Ginnerup church and Skærvad manor, Randers amt.

Ginnerup church, ab. 10 km west of Grenå.

Ginnerup parish, Djurs Nørre herred, Randers amt. 

Ginnerup church has a Romanesque nave, a late Gothic longhouse choir, a tower to the west and a porch to the south. From the Romanesque building stands only the flank walls of the nave in limestone ashlars and raw granite boulder. The south door is in use, it is outside and has got a flat round arch, while the bricked-up north door is seen inside with a plank-cover. A bricked-up round arch window in the middle of the north wall seems to have been the only one in this wall. In the late Gothic period ab. 1500 was the original choir displaced by a threesided longhouse choir in re-used ashlars and monk bricks, and cross vaults were built in the whole church. At about the same time the tower was built, which cross vaulted bottom room is connected to the nave in a pointed tower arch. The gables (north-south) have uniform glare decorations. The porch has a smooth stepgable and a round arched falset door. (falset = fastened). The building was latest restored in 1957.

The communion table is covered by panel work in Renaissance from ab. 1600 with portal fields. The altarpiece is a pretty Renaissance work from ab. 1600 with a painting from 1875. Softly profiled Baroque candelabres. A choir arch crucifix from ab. 1300 hangs upon a new and too broad wooden cross. A related Sct. John-figure (Johannes) is in Grenå Museum. A Romanesque granite font , the Djursland type with foliage upon the basin and animal figures upon the foot. A South German dish ab. 1575 with the coat of arms of the Habsburgs. A simple pulpit, ab. 1700, in Baroque with winding pillars, an entrance panel in Renaissance with portal fields. In the porch gravestone 1) mayor in Grenå Johan Welov (+ 1685); 2) manager Christen Jensen Vinther (+ 1770) and wife Margretha Augusta Broge; 3) manager Friederich Hansen (+ 1782).

At Mastrup was once a church which is vaguely visible in the terrain. 



Skærvad Manor


Skærvad, ab. 10 km west of Grenå
Ginnerup parish, Djurs Nørre herred, Randers amt.

Hr. Ture Knudsen of the family Dyre died ab. 1385; he owned Skærvad together with another nobleman by the name of Vilhelm Svave , but had before his death transferred it to queen Margrethe, who in 1386 conveyed it to hr. Jens Andersen of the later wellknown nobility family Brock from Gammel Estrup. He had contrary to his mother Johanne Brock supported Valdemar Atterdag and even been his drost for a while. Queen Margrethe undoubtedly trusted him, and Erik of Pommern confirmed her deed in the year 1400. Jens Andersen died in 1408, and his estates were shared among the heirs. When his son Jens Jensen was killed in 1404, Skærvad came to his son Lave Jensen Brock, who died in 1435; he also owned Clausholm. This farm came with Skærvad to the son Axel Lavesen Brock. Axel Lavesen was not the sole owner of Skærvad, hr. Svend Udsen had also a share, which with his daughter came to her husband hr. Niels Munk (Bjælke-Munk) of Sostrup and Brusgaard (died ab. 1460). Axel Lavesen bought him out in 1455 after having rented out Skærvad a year before to the væbner Niels Munk of Ballebo. Hr. Axel had probably manor enough in the much more prosperous Clausholm - furthermore he owned the manor Græsegård at Sjælland. Skærvad was already in the Middle Ages a secondary manor, where the owners almost never lived.

Hr. Axel Lavesen Brock died 1498 as rigsråd and one of this period's greatest landowners; his only child Pernille Axelsdatter Brock had already died, her husband Albrecht Engelbrechtsen of the family Bydelsbak had also died; but their daughter Mette Albrechtsdatter Bydelsbak inherited Skærvad among much else estate and was the last member of the family Bydelsbak, when she died in 1513. She left heirs in her marriage with the very famous rigsråd and rigens hofmester (master at court) hr. Mogens Gjøe, they had not less than 7 children. The large estate was now being spread. One of the children, fru Elline Gjøe made a fine memory for her parents in 1552 by collecting letters in a jordebog (= with description of estates) , named "Eline Gøyes jordebog" with informations about Skærvad. When comparing other farms it is obvious that Skærvad (the economy) was at least fourfold a large peasant-farm . The original Skærvad was situated at Skærvad Mill, where a castle bank with a moat and outside this another bank is traceable. Here was in the 1700s the bailiff's house, while a half-timbered four-winged farm was east of this; old fish ponds bear also witness of earlier buildings.



Skærvad came to Eline's sister Ide Gjøe, who by marriage brought it to Otte Ottesen Rosenkrantz of Næsbyholm; he died 1557, fru Ide in 1563. Skærvad was inherited by the daughter Sophie Rosenkrantz, who died in 1571; she was survived by her husband, rigsråd Jakob Enevoldsen Seefeld of Visborggård, who died 1599 after in 1586 having bought the manor Sostrup, whic was situated in the same herred as Skærvad. The son Enevold Seefeld owned Skærvad in the first time, then his brother Hans Seefeld, who in 1608 also achieved Sostrup. He sold the farms in 1612 and 1613 to rigsmarsk Jørgen Skeel, who via his marriage to Jytte Brock got part in hr. Eske Brock's large estate, first of all Gammel Estrup with additional peasant-estate. Jørgen Skeel died 1631, Jytte Brock in 1640. Their son Christen Jørgensen Skeel inherited the large estate, where Skærvad was only a smaller main farm, but it came with Sostrup for a long time."Go together like Sostrup and Skærvad" was and expression which probably came from this. The legend says that Hans Seefeld gambled these farms away.

After Christen Skeel the Rich's death in 1688 the son Jørgen Skeel inherited the two farms together with much other estate, which after his death in 1695 came to his son Christen Skeel , who was born in his father's year of death. He founded a grevskab (county) Scheel from the main farms Sostrup, Skærvad, Ørbækgård and Skjern with additional peasant-estate. After this the family in this line called themselves Scheel. The son Jørgen greve Scheel took since over the grevskabet (county); he achieved the highest positions and titles inside the court, and died in 1786. He was probably the one who built the present half-timbered buildings. The county came at his death in 1786 to his paternal grandson Jørgen; the son Christian greve Scheel had died in 1771 as Danish minister in Skt. Petersborg. Grev Jørgen was still under age, but later drew attention to himself by his extravagance and his unwise economy; he is portrayed in a book " En Greve." (author: Hugo Matthiessen). He succeeded in destroying the county after it had existed ab. 100 years.



Both Sostrup and Skærvad was bought by the Danish State, and in 1829 the State conveyed the two manors together with Ørbækgård for 230.000 rigsbankdaler silver to ritmester (captain of horse) Jacob von Benzon. In 1829 was established a new entailed estate named Benzon. Skærvad was in 1840 sold to Chr. Fr.O.v. Benzon, who had the estate a few years only. After some changes of ownership Skærvad came in 1856 to the brothers Christian Frederik Carøe and grosserer Johan Fr. Carøe. Chr. Fr. Carøe took care of the farm management and lived there. He was a skilled and progressive farmer who in his time as a lessee in Vendsyssel had introduced the first threshing machine in 1848 in Vendsyssel. Skærvad was now known for its fine stock of pure Jutland dairy cattle and its fine malt barley. He was one of the leading farmers of the district and the education of young farmers at Skærvad was highly valued, a large circle of these raised a memorial stone for him in Skærvad skov. After this his brother Joh. Fr. Carøe owned the farm, but died already in 1893, and it was taken over by his children, grossererne Nicolai and Carl Johan Carøe, Reverend Martin Carøe and Augusta Christiane Trock-Jansen, née Carøe. In 1912 it was sold to proprietær J.Skriver. In 1920 it was sold to Randers Amts Udstykningsforening (Union for outparcelling), which in 1921 let outparcel 17 small-holdings from Skærvad's land. More outparcelling was done later. Owner in 1957 fru G. Bøystrup.

owners today: Lone and Bror Moldrup

Skærvads web-site:
The farm was in 2006-2008 renovated and rebuilt by Lone Moldrup. The rebuild includes a large riding ground-plan and a manor-stable. From one of the old buildings, where Lone Moldrup in 2007 decided to replace most of the timber framing and the roof - there is a view to the old castle bank, the terraces, the path-system and the old carp ponds, which gave fresh fish to the castle during the winter season.


foto Skærvad Marts 2009: grethe bachmann



Fannerup: Bishop Tyge II of Århus issued a letter from Fannerup in 1280. Hans Lykke wrote himself of F. 1475-81, his son Peder Lykke (+ 1535) likewise in 1501. In 1544 Christian II exchanged F. to Otte Gyldenstierne at Bygholm. Fannerupgård burnt down in 1656. It belonged in 1661 to Jørgen Seefeld and was still called a main farm. Later it was under the county Skeel (Sostrup), but was sold in 1819 to Ole Secher of Hjortshøjlund, H.H.Amnitzbøll, Jens Buch in Søby and L. A. Theil. The last mentioned sold in 1824 his fourth to the three others, who the same year sold the farm and mill to Chr. Christensen, Århus (+ 1854), from whom it in a forced sale came to den kongelige kasse ( the Crown), who sold it in 1829 together with Skeel (Sostrup), whereafter it was laid under the entailed estate Benzon. From this it was sold in 1839 at an auction to H.H. Sass (+ 1867). In 1856 F. was bought by Johan Andreas Neergaard, earlier of Skærvad, ( + 1887), whose son Johan Peder Neergaard (+ 1908) in 1872 sold it to A/S Kolindsund, who ab. 1920 sold it to Kiel, who 1923 transferred it to Fr. Legarth. In 1924 some land was sold off for smallholder farms. Later owners: H. Keller Pedersen from 1932 and J. Tage Hansen from 1959.


Asgård was established in 1847 by O. Pontoppidan. Owner in 1963: Gustav de Neergaard.

2 farms in Skærholm ( 1348 Skierholum) with 2 desolate mills were exchanged by hr.Svend Skubbe's wife Karen in 1348 with other estate to hr. Niels Bugge. His daughter Else Bugge exchanged in 1387 S. to hr. Jens Andersen (Brok), whose son's son's son hr. Axel Lagesen (Brok) in 1455 leased S. and S. field to Niels Munk of Ballebo. With Axel Lagesen's daughter's daughter S. came to hr. Mogens Gøye.

A sacred spring was once between Fannerup and Ginnerup.


Listed prehistorics:  Two long dolmens, Humsterhøj at Slemminggård (Enslev parish) with two partly destroyed chambers, where was found two thin-necked axes and a war axe, and Jyndovnen at Ginnerup with a wellkept chamber of 6 supporting stones and one cover stone. Furthermore 24 hills, of which several are large. One at Mastrup, one of Skiftenshøje in a forest northeast of Skærvad, the pretty Skærvadhøj, one in a small forest southwest of Skærvad, where are 6 hills, 4 large hills Sekshøjene (2 demolished), upon a hill north of Fannerup and a large hill a little north of these and finally one at Slemminggård. 
Demolished or destroyed:   63 hills, 2 round dolmens, 3 long dolmen, 1 dolmen chamber and 2 other stone graves, of which one probably was a passage grave.

In and around Fannerup were noted 6 kitchen middens, of which one at the east side of Ørum Å (river) belonged to Jættestuetiden (time of passage graves).

Names from the Middle Ages: Ginnerup (1455 Gindrup); Fannerup (1280 Farmathorp, 1404 Farændorppæ); Mastrup (1442 Mastorp); Neder Slemming (1388 Slyminge);  Skærvad (1386 Skære-, Skæræwath, Skiærwath); Fannerupgård (1425 Farendrup).

 

Source: Trap Danmark, Randers amt 1963. 

photo Ginnerup church and Skærvad manor : grethe bachmann