Helstrup church/ Helstrup kirke, Middelsom herred, Viborg amt.

Helstrup church, ab. 8 km west of Randers.

Helstrup parish, Middelsom herred, Viborg amt.


The small church in Helstrup without a tower lies surrounded by old boulder dikes upon a bank with a steep fall to south and west. The original sections are the Romanesque choir and nave in granite ashlars upon a bevelled plinth, and the bottom section of a late medieval western tower and a newer porch at the north side. From original details are kept a bricked-up circular window in the choir gable, a small untouched Romanesque window in the north side of the choir and a now bricked-up window in the north side of the nave. In the south wall of the choir is the vague trace of a socalled leprosy window, now partly covered by a large 1600s tombstone. All traces of the south door have disappeared, while the north door - with insertions of round sticks and bevelled consoles below a granite lintel - is still in use. A west tower from late Middle Ages, built in granite ashlars at the bottom and bricks it the top -  was later, before 1768, broken down till the height of the nave. The wallwork is partly renewed with small stones, the year in iron anchers shows this in the western gable: 1843 and the initials O.F. Rebuildings were made in 1875-77, possibly a reconstruction of the ashlars in the southern side wall. Inside the church, which has beamed ceilings, was the choir arch extended.

Upon a bricked communion table stands  a Neo Gothic oak frame from ab. 1840-50 and a contemporary altar painting. A Romanesque lion font with foliage. A small Netherland baptismal dish from the 1600s. Pulpit in Renaissance with carved year 1609 has Ionic columns and decorations - in the fields is inserted a star pattern. The pews, mostly from 1952, have kept two gables with the initials I.L.S. and A.P.D. and the year 1699. The bell without insctiption is in a frame upon the church yard, it is from the late Middle Ages. In a restoration in 1952 the tower room was connected to the nave in a pointed arcade.


Velbyrdig mand (Honourable man) Las Jonsen of Helstrup is mentioned in 1453 and 1455. From 1475 is mentioned Johan Pors in H. In 1482 he pawned a farm in H. to the bishop in Århus, but lived also in 1483 in H. It was probably also he, who as Pors in H. is mentioned up till 1488. In 1750 Helstrupgård was sold by Hans Adolf Høeg to manager Chr. Kollin.

In a groove between the hills and the meadow east of the road from Helstrup to the south is the sacred spring Helligvæld. 

There are no listed prehistorics in the parish but there were a stone cist, 6 hills and a grave from early Roman Iron Age, one of the hills Jabildshøj was large. In the stone cist were found an axe, a clay pot and several amber pearls.

Names from the Middle Ages: Helstrup (1216 Helfsdorp, 1453 Hælstrop).


News from Helstrup church: The church was restored in 2007, and the old altar piece was replaced by a new altar decoration made by the artist Dynes Fuglsang from Risskov, Århus.


Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt, 1962.

photo: borrowed from Google earth, 2013, gb.

Tørring church / Tørring kirke, Skodborg herred, Ringkøbing amt.

Tørring Church ab. 6 km west of Lemvig
Tørring sogn, Skodborg herred, Ringkøbing amt.

The high-placed church in Tørring has a Romanesque choir and nave with a late Gothic tower to the west. The Romanesque building is built in granite ashlar with double plinth. Both doors are bricked-up, besides are two bricked-up windows, one in the south wall of the nave, another in the choir to the north. In the south wall of the choir is a low-placed "spedalskhedsvindue"(leprosy-window) formed by two monolit cover stones. In the south wall of the nave are besides several ashlars with stone mason fields a stone with a pretty engraved cross. The original choir arch has profiled kragbånd. The nave has a beamed ceiling, and in the choir was built a cross vault in the late Gothic period. The late Gothic tower is built in monk bricks, re-used ashlars and granite boulders; it has a cross vaulted bottom room, which is furnished as a porch, since the pointed tower arch is out-walled with a door. A very low flat-curved door in the northeast corner of the room leads to the stair tower. The walls of the tower are mostly face walled, but the north gable still stands with six cut højblændinger(blænding = drawn-back area) and visible foot timber. At the reformation was in the north side of the nave inserted large flat-curved windows while the south side are from the late 1800s, when the gable top of the choir was re-walled in small bricks.



The communion table is covered in a panel from the middle of the 1600s with portal fields and baluster profiled pilasters. The altar piece is a simple Renaissance triptychon from 1601, given by Ove Lykke. It has paintings from 1673 in the wings. In the large field is a simple painting from ab. 1850 and in the top field a painting from 1814. A Baroque chalice from ab.1675, a Viborg-work by Peder Rasmussen. Heavy Baroque candelabres ab. 1650. A Romanesque granite font in West Jutland sepal-type. A small south German bowl ab. 1550-75 . A pulpit in Renaissance, ab. 1625, with volut pillars and portal fields, where in 1922 were painted copies of the Evangelispictures from the pulpit in Bøvling Church. Bell from 1506 with a long minuskelinscription in Latin, which mentions John the Baptist who is the saint of the church. It was probably cast by Peter Hansen. In the foot wall of the tower are two Romanesque granite grave stones and in the tower room two worn-out 1700s grave stones.



Vadskærgård belonged in the 1300s to Christiern Nielsen, who sold it to Jep Olsen Lunge. Later it belonged to Niels Friis, who is mentioned 1522, his son Godske Friis 1540-84 and his son Jørgen F. inherited the farm and bought likewise more estate for it, before he died unmarried 1661. It then went to his brothers' sons Otte Friis of Astrup and Mogens Friis, who later founded Frijsenborg and in 1662 bought Otte's halfpart of V. and some estate. In 1663 he exchanged the farm to rigsadmiral Ove Gjedde's heirs, of whom the son amtmand Knud Giedde (later of Hastrup, + 1707) became the sole owner. Later owners: Lange, Gjerum Holm, Levetzau, Dahl, Vadum, Gleerup, Andrup, Nyboe, Agger. Outparcelled by Jordlovsudvalget in the 1950s. Main parcel was owned by A. Lindemann and F. Lind Pedersen. The main building was built in 1860 by J.C. Agger.

In 1497 Søren Stygge of Søgård at Holmsland gave his rights in his farm "Sø" in Tørring sogn (parish) to Gudum kloster. In 1499 it was owned by Erik Ottesen Rosenkrantz of Boller. in1770 it was under Vadskærgård.

The main farm Sø was situated at the eastern section of Hornsø, where is seen an oblong rise just at the foot of the slope. When building a border dike here were found granite boulders and monk bricks, and at the edge of the lake found oak posts. The visible traces on the spot does not tell anything about the disappeared plan's character. A little east of this was a water-mill.

Upon a field at Halgård was according to Resens Atlas found a sacred well, Hr. Rafns Kild.

In a hill, named "Trollehøy" at Gjellerø (now Gjeller Odde) was said to be found in ab. 1600 a large bunch of "lædermønter" (leather coins) and gold coins.

From disappeared farms in the parish is Stjerneborg (1581 Sternborg); Brandsgård (1642 Brandtzgaard), Sig (1664 Siig); Gamsmark ( 1664 Gamsmarck) and Bremsløv (1664 Bremszløff). Furthermore the house Kneberholm (1688 Kneberholms Huusz). Underbjerg was also earlier named Tørringbjerg (1595 Under Thøringbierigh).


The railway Vemb-Lemvig-Thyborøn runs through the parish

A railway station named Victoria Street Station

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Tørring ( 1330-48 Tiringh, 1482 Tøring); Balleby ( 1523 Bolliby, 1595 Balbye); Gransgårde (1595 Grandtzbøll, 1664 Granndtzgaard); Underbjerg ( 1642 Under bierig); Lomforbæk (1595 Lombforbeck); Søgårde ( * 1462 Søegaardtz jordt); Kokholm (1547 Kockholm); Kallesø (* 1499 Kalsøø, 1558 Kallidsøe); Vadskærgård ( * ab. 1400 Vaseker, Vasekær, 1531 Waskiergaard, Weskergord); Lykkesgård (1628 Lyckisgaard); Ager (1638 Auer); Halegård (1638 Halgaard); Eskebæk (1638 Eskibeck); Nørkær (1638 Ved Kiær); Sejbjerg (1638 Seibiere); Lindskrog (1664 Lindz Krog); Stor (1664 Stoer); Veje (1614 Veye); Poldbjerg (1604 Pølborrig, 1688 Polborre boell); Bæksgård (1638 Begsgaard); Lovmandsgård ( 1549 Mattis Laamannds gaardt, 1638 Loumandsgaard); Hummersgård (1549 Las Hommers gårde,1638 Hummersgaardt).

Listed prehistorics: 18 hills, mainly on the hills north and east of Tørring Church, partly east and southeast of Kokholm. Several are rather large, like: 3 hills, i.e. Bavnehøj north of the church, Kløvenhøj at Kokholm and 3 hills west of Kallesø.
Demolished or destroyed: 27 hills. - In the small moor Sortkær southeast of Kallesø was found a clay vessel with 1800 amber pearls from the beginning of late Stone Age. In a hill at Nr. Kokholm was found a very rich grave from early Bronze Age, with sword and skaftehulsøkse ( axe) in bronze.

Source: Trap Danmark, Ringkøbing amt,1965.


photo Tørring kirke/ Thyborøn jernbane 2003: grethe bachmann