Dreslette church / Dreslette kirke, Båg herred, Odense amt.

Dreslette church, 10 km southeast of Assens

From the original ashlar church building in Dreslette, apse, choir and nave is preserved only the last mentioned, built upon a profiled double plinth; a south window and both doors are traceable, and from one of those is a re-used thympanon in a churchyard portal ; the thympanon has a relief with three persons. From the loft-room is visible that the west gable - which possibly was rebuilt in Roman time - is bipartite by two flatcurved niches, each with a little round-arched window. The curved, but probably extended triumph arch has profiled  kragbånd. The present choir with  a glare gable and two contemporary cross vaults with profiled ribs is probably from the 1300s, while the three cross vaults of the nave and a chapel on its south side is from the 1400s. To the west was a late Gothic tower and a porch in front of the south door of the nave, both demolished in 1785, but known from a painting (at Fensmark), which konferensråd Niels Ryberg let make, before he in 1785-87 carried through a large rebuild, which still marks the church completely. From this rebuild origins the present tower in three storeys with an iron- rail  surrounding a platform with a small building in the middle. The church yard is fenced by large boulder dikes and with several portals.














The inventory in the church origins mainly from the rebuild in 1785-87. The altarpiece, which is built together with the organ, the whitepainted baptismal font with a Romanesque basin, the round pulpit and the whitepainted light-gilt pews with shell-gables create a pretty interior in neoclassisistic style. The earlier altarpiece was from 1611. Altar candelabres from 1625. Altar rail in cast iron, Empire. The font with a sounding board  is a Djursland type. The pulpit with a sounding board has a la Greque decoration; the pews have kept their doors, seats and backs. The old organ above the altarpiece is out of use;  a new organ from the beginning of the 1900s upon a contemporary west gallery. A money block in iron with R. B. 1792. Bells: 1) 1693, cast by "Baltzer Melchior"  2) 1849 by H. Gamst and H.C. Lund, Kbhvn. -  In the church are several grave memorials. Outside a grave chapel for family Ryberg, Falbe. Memorials on the church yard from 1700s and 1800s.

Flenstofte is mentioned the first time in 1295. Later, probably between 1330-1357; it belonged to the Holstein grafs. In the second half of the 1400s it was owned by hr. Johan Hwitkop (Krummedige)(+ earliest 1493), who sold it together with Sandholt and other estate to rigshofmester Poul Laxmand (+ 1502), after whose death it together with his other property was taken by the Crown, which endowed it, first to the vasal on Hindsgavl Gjord Nielsen (Drefeld) (+ 1520), who was married to Poul Laxmand's widow Kirsten Eriksdatter Banner, and then in 1521-27 to hr. Johan Bjørnsen (Bjørn)(+ 1534).  It seems that F. at that time was only a peasant-farm, in 1527 resided by Per Hansen. The same year a part of Poul Laxmand's estate, also F., was given back to his children Peder Laxmand (+ latest 1532) and Else Laxmand (+ 1546), widow after Abraham Eriksen (Gyldenstierne)( + 1514). After her death the estate went to Peder Laxmand's widow Beate Pedersdatter Pors (+ earliest 1547) and her sons Poul (+ 1557) and Erik Laxmand. Poul Laxmand's widow Thale Holgersdatter Ulfstand (+ 1604) seems to have owned F. until her death. Jacob Madsen's visitatsbog (a priest-book) mentions her as owner in 1589. In 1648 was F. owned by kancellisekretær Corfitz Rosenkrantz (+ 1653), who from a peasant farm again made it into a main farm by adding 4 common farms. In 1652 he sold F. with 6 common farms and some houses to rigsmarsk Anders Bille of Damsbo (+ 1657), who also owned Løgismose, with which F. was joined until 1797, when grev Trampe sold F. and estate to manager at Hvidkilde, Rasmus Rasmussen, who in 1799 sold it to agent later etatsråd Johan Chr. Ryberg (+ 1832). Later owners: Damsboe, Beck. Owner in 1956 was Carl C. Branth.


Sommersholm was in 1490 and ab. 1500 resided by Jesper, probably a peasant. In 1572 fru Thale Holgersdatter Ulfstand had a feud with fru Ide Norby, widow after Bild Nielsen (Kruckow) about S., which king Hans had sold to Jacob Norby, why it later was given to fru Ide. In 1614 it belonged to fru Karen Skram, in 1635 to the vasal at Hagenskov hr. Jørgen Brahe of Hvedholm, who between 1636 and 1639 exchanged it to the Crown, which placed it under Hagenskov vasalry, but in 1665 it was exchanged to amtmand Niels Banner (+ 1670), whose son Chr. Banner's (+ 1693) widow Mette Arendsdatter von der Kuhla  (+ 1709) in 1707 sold S.to generalmajor Frantz Joachim von Dewitz of Frederiksgave and Hindsgavl (+ 1719).

Listed prehistorics: West of Dreslette a dolmen chamber with two cover stones, at Flenstofte the long dolmen Vielandshøj with two chambers, one with a cover stone, at Snave a dolmen chamber with a large cover stone and a hill, in the forest Smørhaven a rest of a round dolmen and a hill; close to the beach in Nældemose Skovhave a dolmen chamber without cover stone.
Demolished: 14 hills, of which 9 were at Flenstofte mark (field).

From Strærup is a grave-find from late Bronze Age with arm ring and needle in gold etc.; two later Bronze Age's finds come from the parish. (from Sommersholm and the moor Dammet).


Names from the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Dreslette (1345 ? Dreslette 1420 Dreyslæte); Brydegård (1484 Brydegaard); Snave (1484 Snabe); Skårup 1345? Skorrup, 1475 Skorderopp); Strærup (1397 Stædorp, 1425 Stræthurp); Mullerød (1475 Mwlrwdh); Brunshuse (1688 Brunbierg Huss) Agernæs (ab.1425 Aghernes); Flenstofte (1295 Flænstoftæ); Ørbæk (1475 Ørebech); Nørregård (1396 Nørrægorde); Sommersholm (1490 Simmersholm, ab. 1500 Semmerzholm, Sømersholm, 1639 Sommersholmb).

Source: Trap Danmark, Odense amt, 1956.

photo 1999: grethe bachmann