Odden Manor and Mygdal church, Region Nordjylland

Odden, wikipedia

Odden, Region Nordjylland, Mygdal sogn Vennebjerg herred, Hjørring Kommune. 



before 1970: Mygdal sogn, Vennebjerg herred, Hjørring amt.





The family Lunge were the owners of Odden for about 300 years.

No owner of Odden is with certainty known until into the 15th century, where it belonged to the ancient family Lunge. Through marriage and inheritance this sjællandske ( zealand) family had resided in the northernest regions of Jutland. Hr. Anders Jacobsen Lunge, one of the richest and most respected noblemen in Denmark,  a rigshofmester and a member of the rigsråd, married in his youth hr. Peder Offesen Neb's widow fru Ingeborg Nielsdatter Panter, and with her he got considerable estate. A few years after her death was in 1419 legal change after his parents-in-law, hr. Niels Ovesen Panter and fru Johanne -   and much estate came to Anders from the region around Hjørring, like Knivholt and Bøgsted, the manor Odden was probably mentioned too.

landscape by Odden, foto gb

Hr. Anders Jacobsen Lunge had no heirs, a son of his cousin hr Oluf Andersen Lunge wrote himself of Odden in 1454. Hr. Oluf was one of his time's most excellent noblemen. He was the first known owner of Odden. He still lived in 1473. Odden came after his death to his son Oluf Olufsen Lunge who died in the 1470s, he was the last male of his family. His widow Karen Nielsdatter Banner brought Odden to her second husband Vil Thomasen Galskyt, who in 1479 and later wrote himself of the manor Odden, but Oluf Lunge's son-in-law Henrik Friis of Haraldskær (+ earliest 1500) was partly owner of Odden and later without doubt sole owner. After his first wife fru Anne Olufsdatter Lunge (with whom he had several children) died, he lived in a probably childless marriage with Margrethe Mogensdatter Krabbe of Bøgsted who outlived him with many years. The death year of both is not known.

Odden, wikipedia

The next owner Ove Vincentsen Lunge, who got the manor Odden via marriage to Anne Henriksdatter Friis (his first wife was Karen Eriksdatter Rosenkrantz +) played an important role among his contemporaries. His father was of the family Dyre, his mother of the family Lunge which earlier owned Odden, and he and his siblings took names after her. After king Hans's death he was soon a warrior, soon a diplomat, he was a member of rigsrådet, he achieved the knighthood and had important vasalries. He inherited Tirsbæk after his father, he got Odden with his second wife Anne Henriksdatter Friis and he bought Kragerup at Zealand, he had success as a farmer and he was a bibliophile too. He died in 1540, his wife, Anne Henriksdatter Friis, whose first marriage was to Bjørn Andersen Bjørn of Stenalt, outlived him with a couple of years.

Odden, foto gb

After Anne's death came Odden in 1542 to the son Tyge Lunge (Dyre) (+1545)(whose widow Sophie Nielsdatter Kaas (Sparre-K.) disclaimed liabilities on succeeding to property), and to Christoffer Lunge (Dyre), (who was killed in 1565 in the battle of Svarterå). He and his wife fru Karen Jørgensdatter Juel were buried in the chapel at Mygdal kirke.  Odden went to his son Ove Christoffersen Lunge (Dyre), whose wedding to Anne Maltesdatter Sehested was held at Odden. Ove Lunge died in 1601, and after his death Odden went to the son rigsmarsk hr. Jørgen Lunge (Dyre) of Birkelse etc.; he took part in the Kalmar war, had several vasalries and was from 1616 member of rigsrådet, he was rigsmarsk and ridder, he died already in 1619, only 41 years of age -  and was like his parents buried in Vor Frue kirke in Aalborg. His wife Sophie Stensdatter Brahe retained Odden for the time being, she outlived her husband with 40 years and saw almost all her children die in their best years of life, seven married daughters and the son Ove, the last male of the family, died before her,  only the daughter Ide outlived her.

Fru Sophie had in 1656 refrained Odden, Birkelse and Høgholt to her children and children-in-law. Høgholt came via the daughter Lisbet to the family Rosenkrantz, Birkelse came to a branch of the family Skeel and Odden was shared between the late Anne Lunge's son, Just Justesen Høg and Otte Skeel's widow, Ide Lunge, who swapped away her halfpart to her sister's son Mogens Christensen Skeel, who became the sole owner of Odden by in 1661 buying Just Høg's part. After him came Odden to the son Ove Lunge, who died unmarried in 1637, the last male of his family. His mother Sophie Stensdater Brahe ( + 1659) took over manor and estate.
And this was the end of the Lunge era at Odden.

Various owners


today:

 Odden J.F.Willumsen Collection

Odden, foto gb

he word Odden means an isthmus, a spit of land - the manor was built upon a spit of land, on the northernest spit of a low hillside or an isthmus, which grew out from a meadow surrounded on both sides by brooks which went together and formed a small lake, where the water was used for the mill.


The main building is one of the district's most interesting secular buildings, but its history is not fully known. The manor has three wings of which the built-together south and east wings are from the first half of the 1500s, while the low west wing in half-timbering is built ab. 1765. The oldest part is probably the east wing, with Ove Vincentsen Lunge as the building master. The white-washed wing has a red tiled roof. Remarkable is the great blændingskors (cross) upon the southern gable, a so-called patriark-cross placed between the two upper windows of the gable. The cross is the distinctive mark of the family Lunge and it shows that the east wing must be built in the Catholic period. The south wing with a gate-passage was probably built by Christoffer Lunge in the 1540s. Much later probably after a fire in 1763 is the present west wing which was built in half-timbering in one storey.

Odden might have looked rather sinister in its first time with the dark, heavy buildings without towers or spires and its small windows placed rather randomly. It was known as one of the oldest farms in all of Jutland, no older neighbouring moat sugessts, that it earlier was placed otherwise. Now the more than 400 years old buildings are whitewashed and lights up the landscape.

The land of the manor was outparcelled in 1945-46. Today Odden is used for exhibitions based upon a large collection of the Danish artist J.F.Willumsen's works.


Mygdal church., built about 1300.

Mygdal kirke, wikipedia

The rather desolate placed white-washed church in Mygdal has a late Romanesque choir and nave, a chapel by the north side of the choir from ab. 1550-60 and a porch from 1897. The late Romanesque building is mainly in bricks and is closely related to the Vendsyssel brick-work group. Both gables are re-walled. The choir arch inside is extended and both choir and nave have beamed ceilings. The large chapel at the northside of the choir was probably built by Christoffer Lunge as a burial chapel.

Interior: A walled communion table in monk bricks. The altar piece has sections from Renaissance with the coat of arms of Ove Lunge and Anne Sehested upon the foot piece;  it was re-made in Rococo in 1777 with the names of Pors Munch and Else Joh. Seidelin and a new painting. Chalice from 1761. Late Gothic ore candelabres. A small gilt alabast crucifix is now in the National Museum. A Romanesque granite font, half-circular basin upon a hollow pyramid-foot. A south German bowl from ab. 1575 with engraved coat of arms of Kaspar Markdaner and Sofie Oldeland. A late Gothic choir arch crucifix from ab. 1500 upon a new wooden cross.

Upon the north wall a pretty fresco of Maria with child from the late 1300s probably by the same painter who made Skt Kristoffer in Hjørring. Below Maria a coat of arms with chess-pattern, probably for Niels Mogensen Glob who was know in this region in 1394. A pulpit in simple Baroque with painted year 1777, repaired 1932. The church bell with the name "Rose" was cast in 1560 by Peder Lauridsen for Christoffer Lunge and hangs in a bell frame. In the choir wall a magnificent Renaissance grave stone from 1576 for Christoffer Lunge, who was killed in 1565 at Falkenberg and Karen Jørgensdatter( Juel) + 1556, with portrait figures of both.



source: Danske slotte og herregårde, bd. 10, Vendsyssel, Odden, Danske kirker,

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