Sdr. Stenderup church / Sdr. Stenderup kirke, Nørre Tyrstrup herred, Vejle amttland, Vejle amt.

Sønder Stenderup parish with many castle banks and small manors. 

Sdr. Stenderup Church, Nørre Tyrstrup herred, Vejle amt.

The large church in Sønder Stenderup has a Romanesque apse, choir and nave with a late Gothic western tower and a porch west of the tower, probably from 1869. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars upon a faintly marked, double plinth. The northside is almost untouched, where the nave has three, the choir two round arched windows. The other walls are very re-built, especially in a thorough repair in 1869, when the apse was rebuilt and the roof of the choir lifted in the same height as the nave. The apse has inside a late Gothic rib vault, while choir and nave have flat plaster-ceilings with stucco-decorations from 1869. The choir arch was removed. The late Gothic tower has a cross-vaulted bottom room with a pointed tower arch and a pyramid spire. The other parts of the tower are on the southside rebuilt in 1806 with iron anchers and initials of Chr. VII and C.W. von Ahlefeldt etc.

The altar piece is a joinery , probably from 1869, with a painting. Some apostel figures and a small crucifix, which is a fine carving from ab. 1500, all from an abandoned altar piece are kept in the church. The figures of the crucified robbers are in the museum at Koldinghus, while some other figures of Mary, Sct. Antonius and two bishop-saints are at the National Museum. The chalice is from ab. 1850, probably given by parish priest Johannes Petersen. Three pairs of altar candelabres: 1) very heavy early Renaissance ab. 1575 2) 1794, given by Jess Hansen Beck; 3) from 1886. Besides a fine early Gothic choir arch crucifix from ab. 1300 or a little earlier. A couple of side figures from ab. 1400 are in the museum at Koldinghus. A Romanesque granite font, smooth basin upon a circular foot with archades. A smooth copper bowl from the 1700s. A pulpit in neo-Renaissance, probably from 1869. A simple Renaissance-pulpit from 1618 is in the museum at Koldinghus. By the western and northern walls are galleries. Some plaster-reliefs by Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, pre-works of the kathoveddør (cat's head door) in Ribe Cathedral, were given to the church in 1922 by the artist and placed on the walls.  Bells: 1) 1886, by P.P. Meilstrup, re-cast from a bell from 1793 by Gamst; 2) 1901, by L. Andersen, Aarhus from a bell from 1701, Claus Rasmussen, Husum.  

Sdr. Stenderup, view from church yard.

in church yard

Many small manors in the parish:
Catrinebjerg , built 1923, threewinged, red bricks, whitewashed details. Owners: Jes Sørensen ( + 1818), Paul Tonnesen, 1883 Peter Chr. Juel Bogh, 1909 N.P. Stenderup, 1940 J.J. Bech.

Tygesminde, built 1873, red walls with decorative details. Owners: 1855 P.J. Brodersen, 1899 baron Preben Charles Bille-Brahe-Selby, 1908 Nis Schrøder-Jørgensen, 1938 H.C. Buhl, 1944 C.Vestergaard Frandsen, 1949 H.K.Madsen, 1950 captain L.K. Pay, 1957 count W. Schulin-Zeuthen.

Lykkesgård, built 1858-62, yellow Flensborg-bricks in carved granite ashlars with several decorative details. Facade painted white with grey details, other walls are yellow and blank. Owners: 1697 Jes Madsen, 1720 Anker Hansen, 1743 the son Hans Andersen, 1762 Jes Mikkelsen, 1800 Jes Thygesen, 1838 the son Jes Thygesen, 1886 his son cand. jur. Jes Thygesen (+ 1910) , 1912 O.L. Juhl, 1959 his son H.C. Juhl.

Lauridsminde, bilt ab. 1860, bricked, whitewashed. Owners: Laurids Poulsen, 1803 his son-in-law Hans Johansen, 1825 his son Laurids Hansen, 1857 his son Christian Christoffersen Bramsen, 1885 his son Laurids Hansen Bramsen and 1924 his son Christian Bramsen, 1948 the sons L. and A.C. Bramsen.

Juelsminde, built 1883, red bricks, one floor above high cellar. Owners: from 1723 the family Juhl, 1875 Claus Jensen Juel  (+ 1891), 1910 the son J.P.Juel, 1939 the son-in-law K.K.Back (+ 1940), 1940 his widow fru I.Back.

Fensbjerggård built 1864-66, large yellow washed at the edge of  Nørreskov. Owners: Jep Lauesen Beck, 1894 the son Christian Lauesen Frost , 1937 H. Andreasen (+ 1946), 1946 the son K.E.Andreasen.   

Varmarkgård built ab. 1800, large, whitewashed. Owners: 1818 Jep Pagh, 1839 Frederik Petersen, 1893 the son Anker Petersen, 1912 H.C.Juhl, 1913 R.P.Juhl, 1924 konsul A.C. Gjørding, 1928 graduate in agriculture K.W. Framming, 1941 J.O. Juhl (+ 1948), 1948 his daughter L. Juhl.

Stenderup Vargård (1564 Vargaard) belonged to Hartvig Smalsted ( ab. 1482) and the son Timme Smalsted, whose sister Helvig was m. to Anders Ebbesen (Ulfeld) (+ 1523). The farm came to their son Jost Andersen (Ulfeld) (+ 1563), whose son-in-law Mads Eriksen Vasspyd 1585 exchanged the farm to the Crown. 

Jens Pedersen of Stenderup is mentioned in1315. Birkefoged (bailiff) Jens Hugger owned in 1519 some land in S. and was in 1523 given Stenderupgaard by Frederik II. In1787 S. belonged to C.L.Zoega (+ 1829),  then to his widow Christiane Sophie Erichsen, from 1832 to J.C.Thygesen, then to his son P. Thygesen (+ 1888), and from 1894 to his son J.C. Thygesen, who 1913 sold it to P Juhl. In 1918 S. was sold by Ravn to Hansen, but P. Juhl bought it again. In 1922 it was sold to H. Wilckens, whose son G.P. Wilckens took it over in 1953. - The white washed main building was built 1807 by C.L. Zoega.

The closely built together Stenderup village burnt down in a violent fire 27 June 1807, which started at Stenderupgård; after this moved many large farms out and were rebuilt in their fields.

Skinkelsborg birk (judicial district). In 1407 bought queen Margrethe Skinkelsborg (1407 Skinkelsborgh, Skinkelborgh) from Claus Limbek. The farm had earlier been owned by Henneke Skinkel. 11. June 1442 was Eggert Frille endowed with Skinkelsborg vasalry. Still in the 1500s was the area a special vasalry, to which in 1542/1543 belonged some estate in Sdr. Stenderup, Agtrup, Sdr. Bjert, Binderup, Skartved, Strårup and Rebæk. In 1518 was the area a special birk (judicial district).

Many castle banks in the parish: 
In the moor ab. 650 m west-south-west of Lykkesgaard lies the (earlier large) medieval castle bank Skinkelsborg, which has been ploughed for many years. It has gradually been levelled. It is an irregular,  square castle bank ( ab. 58 x 53 m and earlier ab. 4 m high). To the north divided by a narrow moat is a lower bank , ab. 38 x 25 m, up to 2 m high. To the west is a border of meadows, while the other sides are surrounded by an up to 10 m broad moat, and outside by an up to 12 m broad damn. Outside this is the swampy moor, except to the northeast, where a 7 m broad, outer moat cuts off the plan by a natural rise in the meadow. Here are found rests of bricks.

The castle bank Borgsted Bakke (upon Griese's map from 1718-17 named Stensborg) lies by the coast ab. 700 m southeast of Rønshoved. It is a rounded-off castle bank, diameter ab. 25 m, placed outermost on the cliff towards the beach, a dry pit surrounds it on the landside and continues down to the beach protecting it on both sides with a steep natural slope. In the northern part of the bank was according to tradition  a place for canons in 1864.

By the beach, ab. 350 m north of Skovridergaarden lies another castle bank, placed in a natural edge of land stretching out towards the coast. The almost rectangular castle bank is to one side protected by a natural slope down to the beach, while a 3 m deep dry moat is laid out to the other sides. The top area of the bank is a little hollow and has some strange circular forward corners towards the landside.

In the northeastern outskirt of Sønderskov, about 200 m southwest of Dorthealund, lies the castle bank Husvold. A landtongue, which once stretched to the east out into the almost dry beach meadow, has been isolated from the higher placed land to the west by a large, originally water-filled L-shaped moat. This created  an almost triangular castle area (diameter ab. 60 x 70 m). The out-digged earth from the moat has been put up as banks on both sides of this castle area. The plan almost gives the impression of a prehistoric bygdeborg. ( a castle for a settlement).

From Stenderup Hage went the Swedish troops 30 January1658 across the ice over Lillebælt to Fønsskov.
Stenderup village burnt down in 1591. In Sdr. Stenderup burnt on 27. June 1807 21 farms and 36 houses and the vicarage. By the vicarage was a sacred well, Stenkilde.  


Names in the Middle Ages and the 1600s:
Sdr. Stenderup (1304 Stenthorp); Gammel Ålbo (1649 Gammelahlbode).

Listed prehistorics: 4 long dolmens, a dolmen chamber and 34 hills, mostly placed in the statsskovene (forests belonging to the State), the largest is a two-chambered long dolmen with a cover-stone near Skovridergaarden. Two large hills lie in the forest close to Fensbjerghus and in the garden of Kongens Hørgård.
Demolished or destroyed: a long dolmen, a round dolmen, 2 long hills and 70 hills.

Source: Trap Danmark, Vejle amt. 1964.

photo 11 August 2009: grethe bachmann