1600s by Niels Nielsøn and Sille Johannesdatter. Slender Baroque candelabres in brass. A Romanesque granite font with a smooth basin on a foot shaped as a cubic capital with animal heads in the corners. South German bowl from ab. 1575. The pulpit is a simple work in late Renaissance with a painted flower decoration from 1701. A money tablet from 1701 with a picture of Lazarus. Church ship: a schooner from 1892.

Ballegård belonged for a long time to the family Kruse. In 1430 it was owned by Mikkel Kruse, 1459-72  by Laurids Pedersen Kruse, then in 1479-83 by his son-in-law Anders Lounkjær and his son Peder Lauridsen Kruse 1493. The last mentioned's son Enevold Kruse was married to Kirsten Ovesdatter Reventlow, who in 1520 is written "of Balle".  Their son Christoffer Kruse, who still lived in 1543, also owned the farm, which then went to his son High Court judge Peder Kruse (+ 1562) and his children Viffert Kruse (+ 1565) and Laurids Kruse (+ 1597), who in 1582 built a halftimbered building to the farm. It was inherited after him from father to son: Mogens Kruse (+ 1624), Otto Kruse (+ 1628), Tyge Kruse (+ 1650),  his widow Margrethe Vincentsdatter Steensen pawned the farm in 1652, and the son Otto Kruse (+ 1699) sold it in 1684 to Chr. Jensen at Vivebro, who the next year sold it to Eva Margrethe Pentz, later married to the above mentioned Otto Kruse, who in 1697 conveyed B. to manager Hans Axelsen Steenberg (+ 1698), his widow Mette Graa (+ 1717), married in 1701 to Jakob Bastrup, who in 1707 conveyed B. to Anders Laursen of Tørrild  (+ 1716).

Later owners: Niels Hvass (+ 1799), Knud Høyer, Jørgen Quitzow (+ 1805), Peder Bonne, Niels Winther (+ 1852), Christoffer Berg, (+ 1855), Joh. Fr. Neckelmann (+ 1853), family Glenstrup from 1879, owner in 1963: G.V. Røien.

In Assens lived from 1467 the væbner Jep Henriksen (Kirt?). In 1494 he conveyed his farm to Mariager kloster and had in return a "life's letter" on the farm. His sister's sons Mogens and Mads Knudsen (Benderup) lived in A., where they are still mentioned in 1511. In 1520 is mentioned Knud Madsen (Benderup) in A., and in 1546 he sold the farm to his relative Peder Kruse of Ballegård, whose son's son's widow Dorte Vestenie in 1634 from her daughter-in-law Sophie Staverskov had a "life's letter" on a farm in A.

Northwest of Ballegård at the fjord a sacred spring, another spring Thekilden in the garden.

In the parish was earlier mentioned Rødehuset (1688 Røehuuset). It was by auction conveyed to kancelliråd Severin Bendtzen of Havnø by the Crown.

Listed prehistorics: At Ballegård a passage grave with a chamber with 8 supporting stones and one big cover stone and with a 6 m long entrance. And 5 longhills, 23 hills and a stone circle. All hills, of which 5 are rather large, are placed south of Assens, where is a close group of 11 hills, while 7 are more spread.

Demolished or destroyed: A dolmen chamber and 23 hills.  

In several places along the coast are or were kitchen middens. From Simons Moor origins a strange sacrifice find from early  Bronze Age, consisting of 9 bronze bowls and an arm ring with spirals. In the Cementfabric Dania's chalk pit was found a settlement from early Roman Iron Age.

Names from the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Falslev (1371 Falckløff, 1463 Falsløff); Assens (1371 Asensz, 1478 Assnes); Ballegård (1430 Baligh, 1479 Balle, 1559 Ballegaardt); Blæsborg (1634 Bleyesbierrig, 1664 Blesberig). 


Source: Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963.

photo January 2012: grethe bachmann and stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk

Sahl church / Sahl kirke, Houlbjerg herred, Viborg amt.

 

Sahl church has a Romanesque choir and nave with an addition to the north from 1756 and a porch to the south from the late 1800s. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars, the choir on a double plinth. The south door is kept in use with a threequarter pillar, which runs up to the smooth tympanum, while the north door has disappeared. Original round arched windows are kept in the choir, to the east and to the north. In several, places in the walls are inserted monolite cover stones. In the southside of the choir is a chessboard ashlar. The choir arch stands with overwashed kragbånd inside, and the nave has kept its beamed ceiling, while the choir had built in two bays crossvaults in the late Gothic period. The addition was originally a burial chapel for the owners of Ormstrup, but it was cleared in 1837, and the room was equipped in 1903 as a mortuary. Above the west gable of the nave are initials and year SDG 1762. In the year 1762 probably, was the little open ridge turrret with the bell  placed.



 

High Renaissance altarpiece from ab. 1600 with decorations from the 1700s and painting-fields from 1909. Balustershaped Baroque candelabres. Romanesque granite font upon an octagonal foot.  South German bowl from ab. 1575. Finely carved Baroque pulpit from 1649 with contemporary sounding board and decorations from 1763. Pews partly in Renaissance from the beginning of the 1600s. Simple threemaster churchship from 1941.  Bell from 1764 by Caspar König.In the choir 2 gravestones:  1) Niels Mikkelsen, Ormstrup + 1622;  2) Anne Elisabeth Niim, + 1758. In the bricked-up door opening of the addition a wrought iron gating with the initials H T R (H.T. Rosborg) and by the same door are three sheet metal shields with the coat of arms of Halling.

Runestones :Two medieval gravestones with runes: one was placed on the floor in the choir door and is now in Moesgaard Museum, Århus, it has an inscription which is not possible to decipher, the other stone in the western wall of the chapel has the inscription: Inger.













Ormstrup manor is the family house of the family Hvas. Hr. Laurids Hvas bought estate in the parish in 1354; so did his widow Kirsten in 1371. O came to the son hr. Laurids Hvas (+ 1430), to his sons Per Hvas (1469) and Erik Hvas (+ 1483); the last mentioned's son Lange Jens Hvas (+ before 1503) and his children Anna and Erik Hvas, who in 1514-15 because of debt had to sell O. to the bishop in Viborg. O. came to the Crown at the reformation; in 1579 it was exchanged to Hans Johansen Lindenov, but it came back to the Crown in 1581. Frederik III transferred in 1661 O. to rentemester Mogens Friis (of Vadskærgård) of Faurskov; he gave it the name Frisholt. He transferred it in 1672 to his daughter Mette Friis, m. to High Court judge, etatsråd Christoffer Lindenov (+ 1697). At an auction after her it was sold to etatsråd Andreas Lowsen, but he sold it in 1737 to Hans Rosborg of Haraldslund  (+ 1752), who 1750 conveyed it to his son skovrider, krigsråd Hans T. Rosborg (+ 1779) whose widow Anna Wassard married amtmand, kammerråd Niels Ferslev (+ 1803).

Later owners: Hans Henrik Georg Halling, J.G.Ipsen, Christopher Joachim Gotfred Barner, A. Schønheider, Peter B.W. Sandholt, August Ditlev Friis v. Buchwald, H. Estrup, who gave the manor its old name Ormstrup. 1907: J. Laursen, 1930 Daniel Laursen.     


Owner today: Niels Due Jensen

Ormstrup today: 


In the parish was a village Simenstrup or Simmelstrup (1371 Simenstrup, 1404 Simmelstrop) and the farm Helbæk (1348 Helbeck),  which belonged to Laurits Hvas and Niels Brasen .


Listed prehistorics: 9 hills and a longhill, the 43 m long Langgård høj at the vicarage field
Destroyed or demolished: 40 hills, 7 of these made a group Hundshøje at Skibelund.

In Sahl mose was found a large number of bronze rings from Celtic Iron Age.

Names from the Middle Ages:
Sahl (1348 Sael, 1355 Salæ); Skibelund (1354 Skiblund); Ormstrup (1419 Oremstorp); Vinkelholm (1580 Vinkelholm).

Source: Trap Danmark Viborg amt 1962.

Sundby church / Sundby kirke, Morsø Nørre herred, Thisted amt.

 

Sundby village

The church in Sundby on the island Mors has nave and choir  from the Romanesque period with a halfcircular apse and a newer porch to the south. A possibly late medieval tower was demolished in the 1700s. The Romanesque church is built in granite ashlars on a slant-plinth. Several ashlars are unusually large, until 2,5 meter long. The longwalls of the nave are rebuilt above the plinth in 1848 (southwall outside) and 1890 (southwall inside and the northern wall) . The Romanesque windows are kept in the apse and in the northern wall of the choir. In the western gable is a modern round-window with coloured glass. The apse has a halfcircular vault, the choir and nave a beamed ceiling. The apse was furnished as a sacristy in the Middle Ages and divided from the choir with a wall.  The porch is built in small bricks and whitewashed.

The walled communion table has a new panel. The altarpiece is an architectur-frame from 1893 with a Christ figure(after Thorvaldsen), made in kallipaste. A Romanesque sidealter-table in granite stands in the sacristy (apse). Chalice from 1656, the altarcandelabres were given by Lars Andersen 1624. A Romanesque granite font with archade-rows with human heads and other figures. A Renaissance pulpit from ab. 1610-20 ; with biblical paintings from 1669. Sounding board from 1857. Modern pews. In the nave a ship model. A bell without inscription from the 1400s, hangs in a peephole in the gable. At the church lies a Romanesque gravestone with a reliefcarved procession cross and a partly destroyed Latin majuskel-inscription: "Quisquis ades si morte .... des sta p(er) lege plora / Sum quod eris, quod es, ipse fui...s" (Whoever you are... stop, read, cry / I am what you will be, what you are, I was myself...).  

original table plate

Overgård was in 1502, 1504, 1507 and 1515 owned by væbner Peder Madsen, whose coat of arms was an arrow in the shield and a lily on the helmet. With his daughter Johanne, O. came to Johan Pors of the family Skadeland, who in 1540 and 1552 was written of O.  After this it belonged to their son Mads Pors and their son-in-law Niels Andersen Vinter (was + 1579), whose son Knud Nielsen Vinter of O. died in 1590. In 1592 is above mentioned Mads Pors said to be the heir after Knud Nielsen. However, O. is in 1568 supposed to  belong to Jytte Putbus (Podebusk), but was at that time inhabited by Anne Johansdatter Pors (the family Pors of Vrandrup), widow after Jørgen Skadeland and the mother of above mentioned Johan Pors (Skadeland).
She was written of O. in 1569, and the farm must have come back to the family Pors, for in 1662 it belonged to Mads Pors' son's daughter Inger Hansdatter Pors (Skadeland), but came in 1675 to Morten Thomsen, whose son, the priest in Kobberup, Chr. Mortensen Scheel (+ 1729) in 1692 sold O. to Jens Mulli in Thisted. In 1711 and 1728 it belonged to Peder Thøgersen, and after him to Jacob Winther (+ 1761), whose widow the same year put it on auction.
Later owners: ritmester Johan Glud; Niels Aars of Ullerup, Jakob Dahlgaard, Thomas Jepsen and  Peder Smedgaard; the family Overgaard from ab. 1882. In 1924 Ingvard M. Overgaard; his widow owned O. in 1961.

Fårtoft was earlier a main farm. In 1418 the væbner Per Nielsen of Fortoft is mentioned as the owner,  in 1424-42 Anders Pedersen, in 1470 Morten Andersen, in 1483 Anders Mortensen, all probably sons following after father. The last mentioned's brother Bod Mortensen gave his share of F. to bishop Niels Friis. The parish priest in Vestervig had ownership in the farm since old times, since a certain Mikkel Ibsen in 1450 had committed to sell F. only to him, and Otte Andersen (probably a brother of Morten Andersen) conveyed in 1463-83 his part of F. to the mentioned parish priest, but also wrote himself of F.still in 1493. In 1662 Fårtoftgård belonged to mayor Jakob Madsen's heirs,  to whom it had been laid out by the estate of Vestervig kloster. It came back to the Crown, which in 1716 conveyed it to Rasmus Jørgensen in Nykøbing.

Klitgård was in 1480 and 1488 bought by the parish priest in Vestervig; in 1580 Mads Pors (from the family Skadeland) wrote himself of K., which his son's daughter Inger Hansdatter Pors in 1648 had to lay out because of debt.

Listed prehistorics: 4 hills, of which one is rather large but somewhat outdigged.

Destroyed or demolished: 34 hills; 5 were on a high site at Vilsund færgegård (ferry) At Vilsund is noted a settlement from Ertebøllekulturen.

Names from the Middle Ages and 1600s:

Sundby (1408 Swndby) ; Fårtoft (1418 Fortofft); Overgård (1502 Offuergard); Bækhøj (1664 Bechhøy); Sundbygård (1504 Swndbygord).

Source: Trap Danmark 1961.

photo June 2011: grethe bachmann