Holbækgaard , Holbæk parish, Norddjurs Kommune

Holbækgaard
The manor lies in flat salt marshes ab. ten meter above sea with a free view over Randers Fjord. It is not known if it was a robber's nest in the old days, from where was an fine access to the merchants' ships. The first residing here was probably by one of Denmark's most notorious men, the socalled "king's murderer" Rane Jonsen of the family Rani. He was the owner of much estate in the country when he was convicted an outlaw together with his companions in 1287. His estate came to the Crown  - and the estate at Djursland was established as Ranes Gods (Rane's estate) which existed up into the 16th century.

After Rane Jonsen are mentioned several clerical and secular owners of Holbækgaard, but the names and ownerships are not clear. In 1340 it is said that Peder Munk "must have his farm in Holbæk given back" and in 1367 he is written of Holbækgaard. Still it is not sure if he was the owner. A long feud between the bishops in Aarhus and the family Munk did not end until Erik of Pommern had made judgment in 1408, where it should belong to the bishop in Aarhus. Peder Munk had possibly wrongly owned the farm or he was a vasal at Holbækgaard by bishop Svend who like himself was at odds with Grev Gert.

After the long feud which ended in 1408, the bishopric of Aarhus probably owned Holbækgaard manor and estate and Holbækgaard stayed in the ownership of the bishops until the reformation, where it was transferred to the Crown like other clerical estate. The last vasal Anders Jacobsen from a not wellknown noble family Hvittenstjern kept the vasalry but died shortly after and was followed by his widow, who in 1540 was succeeded by Hans Stygge who in 1544 bought it from the king.

There are almost no traces from the old Holbækgaard. The low rampart is disturbed and only the western part is kept, but it is obvious that it was circular with a 4o meter diameter and rather modest. The new owner built  the stonehouse, mentioned in 1568, it was probably a freestanding building with a flat cellar  and two storeys, only 17 meter long  and tower-like. It had the mark of the late Gothic period  and it might easily have been built shortly after Hans Stygge became the owner, but possibly a litte later since the year 1560 is said to be carved upon the building. Hans Stygge also built a timbered house and here was kitchen, bakery, castle room etc. while the stoneh

coffin plate for Hans Stygge,

ouse only had few rooms. The second storey might have been a dance hall.

According to the taste and conditions  of that time Holbækgård was a genteel residence. Hans Stygge died in 1568. He was noted by firmness and honesty. After him came his son Mourids Stygge,who for a long time was High court judge in North Jutland. He increazsed the property exchanges with the king. He left some diary books where he mentions that he "kept house at Huolbeckgaard". In 1580 he was married to Anne Iversdatter Lykke in the hall. The family Stygge died out already in the middle of the 17th century. Fru Anne Lykke resided after her husband's death at Holbækgaard for some years. Three sons had died before their father and the fourth the son Peder was killed in 1613 in Sweden in the fight at Skellinge Hede. Shortly after this fru Anne Lykke sold Holbækgaard to hr. Albret Christensen Skeel of Fussingø. He died ab. 1623 in Randers, ca. 70 years of age .

Albret Skeel was a coleric man, but a very able rigsråd and admiral. He was vasal at Riberhus from 1601, and he increased the estate of Holbækgaard. In 1630 he transferred it to his eldest son Christen, who lived here until 1633. Maybe it was for his children that Christen improved the stonehouse, since he extended it to the north and improved it in other ways. In the wall above the entrance of Holbækgård is a stone with the coat of arms of Christen Skeel and his first wife Birgitte Rud and the year 1645.

Christen Skeel

Christen Skeel died in 1659 after having outlived his second wife Margrethe Jørgensdatter Lunge. He has been characterized as one of the finest Danish noblemen. He was both State Commissioner and rigsråd, and he was used in many public services like in  some embarrassing negotiations with Karl Gustav. (Sweden) He was a very sympathetic personality . His leftover writings, esp. his diary give much good information.

After his death his big estate was shared among his children. His daughter Berthe inherited Holbækgaard. It seems she also inherited the best qualities of her father's. She was married to Lieutenant General and Commander Niels Rosenkrantz of Skovgaard. They married 1661, but he died 14 years later - he was killed at the siege of Helsingborg. Berthe resided as a widow and owner of her father's manor until her death in 1720. Her husband had as a gift from Christen Skeel got Holbæk and Udby church with estate, and Berthe decorated those two churches where she was now the owner. In Holbæk church she rised in 1682 a richly carved altarpiece etc.


It was Berthe Skeel's wish to keep Holbækgaard for her family Skeel. She therefore established in 1700 manor and estate as a stamhus (entailed estate). Her own children died when they were little, but she brought up many aristocratic children. The entailed estate was meant for her orphant niece Charlotte Amalie who was the daughter of prefect Mogens Christensen Skeel of Fussingø. She later got royal grant to gather manor and estate under her own birk,  which existed until 1852, to which the manor  Stenalt also belonged (the manors had then a common owner). 



later owners
1720 Chr. L.v. Plessen
1727 Axel Bille
1765 J.E.Røtgersen Tegder
1779 H. Amnitzbøll 
1791 R.A.Amnitzbøll
1852 A.T.H. Mourier Petersen
1893 H.H. Quistgaard
1908 A.J Hastrup
1914-41 various owners
1941 Anna Marg. Hornemann 
1945 Elisabeth Ratel 
1961-73 C.L. Ahlefeldt-Laurvig 

1973-92 unknown 
1992  Niels Bjerregaard/Anette Rønne


Source Danske slotte og herregårde, bd 14, arkivar, can,mag. S. Nygaard;  

photo: wikipedia 

Herslev church/ Herslev kirke, Brusk herred, Vejle amt.

Herslev church, Vejle amt (Google earth)

Herslev church lies by a large prehistoric hill. The long church with a leaden roof has a choir and nave with a porch to the southside. The Romanesque cernel is the western part of the choir and the added eastern part of the nave built in granite ashlars upon a profiled plinth;  they are both extended, the nave probably twice to the west and the choir in the late Middle Ages to the east. In the 1800s the walls were partly covered with cement plaster, which did erade many traces, but a couple of Romanesque windows are seen, one in the south wall of the choir and one in the extension of the nave at the southside. At the same time as the eastern extension the choir got a Gothic rib vault. The porch, which originally is late medieval and in the 1700s was rebuilt with swayed gable steps, was completely re-bricked during the restore of the church in 1881, above the door is inserted a granite head from the Romanesque church. The western gable of the nave was re-bricked in 1787, which year and Chr. VII's (?) crowned monogram were seen here earlier, it was re-bricked again in 1881, a new main entrance and above the gable-top a bell step. Acc. to Pont. Atlas the bell also in the 1700s hang upon the western gable, but in earlier times there was supposedly a bell frame upon the northwestern corner of the church yard.

Herslev church with poplars (bell frame on hill in

background) (Google earth)

The inside of the church has a beamed ceiling in the nave, the choir arch is kept with profiled kragsten (corbels) and foot pieces. Upon a newly bricked communion table stands a late Gothic triptychon, carved by the local carver ( called the Herslev-master) with a biblical image. In the sidewings are 12 lesser apostle figures; upon the high predella was in 1736 painted biblical images, and at the same time the altarpiece got a top piece with Chr. VII's (?) crowned monogram, restored in 1919. Chalice from 1697. Wafer hide 1732. Upon the communion table stand two high, driven brass candelabres with winding shafts from the late 1600s. A Romanesque granite font upon a foot like a reversed cubic chapiters and with arcade motifs upon the basin. A south German baptismal dish from ab. 1575. A newer font-cover of pewter, given in 1911. The pulpit with a painted year 1601 has got fluted  Tuscany columns as a frame around round arched fields with later painted Evangelists. Upon the north wall of the nave hangs a large choir arch crucifix, probably from the same carver's workshop as the altarpiece. Upon the north wall of the nave hangs a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper, painted 1878 by M.P.Morvig and given to the church in 1880. A Romanesque gravestone in two pieces is by the door of the porch. At the door of the western gable lies a big gravestone from the 1600s with a worn inscription. Series pastorum upon the north wall.

Herslev vicarage, Google earth

Follerupgård
A farm in Follerup belonged in 1562 to Lave Brockenhuus (died childles in 1569); his brother's son, Ejler Brockenhuus exchanged in 1579 his part of 5 farms in Follerup to the Crown. The Crown sold in 1664 the village to colonel Lave Rodsteen (+ 1673), who later wrote himself of F., but in 1669 it came back to the Crown, which laid it out for military purpose ( ryttergods). When this was sold in 1765, one of the farms came to Niels Pedersen Smidt of Rønshave, who in 1776 sold it to Nik. Paulsen (+ 1808), who extended the farm and thereby founded Follerupgård. It came to H.N.Sønnichsen, later of Slumstrup, who in 1810 sold it to lieutenant Chr. N. Rønnenkamp, who in 1835 transferred it to his son-in-law, Ludvig Ferdinand Holst. He sold  it in 1859 to Chr. Bay (+ 1904),who extended it. His widow Mary Quistgaard sold it in 1911 to agriculture-candidate N. K. Nielsen, who in 1929 sold it to C. Buhl; in 1964 it was owned by his son H.C. Buhl.

Herslevgård belonged in1492 to Mourids Stygge, whose son's son by the same name in 1579 exchanged it to the Crown. The present H. was from 1851 owned by Peder Nielsen, 1887 his son Niels Pedersen, in 1911 by the son-in-law S.N. Sørensen, in 1964 by fru E.M.Hansen.

In 1479 is mentioned the deceased Christiern Andersen (Sandberg) in Højrup, his great-grandchildren Peder Eggertsen (Sandberg) and Mikkel Nielsen (Sandberg) and son-in-law Gilbert Jung exchanged in 1579 and 1581 the farm to the Crown.

Gravengård was sold by Inger Hermansdatter Pennov to canon Jon Pedersen, who in 1442 willed it to Ribe chapter. 

The common tinghus (judicial) for Elbo, Holman and Brusk herred (districts) was in 1687-1912 placed in Herslev village. Follerup village and Follerup mill were earlier considered to be under Holman herred.

In the parish was probably once a village Høvedgård (1442 Høwetgardh), in which the above mentioned Gravengård was placed.

During ploughing a field at Bolskov were in 1879 found 85 dalere (coins), mainly from Germany and Netherland, the youngest coin from 1655.

Listed prehistorics: a large hill at the church yard and a lesser hill Troldhøj in Kobbelskov.
Demolished or destroyed: 32 hills.

In a moor at Herslev were found two twisted bronze-necklaces. Several Iron Age settlements, especially along the southwest border of the parish. 

Names from the Middle Ages: Herslev (1231 Hærslef); Tolstrup (1484 Tolstrup); Højrup (1416 Bistop Hødrop, 1479 Høruph);  Follerup (1503 Falldrop, 1524 Ffollerop).

Source: Trap Danmark, Vejle amt, 1964. 
Photo: from Google earth.