Bjergby church/ Bjergby kirke, Vennebjerg herred, Hjørring amt.

Bjergby church, ab. 6 km north of Hjørring. (Google earth)

The highplaced church in Bjergby, which is seen far and wide, has a Romanesque choir and nave with a newer porch to the north. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars upon a plinth, which in the eastern section has a steep, heavy, bevelled edge and to the west a more flat and narrow. Above the bricked-up south door, which was still open in 1637, is a tympanum with a cross-lamb, a human figure and a bird, which in 1729 lay at the church yard and was regarded as a gravestone. The north door is extended, and its tympanum with a dragon figure is inserted above the door of the porch. From original windows are inside kept the large east window of the choir, and in the south wall of the choir are inserted two round arched monolite lintels. High upon the south wall of the nave is an ashlar with a very big, protruding male head, according to tradition is it the master  builder of the church. Inside are beamed ceilings, and the round choir arch is kept. The walls were remade in the 1700s - the choir gable 1772 with iron initials for Christoffer Rougtved and Else J. Seidelin, the west gable 1782 with initials for Pors Munch and Else J. Seidelin. Upon the lead roof of the church was according to a description from 1735 a strange decoration: a gunner with gun, dog, deer and hare, cast in lead. The building was restored in 1950.

Bjergby church, wikipedia

tympanum, wikipedia.

interior, wikipedia.

The ashlar-bricked communion table was until 1950 covered in a rare Romanesque front in oak, which fields copied the front of the golden altars, it is now placed in the choir. The altarpiece contains parts from a young Renaissance altarpiece, but is much remade in 1782 in late acanthus Baroque with very naturalistic angels in the wings. The old large-field, which had a carved crucifix and painted images of Moses and John the Baptist, was replaced in the late 1800s by a copy of a C.Bloch painting. The chalice is from the late 1600s,  stamped by Chr. P. Lam, Sæby. Brass candelabres in late Baroque. A Romanesque granite font with  semicircular basin upon a truncated pyramid foot. Simple pulpit in Renaissance ab. 1600 with the coat of arms of Ove Lunge and Anne Sehested. New pews from the last restoration in 1950. The bell hangs in a bell frame upon a gravehill inside the dike of the church yard, it was cast in 1867 by B.S. Løw.

gravestones 1) parish priest Niels Pedersen (+ 1624) and two wives; 2) parish clerk Bertel Pederesen (+ 1705) with wife and daughter.

In the parish is in 1662 mentioned the farms Bachen and Lund.  

Listed prehistorics: 8 hills, of which several are large: Vagthøj at Sakstrup; Fællehøj and Skovhøj at Nymark and a hill at Gammeljord; the bellframe at the church yard stands upon a hill. Furthermore two stone Iron Age graves at Bjergby and Sakstrup.
Demolished or destroyed: 31 hills.      

From a hill at Sakstrup was found a gold ring from early Roman period.
In the parish were several finds ( sacrifice and depots) from Stone Age, like from Sakstrup: 7 thick-necked axes, 4 spear heads and 12 scythes, at Snævre a find with 5 thin-necked axes, and one with 5 scythes and an unfinished spear head. In a moor at Varbrogård was found a big number of clay pots from Celtic Iron Age. Stone graves from early Roman period were found at Bjergby and Hvirrekær.

It was told that one of the first parish priests after the reformation, Peter Vognfører, was accused of witchcraft and burnt upon a hill in Mygdal parish.

Names from the Middle Ages and 1600s:  Bjergby (1343 Byærby); Sakstrup (1419 Saxtorp); S. Ørnbøl (1638 Ønbøll); Krattet (1662 Kratted); Dal (1419 Bierbydal); Pilgård (1662 Pill Gård).

See:
photo-collection Bjergby church 

Source: Trap Danmark, Hjørring amt, 1960. 
photo: Google earth and wikipedia.

 

      

Vidstrup church/ Vidstrup kirke, Vennebjerg herred, Hjørring amt.

Vidstrup church,  ab. 5 km northwest of Hjørring.

The church in Vidstrup has a Romanesque choir and nave and a late Gothic porch to the north. The Romanesque building, the choir and nave, is built in granite ashlars upon a bevelled plinth, in some places a hollow plinth. The straight-edged north door is in use, while the south door, which does not break the plinth, is traceable. The church inside, upon the east wall of the choir, has a large bricked-up round arched window, while all other windows are remade in present time, like the gable point of the west wall which is re-bricked with little bricks. Inside is the round choir arch kept with profiled kragsten, but without any visible plinth. The nave and choir have beamed ceilings,  and the flat round arched windows are probably from the 1800s. The porch is a pretty late Gothic building from the reformation period. Its flat curved door is framed by a high glare with twin round arches in the stepped gable.

Vidstrup church, wikipedia.

A part of the granite plate from a Romanesque communion table with a reliquary is inserted inside the west wall of the porch. The altarpiece is basically a Lutheranian triptychon, but now without original details. In the last second half of the 1700s was added a top piece in rural Rococo, and in 1913 was inserted in the middle field a copy of a biblical painting by C. Bloch. The earlier altar painting from the 1700s (the Crucifixion)  hangs in the church.  A Romanesque granite font, semicircular shaped upon a cubic capital. A smooth dish, probably from the 1700s. The pulpit from 1696 is a rich carving in late Renaissance. An early Romanesque bell, before in a ball frame at the west gable, now in a new freestanding frame north of the church . In the east wall of the porch is inserted a granite stone with a rope-winding and engraved decoration, probably a piece of a Romanesque gravestone.


Dalsgård was in the 1400s - when it was also called Vidstrupgård - a noble farm, belonging to rigsråd hr. Axel Lagesen (Brock)'s  (+ 1498) parents, but by them pawned to bailiff at Kokkedal, Thord Thomsen (Vognsen of Hørbylund), who in 1459-86 wrote himself of D; in 1499 is mentioned a Niels Nol in D., probably a tenant-peasant, since the above mentioned Axel Lagesen (Brock) in 1485 and 1490 had released D. from Knud Thomsen (Vognsen of Hørbylund) (+ 1484) 's widow, Sofie Mortensdatter (Seefeld) (+ earliest 1502) and their son Thomas Thordsen (Vognsen of Hørbylund)(+ earliest 1494), who furthermore in 1485 - 88 wrote himself of D., and the priest in Aggersborg Peder Thomsen (Vognsen of Hørbylund)( + earliest 1502). Later D. was a peasant farm under Kærsgård, but it was in 1667 laid out from Enevold Kruse to Ebbe Gyldenstierne. In 1688 D was a tenant farm.

In Tofte is in 1427 mentioned a Maren Pedersdatter, probably a widow after Nisse Thomsen (Sehested)( + earliest 1418). His son's son væbner Thomas Jensen (Sehested) wrote himself in T. in 1481-1501, but also of Vellingshøj. A nobleman Høvd Henriksen who had a socalled marekors (pentagram)  in his coat of arms, is mentioned in 1467-70.  T. was in 1662 a peasant farm under Asdal, where it still was in 1794, but it was divided into 4 farms at that time.
 
Listed prehistorics: At Tofte an 85 long longdolmen which to the east ends in a round hill; 5 big holes are probably from removed chambers. At Tofte are also two hills, of which one is rather large.
Demolished or destroyed: 6 hills.

In a moor was found a collection of 12 flint planks.

Names from the Middle Ages:  Vidstrup (1416 Wibestrop, 1419 Wigelstorp, 1459 Viistrop); Tofte (1467 Thoftæ, Toffthe); Dalsgårde (1452 Dall, 1459 Dalsgard, 1490 Wistrup Dall).


See:
photo-collection of Vidstrup church 
 


Source: Trap Danmark, Hjørring amt, 1960. 
photo: Google earth and wikipedia. 


    

Torslev church/ Torslev kirke, Øster Han herred, Hjørring amt.

Torslev church, ab. 20 km west of Aalborg, Google earth.

The large Torslev church has a choir and nave from the Romanesque period,  a late Gothic western extension, and tower and two modern additions: porch and burial chapel, to the north. The choir and nave are in granite ashlars above a profiled double plinth. A priest's door upon the north side of the choir was re-opened in 1895; the round arched north door is also kept, while the south door is bricked-up. A tympanum with biblical symbols and a frame stone with a pillar, which ends in a male head, is now at the National Museum. In the nave are two Romanesque windows in use, a south window is bricked-up, and several Romanesque window lintels are inserted in  random places in the walls. ( also in the west wall of the tower. ) The round choir arch has a profiled plinth and kragbånd.

Torslev church, wikipedia

The late medieval building section rests upon a richly profiled granite plinth, which like a cubic pillar base might origin from a Romanesque ashlar tower with a front hall. This tower was broken down in the late Middle Ages, the nave was extended to the west and the present tower was built in re-used ashlars and large yellow monk bricks. At the north side of the tower is a contemporary stairhouse. The upper section of the tower was re-walled in 1841, and the height was minimized with ab. 2 m, the original peepholes are now seen as glares in the roof gables. A point arched opening connects the nave and the tower.  The tower room  has like the western extension an original octagonal vault, and similar vaults are built in choir and nave. The porch (from ab. 1870) and the similar but younger burial chapel and a connected room are in small red bricks. The brickwork of the tower walls is white washed , the other walls are blank. The roofworks are with slate. The floor in the choir is black-yellow tiles, the floor in the nave is yellow bricks and planks.

Interior: 

Torslev church, wikipedia.

The altarpiece was set up in 1634 by Karen Galde of Kokkedal, whose paternal and maternal coat of arms are at the postament, in the altarpiece are used figures from a late Gothic triptychon  from the beginning of the 1500s. The altar chalice was given in 1682 by Gude Parsberg and Karen Krag, and improved in 1728 by Diderik Braës of Kokkedal. The oblate box was given in 1701  fru Ingeborg Cathrine Lugge of Kokkedal; the wine jar by Didr. Braës and fru Ingeborg Seefeld in 1693. Wrought iron altar railings from ab. 1700. A Romanesque granite font. The pulpit is a carved work from the same time as the altarpiece and is like this equipped with figures (apostles) from the Gothic altarpiece.  The pulpit and the altarpiece were restored in 1935 in connection with a repair of the interior. Upon four pew-gables are the paternal and maternal coat of arms of Børge Rosenkrantz and Karen Galde. New chandeliers. An organ in the tower room. Bells: 1) late medieval with minuskel-inscription ; 2)  a new, cast by L.Andersen, Århus. A bell given by Frands Banner in 1570 was in a cracked condition delivered to the National Museum.

Memorials: 
Fru Ingeborg Seefeld let in 1698 the tower room separate from the nave with a wrought iron door and furnish into a family burial; her own sandstone epitaph is set up upon the wall and a marble epitaph for Anders Kierulf of Sødal upon the north wall. Upon the north wall of the nave are two oval limestone tablets, one for the Dean Anders Olsen, (+ 1685), set up 1697 by Dean Jørgen Hansen, another for Maren Nielsdatter (+ 1694), and her two husbands, Rasmus Ottesøn (+ 1646) and Pors Lavissøn (+ 1705). A Romanesque gravestone with the name Thormod and an image of the life-tree is inserted high in the south wall of the nave.  Two large gravestones, upright in the choir ( portrait stones) for Erik Banner of Kokkedal (+ 1483) and his son, rigsmarsk Erik Banner (+ 1554) with his two wives, Mette Rosenkrantz (+ 1533) and Margrethe Gyldenstierne (+ 1554). Upon the church yard several old gravestones along the northern dike.

Kokkedal, wikipedia.

Kokkedal is mentioned the first time in 1407 and was owned by væbner Anders Albretsen (Stenbrikke), probably his father Albret Andersen (Stenbrikke)(+ earliest 1386) and even his paternal grandfather Anders Aagesen (Stenbrikke) owned it too, but there is no proof of this. Anders Albretsen's son Gotskalk Andersen (Stenbrikke) m. to Kirsten Eriksdatter Gyldenstierne, wrote himself of K. in 1432, likewise their son Niels Godskesen in 1450, who died unmarried. Fru Kirsten (+ earliest 1468) brought thereafter the farm by a new marriage to rigsråd hr Anders Nielsen (Banner)  of Asdal, Frejstrupgård was now probably laid under K. Before hr Ander's death in 1486 the son Erik Andersen Banner, who in 1479 wrote himself of K., died latest 1483, his widow Karen Stensdatter Gøye (+ earliest 1527) m. 2) to hr. Niels Høg of Eskær etc. (+ 1524) who likewise wrote himself of K. in 1479. At hr Ander's death in 1486 his daughter Anne Andersdatter Banner (+ latest 1490) renounced her right in K. in favor of her brother's children of whom the later rigsråd  and rigsmarsk Erik Eriksen Banner of Asdal etc. became the sole owner of K. He let build new main buildings (Christian III visited K. in 1546). The farm and estate was at his death in 1554 inherited by his son Frands Banner, who also bought Ø  Kloster ( now Oksholm), after his death in 1575 K. went to his daughter Karen Banner (+ 1616), m. 1580 to Henrik Lykke of Overgård etc. (+ 1611). Later the farm came to their son Frands Lykke (+ 1655), who in 1649 exchanged it to Karen Galde. She married after 1656 the much younger Børge Rosenkrantz of Ørup etc. (+ 1679) , but lived separated from him, she resided at K. where she died in 1671. Farm and estate went to her sister Anne Galde of Nørlund (+ 1680), m. to Verner Frederiksen Parsberg of Vrå. At his death in 1686 his son Gude Parsberg inherited (+ 1692) K., but he sold in 1691 the main farm and taxes and som estate to Palle Rantzau of Bratskov, who died the same year. His widow Ingeborg Seefeld married -  the same year - justitsråd Diderik Chr. Braës, she died already in 1695, he died in 1748, when K. came to his son (of 2 marriage to Ingeborg Cathrine Lugge) Peder Enevold Braës, enobled 1733, (+ 1771).

Later owners: Lars Johan Jelstrup, Christen Hviid, Jacob Ludvig v. Fischer-Benzon, 1818 entailed estate Kokkedal - Morten Leth Hastrup, Adolf Hein, Hans Chr. Øckenholt, Peter Schrøder, Rudolf Bruun, Jørgen Chr. Julius Vilh Bruun, S.P.Sørensen -  konsortium -  owner from 1917-1923 prince Erik, V.A. Boyer, N. Th C. Isager, Elisabeth Isager, 1952 the State : foundation of a boys' home.

After 1960: 1948-1976) Socialministeriet; (1976-1988) Nordjyllands Amt, (1988-) Ann Vibeke Lokdam / Gorm Lokdam

Kokkedal Slot  today: (from wikipedia and Magasin Søndag May 2013).
High upon a hill lies Kokkedal slot with a beautiful view across the Limfjord. It is whitewashed, with a red tiled roof and a tower with a copper spire -and surrounded by moats. The buildings were very dilapidated when the married couple Ann Vibeke and Gorm Lokdam bought the estate in 1988, but today Kokkedal is included in their chain of castle hotels. At Kokkedal are 20 individually furnished suites with fourposter beds and 8 holiday houses in the park. The menu in the restaurant is inspired by the authentic slotskøkken and the local commodities of the season. The beefsteaks come from Kokkedal's own Angus cattle and the hunting system delivers the game 


In the Frejstrupmarken southwest of Kokkedal was Frejstrupgård situated (1491 Frystrup, 1638 Frestrup). According to legendary notes in Sophie Brah'es family book F. belonged to a Niels Torstensen (Rotfeld), who possibly is identical with another Niels Torstensen, who was historically attested in 1324 in another connection.  During the peasant revolt in 1441 F. was burnt down and the owner Niels Ovesen was killed, the land was later laid under Kokkedal. The informations in HofmanFund IV 1759. 374 about F.'s owners are unhistorical.

The site of Frejstrupgård is seen as a low bank southwest of Kokkedal in the Frejstrupdalen (a valley). Upon the bank, which never seems to have been surrounded by moats, have been found bricks.

Alsbjerggård was already in the 1300s a noble farm to which Niels Jensen (Seeefeld)( ? ) 1371-1401 wrote himself. His daughter Karen Nielsdatter (Seefeld), widow after Vogn Jepsen (Vognsen of Stenshede)( + latest 1450 )owned the farm in 1450. In 1456-1463 Laurids Dan (Dansøn) wrote hiself of A. Svend Saxstrup owned A in 1470 (or a part of A.), but in the end of the 1400s Karen Lauridsdatter Dan and her husband Jep Jensen (Skovgaard) must have owned a part of the farm, which from them came to their son Jørgen Jepsen Skovgaard of Skovgaard (Brusk herred )(+ 1557). 
Later owners: Hans Skovgaard, Johan Skovgaard, Henrik Lykke, Frands Lykke, Karen Galde. In 1585 ( or in 1539) Alsbjerggård was divided into 4 farms.

In the middle of Alsbjerg village is a disturbed site of the old Alsbjerggård, an irregular place surrounded by lowerings. Some monk bricks were found on the site. Some graves are mentioned in the late 1800s.

According to an unprovable tradition was a nunnery at Torslev church in the Middle Ages, Styvels kloster, where the nuns in ab. 1520 were moved to Ø kloster. Late local legends mention also a monastery with an underground connection to Ø kloster. - The name Styvel ("Styvelet" was later used about a hospital for poor people,which was established in 1740 by Diderik Chr. Braës.  It is certain that southeast of the church hill and south of the church were several old brick buildings.

Torslev Holme (Overholm and Nederholm) was from the old days a common meadow for the old farms in Torslev, Årup and Flegum and the farm Haven, but with specific parts for each farm. After 1 August the grazing rights belonged to the farms in Vesterby in common. After the building of the dam Attrup-Øland the old community stopped.  (1927)
 
Listed prehistorics: At Alsbjerg the passage grave Hvisselhøj which is unique. It has 3 chambers, one behind the other and all connected by door openings. An entrance leads to the outernest and longest chamber. In the passage grave were found several flint axes, flint daggers, clay pots and amber pearls. Furthermore is listed a longhill and 36 hills, mainly in the western section of the parish, several are rather large, like Uglehøj at Alsbjerg and at Årupgård are two large, one lesser hill and a longhill, the only left from a group of 12. 
Demolished or destroyed: 42 hills, almost all upon the hillside in the middle part of the parish. In one were found a woman's grave from early Bronze Age with pieces of cloth and a belt plate.

In Arup kær was found a depot from *Dolktid with 2 flint daggers and 12 scythes.

*Dolktid = 2.300-1.700 B.C.

Names from the Middle Ages: Torslev (1307 Torslef, 1447 Torsleff, Thorsleff); Attrup (1462 Attrup); Alsbjerg (1371 Alsbergh); Flegum (1584 Fligum, 1585 Flegom); Årup (1418 Aarthorp, Ordrup); Kokkedal (1407 Kockedal) Haven (1560 Havgen). 

Source: Trap Danmark, Hjørring amt, 1960.     

     





  

Tversted church/ Tversted kirke, Horns herred, Hjørring amt.

Tversted church, ab. 18 km northeast of Hjørring, photo: gb-2004

Tversted parish, Horns herred, Hjørring amt. 

The low, lead-roofed church in Tversted is an ashlar building from Romanesque period. It conists of a long nave, a choir with a flat altar wall and a newer porch to the north. The oldest sections are the choir and the eastern section of the nave, which rests upon a bevelled plinth, but which has partly re-built walls. In the east wall of the choir is the lintel of a Romanesque window. The old north door of the nave is in its original place, but it seems extended; the south door is bricked-up. In the late Middle Ages the nave was extended to the west, partly with bricks, partly with re-used ashlars from the broken down western gable. Upon the south wall of the extension is an ashlar with an upside down animal head in relief. The western gable got later - maybe in the 1700s - some curved roofings; the year 1787 in wall anchors refer maybe to this. The church has inside a beamed ceiling in choir and nave. The choir arch with heavy kragsten is kept.

interior, photo: gb-2004

 
The altarpiece is a carved work from ab. 1600, divided in main and top piece, the main piece with sidewings is triple. In the mid field is a painting from 1884 by Anker Lund. A Romanesque granite font. A simple pulpit from the late 1600s with portraits of the Evangelists in the fields. In the porch - which was built 1890 - is inserted a headstone for the priests Laurids Mikkelsen (+ 1609)  and Palle Andersen (+ 1629) with wives,  for manager Niels Christensen (+ 1686) , for Dean Peder Bjerring (+ 1761), and for Jens Brøndlund of Nørre Elkær, (+ 1778) with wife, née Eylandt. Northeast of the church a bellframe with a bell, which has an inscription in Renaissance majuskels 1512.

News from the church after 1960:  a cross upon the altar is a fantastic work in goldthread.  In the church are four pretty chasubles,which like the antepedium and the altar cloth were made by the Icelandic artist Elin Stefansdóttir. In the church are two ore-chandeliers and a church ship from 1962. The organ is from 1975.  


Nørre Elkær -  2 1/2 km southeast of Tversted village - was in the Middle Ages a peasant farm, which Anne Henriksdatter Friis (of Haraldskær) of Odden (+ 1542) by marriage brought to hr. Ove Vincentsen Lunge (Dyre) of Tirsbæk and Kragerup (+ 1540)Their son Christoffer Ovesen Lunge (Dyre) of Odden (+ 1565) owned undobtedly the farm. His son Erik Christoffersen Lunge (Dyre) of Stovgård (+ unmarried 1616), owned E. in 1616, which at that time was mentioned as a main farm. Later the farm came to his brother's  son's daughter fru Birgitte Lunge (Dyre) of E., who died young in 1628, but was married to the later rigsråd Henrik Ramel of Bäckaskog etc (+ 1653). Their daughter Birgitte Ramel died in 1640 underage, and E. was hereafter inherited by her halfsisters Anna Ramel of Osbygård (+ 1702), m. 1) to Albert Skeel of Katholm and Hessel (+ 1667) and Margrethe Ramel (+ 1699), m. to Erik Christensen Sehested of Lykkesholm (+ 1683), who in 1662 was stated as the owner of E. He deeded in 1665 a part of the farm to Markor Steensen Rodsteen at Lerbæk (+ 1681), who probably became the sole owner of the farm.
Later owners: the Rodsteen-family  until 1695; Hans Fr. Levetzow; Anders Pedersen Brønsdorph; Lukas Jensen Kjærulf; Lars Borch Hauch; Jens Nielsen Brøndlund; Laurids Bartholin Schmidt; the brothers Henning and Peder Ring and the Ring-family until 1899; a consortium , outparcelling, main parcel bought by Fred. Mølbach; Hans Claus Chr. Bang; Rudolf Ovesen; Chr. Nielsen and Niels Nielsen; A.P.Jacobsen, in 1959 sold to H. Brødsgaard.   

Slynge was ab. 1630 owned by jomfru Johanne Lykke, who in 1632 exchanged it to Otte Lauridsen Lunov of Rekkergård (Bølling herred)(+ earliest 1660), who in 1633-36 wrote himself of S., but in 1637 sold it to fru Sofie Brahe Stensdatter of Høgholt and Odden etc. (+ 1659), widow after rigsmarsk hr. Jørgen Lunge (Dyre)(+ 1619). In 1662 S. was 2 tenant farms.

There are no listed prehistorics in the parish, but there were 3, now overploughed, hills.

At Østenkær were found two settlements from early Stone Age and several urn graves of uncertain age.  


   
Names from the Middle Ages and 1600s: Tværsted/Tversted  (1394 Thwerstedh);  Vester Tværsted (1662 Vester Tuersted); Terpet (1574 Tverstedtorp, 1611 Torpett); Tuen (1662 Tuen); Horsnab (1419 Hornsnab); Skram (1662 Sckram); Sørig (1479 Sørickshoffuitt); Volhøj (1662 Walhye); Nørre Elkær (1419 Ell..., 1662 Elkier); Slynge (1611 Slønge); Gøgsig (1638 Giøgsiig, 1662 Giøgsig). .

Tversted church,photo Google earth, 

Source: Trap Danmark, Hjørring amt, 1960.