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

Gærum church, ab. 8 km southwest of Frederikshavn.

Gærum parish, Horns herred, Hjørring amt.


The lonely situated whitewashed church in Gærum (Gerum) has a new tower to the west, a nave and choir and a porch to the north. The present nave and choir represent the oldest core, undoubtedly a late Romanesque building in large monk bricks, mixed with some boulder, but there are no safe evidence of the dating. The whole north side is now without windows, earlier was supposed that there was a trace of Romanesque windows, which are not visible now. The church has inside a beamed ceiling, while the choir has a cross vault. At the end of the Middle Ages a tower was built, but it seems that only the bottom storey with a point arched arcade towards the nave was finished. A new tower is built upon this place, whitewashed with a pyramid roof (built 1956-57); and at the same occassion the walls of the nave were enheightened. The porch was built in 1863.

The altarpiece is a Renaissance work from 1602 (painted date of year), undoubtedly given by Vogn Svendsen (Orning) of Gerumgård, whose paternal and maternal coat of arms are at the postament. The altarpiece has three high narrow fields, each with a triangular gable and divided by slender columns; in the middle field is a painting from ab. 1850. A Romanesque granite font; a baptismal dish in brass from the 1500s with a later giver-inscription. An oblate box was in 1712 given by Jens Olufsen Wang, who earlier in 1690 gave a lyseskærm ( reflector in brass) for the pulpit. The pulpit is in high Renaissance with carved year 1592, in the fields, divided by baluster-columns, are biblical images, flatcarved with engraved details; in the postament fields inscriptions and the coat of arms of the above mentioned Vogn Svendsen Orning and wife, Ingeborg Basse. The same couple is memorized upon two pew gables, now in the tower room. (1960). The other pews are from the last restoration in 1956. In the porch stand two Romanesque  granite crosses. A Romanesque bell from ab. 1175, without inscription.

* upon the north wall of the nave hangs an altar painting (Golgatha) from 1915, which was used before the painting from 1895. (see various links on the net: Gærum kirke/ Gerum kirke.  

* restoration of altar in 2012? with a new pretty altar decoration, but no information about the artist



 Gerumgård was a herregård (manor) already in the Middle Ages. In 1350 væbner Niels Pedersen (Hagel) wrote himself of Gerum; in 1395 Peder Nielsen (Hagel ), who had 3 søblade (= water lily leaves or hearts)  in his coat of arms. In 1469 Knud Nielsen lived in Gerum, and in 1520 fru Else. In 1538 G. was owned by Jens Torlufsen (Basse from Vendsyssel), in 1568 by his widow Maren Nielsdatter (Smalsted). Their daughter Ingeborg Jensdatter (Basse from Vendsyssel) brought by marriage the farm to Vogn Svendsen (Orning) (+ earliest 1599),whose son Svend Vognsen Orning (+ earliest 1636) before 1617 sold G. to his relative captain Hans Lauridsen Basse (from Vendsyssel) (+ ab. 1648), but in 1627 he is mentioned as residing in "Vestergård in Gerum".  G. was inherited by Hans Basse's daughters, Sophie Hansdatter Basse (from Vendsyssel) (+ ab. 1667), m. to Erik Hvas of Skjortholt, and Ellen Hansdatter Basse (from Vendsyssel) (+ ab. 1673 unmarried). After Erik Hvas' death in 1661 his widow sold in 1667 G. with estate to her sister, the above mentioned jomfru Ellen Basse, who in 1668 pawned it to Erik Hvas' 6 children, of whom the daughter Abel Marie Hvas (of Skjortholt)(+ earliest 1680) was m. to Georg Henrik v Grimmer, who in 1674 wrote himself of G. but left his wife the same year and went down to the Netherlands.

Later owners: Jens Hvas, Tyge Andersen (Rugholm), Kirsten Knudsdatter, Hans Petersen Nordmand, Jørgen Bille of Ellinggård, biskop Christoffer Gertsen Mumme of Eget, Fr. Henrik Stampe, Claus Hansen, Hans Peder Clausen Hauman, Christen Ørsnes at Hørbylund, Hans Severin Rafn, Jonas Jespersen, Arent Hassel Rasmussen of Sejlstrup, Christen Løgtholt and Christen Neisig, Niels R. Bornholm, Hans Høyer, N. Severin Nyssum, Hans Jelstrup, Lauge Severin Fanøe, Valdemar Kongsted, Chr. Oluf Højmark, Chr. Christiansen (Bouet), Statens jordlovsudvalg, udstykning, hovedparcel: solgt 1952 til: Kurt Jelvard Møller.


Rydsholt was owned free by Niels Tømmermand in Aalborg in 1525 acc. to Christian II's  royal letter. In 1579 Karine Krabbe (of Østergård)( + 1586), widow after Niels Skeel of Nygård (Brusk herred)( + 1561) and Otte Banner of Asdal (+ 1585) bought on behalf of his wife fru Ingeborg Skeel (+ 1604) of Voergård  the right of the Crown in R. with permission to negotiate the peasant taxes.

Fru Abel Marie Hvas (of Skjortholt) wrote herself of Svejs in 1576 .

In Rævdal is in 1576 mentioned fru Bolle Svendsdatter (Orning).

A house at Gerumgård was in 1662 called Rylden. In 1688 is in the parish mentioned the farm Boes and the house Lille høfuit.   

Listed prehistorics: the parish is in relation to its size  very rich on prehistorics. Listed are: a long dolmen, a passage grave, 2 long hills, 34 hills and a stone circle. The long dolmen is Stenstuen at Gærum kirke, 68 m long with 57 edge stones and a disturbed chamber in the east end. The passage grave Blakshøj is one of the largest and best preserved in Jutland with an eight m long chamber. Here were found 3 flint axes and some clay pot pieces. Among the hills are especially two large hills at Kragkær, one upon the highest point of the parish Kig-ud , and close to this is Storhøj, and two hills at Nr. Vrangbæk.
Demolished or destroyed: two dolmens, of which one brought 6 flint axes, 3 claypots etc, the other several amber pearls; furthermore 23 long hills, 120 hills, a stone circle and a large amount of small mounds.

Names from the Middle Ages and 1600s: 
Rævdal (1579 Refvedal); Vester and Øster Rør (1610 Røer, 1662 Wester- Øster Rør); Bovet (1662 Bowed); Tvedens Huse (1484 Twedh); Gerumgård (1662 Gierumbgaard); Sveje (1662 Sveige); Blakshøjgård (earlier Gødgård) (1610 Giøgard); Bygstade (1688 Bug Stade); Vejrbakken (1662 Weyerbachen); Bol (1638 Bodel, 1662 Boell); Fuglsang (1610 Fouellsanngh); Rydsholt (1467 Rettzholt, 1525 Rysholt); Nr. Vrangbæk (1610 Vrangbech); Hulsig (1572 Holssig); Guddal (1662 Gudall); Kragkær (1610 Kragkier); Kovstrup (1610 Kosterup); Lybershøj (1579 Lubeshof, Lubischøf.)




Source: Trap Danmark, Hjørring amt, 1960. 
photo: Google earth, Gærum kirke.

Skallerup church / Skallerup kirke, Vennebjerg herred, Hjørring amt

Skallerup Church, ab. 10 km west of Hjørring
Skallerup sogn, Vennebjerg herred, Hjørring amt.

Chessboard pattern

Skallerup church is situated a few km from the north sea behind the inland dunes. North of the church was the village Skallerup, which has disappeared like many other villages in the area caused by the sand drift. The church has a Romanesque choir and nave, a western tower, sacristi and porch from the late Gothic period. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars, the north door is walled-in while the extended south door is still in use. Two round-curved monolit-cover stones from two original windows are placed in the south wall of the choir. A chessboard pattern in the wall of the nave.The round choir arch inside is preserved. The cross vaulted sacristi in monk bricks and ashlars was added in the late Gothic period and at almost at the same time the tower was built to the west. Its bottom room opens to the nave in a pointed arch.The church bells han g in a bell frame. the whole building was restored in 1942. On several occassions , latest in 1910 and 1939, were found badly preserved late Gothic frescoes which were covered in white-wash again.

The communion table in ashlars has a niche for hiding and a reliquary in the top plate. The altar piece is a Lutheranian triptychon from 1600 is placed by Hans Rosenberg like the pulpit from 1605, both probaby from Niels Ibsen's workshop. A half-circular basin upon a round foot. (baptismal font). A fine late Gothic choir arch crucifix, repaired in 1914. A pretty late Gothic cupboard from 1529 with a minuskel-inscription stands in the choir, where is also a large painted anetavle (genealogical table) with 62 coat of arms for the ancestors of Hans Wulf Unger of Villerup and his wife Berete Kaas, who with other members of the family were buried under the choir. Some coffin plates are preserved from the 1600s and 1700s. At the church yard a Romanesque grave stone with a curved top. Bell 1) 1562 2) 1789 from Bakker, Rotterdam, saved in 1875 from the wreck "The Crescent".



Dunes with an access to the sea.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Skallerup (* 1413 Skelrum, 1433 Scheldorp); Sønderlev (1325 Synderlyugh); Nørum (*1471 Nørrum); Villerup (*1436 Willerup); Størup (1484 Størop); Hunderup (1355 Hundorp); Klitgård (1662 Klitten).

A Petrus Niclessun de Synderlyngh is mentioned in 1325. In 1438 rigsråd Jakob Nielsen Basse of Nielstrup (Sunds herred)(+ earliest 1439), conveyed Synderleffgaard and more estate in Vennebjerg herred and Jerslev herred to bishop Gert (Gerhardt) of Børglum )(+1452). In 1534 came Sønderlev by law to Børglum kloster estate.
Villerup was already a main farm in the late Middle Ages, and according to tradition it belonged to hr. Stig Pedersen (Skovgaard), who lived in the beginning of the 1300s and was a høvedsmand for Vendelbo ships. From him the farm came to his son hr. Niels Stigsen Skovgaard, whose daughter Kirsten Nielsdatter Skovgaard ( died as a widow earliest 1361) by marriage brought Villerup and Linderumgård to her husband Otte Eriksen Lunov (+ latest 1361). One of their daughters Nille Ottesdatter Lunov was married to Jens Havgaard, who thus got a part of V. ; another daughter seems to have married Henrik Clausen Smalsted (+ earliest 1435) whose son Otte Henriksen smalsted in 1436 wrote himself of Villerup. Various owners: Smalsted, Friis, Kaas (Sparre-K.), Unger, Giedde, etc.

The farms Knolde and Størup belonged in the end of the 1400s to some noble siblings of the family Palnesen, Kalli Palnesen, who already in 1469 lived in K.; the væbner Niels Palnesen (+ latest 1487), who in 1484 wrote himself of K. and then pawned Størup to Økloster; Mogens Palnesen in K. who in 1480 sold his part of Knolde and Knolde estate to Vil Thomesen Galskyt of Odden; Karine Palnesdatter, who in 1486 was married to herredsfoged in Vennebjerg herred Thomas Sivordsen (+ earliest 1515) and Dorte Palnesdatter (+ bef. 1505), married to selvejerbonden Ilfar Eskesen in Brøndum (Kollerup parish). Kalli Palnesens daughter Anne Kallisdatter married Peder Terkelsen who in 1501 conveyed the last family-rights in the two farms. Various owners later.

In 1400 Johannes Nikkelsen (Jens Nielsen?) wrote himself of Nørlev. In 1434 Erik Iversen conveyed a farm in Nørlev to the Børglum bishop. In 1456 bishop Jakob (Jep) Friis gave a Nørlev-farm of Børglum bishopric to Maren Pedersdatter, widow after the væbner Anders Thomesen of Ormholt (Dronninglund herred) and her son Lars Nielsen for life-time, when she gave Ormholt to the bishopric. In 1496 and 1500 is mentioned Christen Berg in Nørlev, he had a rose in his coat of arms. In 1532 Hans Rytsland had livsbrev (stay for life) upon one of the copyhold farms of the Crown in "Nørløng" in Vennebjerg herred.

Niels Jonsen wrote himself in 1380 of Torstrup, he was taken under protection by king Oluf. In 1440 Jes Andersen is mentioned in Torstrup, he was endowed for life with Dalsmølle and Skielledal by Hundslund kloster. In 1480 Boel Jensdatter conveyed Torstrupgård and other estate to the same kloster, and it is probably this farm which is mentioned when Jens Rugtved in 1509 was endowed with Tolstrup/Torstrup by the kloster.

The parish suffered during the 1500s and 1600s by the sand drift. Several towns disappeared completely. The villages Skallerup north of the church , Ajstrup (1506 Aystrup) and Torstrup (* 1440 Tostrup, 1452 Torstrup), and several farms and water mills.

Listed prehistorics: Staghøj, a hill upon the former vicarage-area.
Demolished or destroyed: At Mellemmølle was a stone grave and possibly also some stone graves in the dunes; furthermore 9 hills. - In several places in the dune area to the west are noted settlements from late Stone Age. North of Nørlev a stone grave from early Roman Iron Age has been examined.

Source: Trap Danmark, Hjørring amt, 1960.


photo Skallerup June 2003: grethe bachmann