Fiskbæk church / Fiskbæk kirke, Nørlyng herred, Viborg amt.

Fiskbæk Church, ab. 10 km northwest of Viborg.
Fiskbæk sogn, Nørlyng herred, Viborg amt.

The small high-placed church in Fiskbæk is situated in surroundings, which were listed from 1949. It has a Romanesque choir and nave, built in granite ashlars. From original details are a bricked-up window in the east wall of the choir and in the south wall of the nave, while a small window in the north wall of the nave is still in use. Both portals of the nave are preserved, the northern walled, the southern at the porch still functions. The tower is probably from the late Middle Ages, in the bottom built in re-used ashlars, above in monk bricks; after the upper section of the tower had been broken down till cornice height, a half-timbered ridge turret with an onion-shaped spire was placed above the west gable. Inside the choir and nave have a beamed ceiling, while the tower room is vaulted. The Romanesque choir arch in granite ashlars with heavy kragbånd is preserved. Upon the north wall of the nave was in 1946 brought to light a fresco-painted year 1624.

Upon the wooden communion table stand two ore candelabres, given 1650 by Hans Olufsen and Else Bolisdatter in Løgstrup, and an altar piece, Lutheranian triptychon ab. 1600, decorated 1946, in the middle field a painting signed by J. Skovgård 1950, an older painting from the beginning of the 1800s hangs upon the wall in the church. A Romanesque granite font with a square base with corner heads and leaf ornaments upon the basin, like in Vorde, a baptismal bowl with the coat of arms of fru Alhed Urne, ab. 1550. A pulpit in late Renaissance has a carved year 1641, in the corners are pillars with decorations like in Ravnstrup. Upon the north wall of the nave a late Medieval crucifix ab. 1450. An old iron-mounted door wing between porch and nave. Church ship, the bark " Kohrasin" from 1946.


Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Fiskbæk (1263 Fiskæbek, Viskebæch, 1336 Feskebæk); Rogenstrup (1492 Raanstrop, 1524 Roenstrvp, Roeenstrop); Løgstrup (1408 Løghsthorp); Ørregård * 1440 Ørregaard(t)); 1461 Ørægardh); Snabe (1664 Snabe).

Niels Mikkelsen (Krabbe of Østergård) conveyed in 1336 as an inheritance after Peder Mikkelsen named Bonde, the eastern farm in Vormstrup to væbner Jakob Mikkelsen Palk. He in 1355 conveyed O. (Vormstrup = Ormstrup) to Mikkel Nielsen (Krabbe of Østergård), who in 1359 had conveyed from his late sister Maren's estate in the parish from his brother-in-law Jens Palnsesen Kældersvend. His son hr. Niels Mikkelsen (Krabbe) had in 1408 to give up his estate in Fiskbæk to queen Margrete for having violated the peace at the Thing. The estate was endowed to rigsråd Niels Clementsen (+ 1518), and then to Niels Mikkelsen's great-grandchild rigsmarsk hr. Tyge Krabbe, who in 1523 got the estate as his property.

Ørregård was in 1440 one of 12 canonpræbender at Viborg domkirke.( After the reformation the name was changed into Fly).Ø. was under Viborg domchapter until 1578, when it by the Crown was exchanged to Karen Krabbe (of Østergård), widow after Niels Skeel of Nygård, and her son-in-law Otte Banner. In 1663 it was under Tårupgård, whose managers usually lived there, but in 1724 Frederik Christian Høeg Banner had it.(+ 1744). Later owners:Müller, Stabell, Rønning, Mussmann , Thisted, later it belonged to Math. Skow. (+ 1890).

Løgstrupgård belonged in the end of the 1500s to the peasant Christen Pedersen, then his son Bolle Christensen (+ 1623). His son, forstander at Herlufsholm Christen Bollesen became the ancestor of the family Luxdorph.


at Hjarbæk fjord

At Fiskbæk (Hjarbæk fjord) was a part of the fleet which Knud den Hellige had gathered in 1085 for an expedition to England.

When digging a field in Fiskbæk were in 1831 found an ore pot with 8-9000 copper coins from Erik Menved and Christoffer II, hidden ab. 1328.

Listed prehistorics: southwest of Fiskbæk Bollerhøj with a dolmen chamber, furthermore 35 hils, of which several are rather large: Jonshøj and another hill south of Fiskbæk; east of Løgstrup two hills(one at Villumbjerg) and Søsterbjerghøj in a plantation, south of Rogenstrup Stolhøj and two other in a group of 5 hills; southeast of Rogenstrup Store Lergravshøj and close to the parish border Stingershøj, Nordre and Søndre Skelhøj.
Demolished or destroyed: a passage grave, a stone cist and 73 hills. - Kitchen middens are known fram Ørregård and Nybro.

Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt, 1962


photo Fiskbæk kirke/Hjarbæk 2007/2009: grethe bachmann

Bejstrup church / Bejstrup kirke, Øster Han herred, Hjørring amt

Bejstrup church, ab. 10 km southeast of Fjerritslev
Bejstrup sogn, Øster Han Herred, Hjørring amt.


The tower is rather big for a village church. The bottom part built in granite boulders ends in a fine archade - and the upper part of the square tower is built in 'monk-bricks'. Originally the tower was entirely built in granite boulders. Notice the triangular stone mason mark above the archade.

Bejstrup village church is a socalled 'Forhalskirke' (church with a front hall/vestibule). On occasions the parish priest is arranging evening songs in candle light in the big tower hall, since it invites for special arrangements.
Bejstrup Church was in the Catholic period inaugurated to St. Nicolaus. It has a Romanesque nave and choir, a later added western tower and a late Gothic porch to the north. The nave and choir is built in granite ashlars . Three original windows are on the north side, one in the choir and two in the nave are in use, the north door too, while the south door is an inside glare. The large choir arch with profiled kragsten is preserved. In the late Middle Ages was built a cross vault in the choir. The nave has a flat beamed ceiling. The tower is an interesting piece of Romanesque architecture. The bottom storey is built in granite ashlars upon a profiled double plinth. In several ashlars are carved crosses and other figures. The outer walls are ornamented with slender round arched archade glares. A western pillar portal forms an entrance to the tower room, which is equipped as a front hall and connected to the nave in two round arched arcades, supported by one heavy square pillar. Upon one of the ashlars in this pillar is a carved a swastika.

Stone figures at the bottom of a pillar. On the corner a human face.


Chessboard Pattern
The tower room is vaulted with four cupola vaults. In the northwest corner is built-in a stairway to the next storey, where the original look is unknown, since the upper section of the tower already in the Middle Ages was completely re-built in a mix of granite boulders and bricks. Until 1874 the tower had a gable roof, and upon the south side was the year 1797. Caused by dilapidation the whole tower was demolished in 1874. The bottom section was re-built with retention of all original details, while the upper section was re-newed in red bricks and was equipped with a four-sided pyramid spire. The porch was re-built contemporary, it is mostly in granite ashlars which probably origin from the original upper section of the tower.

An inside restoration was made in 1940. The walled communion table is covered in a pine panel. The altar piece is a protestantic triptychon from the end of the 1500s, in the middle field a painting from 1770. Altar candelabres of a late Gothic type. A Romanesque granite font. The baptismal bowl has the year 1689. A pulpit from 1584 with the name of a priest Thomis Pedersøn. The pews are re-newed from 1940. A church bell from 1640. Gravestones from the 1600s on the church yard, one grave stone with an indistinct inscription, probably from 1379. Several old church yard monuments, i.e. cast iron crosses in the eastern section of the church yard. A grave tree from 1822 and a child's grave tree are now at Nordjyllands Historiske Museum.

The tower room is a big hall to which an entrance leads from outside via a port of pillars. The entrance to the apse goes from the hall through two archade openings. The granite baptismal font is the oldest inventory from the first existence of the church. The pulpit is from 1584.
Upon the granite walls of Bejstrup church are many interesting stone figures and stone mason marks.



Bejstrup church

Names in the middle ages:
Bejstrup (1371 Bysdrop, 1410 Beesthorp); Manstrup (1462 Manstrup); Blegebrønde (1552 Blegebryundtt); Tanderupgård (1458 Tandrvp gardh); Sønderstrup (1477 Soønderstrvp).
The Børglum bishop had in the last half of the 1000s undoubtedly a farm in Bejstrup parish. Bejstrup's medieval name was 'Biskopstorp'. In 1086 Knud IV (den Hellige) stayed at the fortification Aggersborg, from where he wanted to gather a Viking fleet for England, but his hard methods made the Viking chiefs furious, and they chased him out of Aggersborg. Knud took temporary cover in Biskopstorp before he crossed Limfjorden by Aggersund and fled from his pursuers all the way through Jutland and to Odense, where he was murdered in the cathedral.

At Tanderupgård died in 1623 Niels Nielsen Griis. In 1664 it was owned by Knud Seefeld of Oksholm. In 1683 it was used by Niels Jensen Manstrup (+1702), whose widow Else Pallesdatter Griis (of Slettegård) in 1703 bought it from Anders Kjærulf of Bjørnsholm; she died the same year, but was then engaged to Peder Laursen Rod, the above mentioned Niels Jensen Manstrup's brother's son, who took copyhold of T. and ab. 1720 bought it for himself.

Nørgård in Bejstrup village was in 1664 owned by Jens Pedersen Rod and Hans Mandixen, or his widow Birgitte Ladebur. In 1688 it was owned by Laurs Jensen Rod etc., his daughter Karen Laursdatter Rod was married to tenant at Ågård and Ålegård Jacob Baltsersen (+ 1716).

Listed prehistorics: a two chambered long dolmen Grønhøj and a dolmen chamber, both at Bejstrup; at Manstrup one 70 m long longhill, possibly a long dolmen, where the stones have been removed. Furthermore 19 hills of which two at Blegebrønde and Manstrup are rather large.
Demolished or destroyed: 5 long dolmens, of which Mulhøj with a pentagonal chamber, a passage grave with a side chamber at Manstrup and 3 indefinable stone graves, furthermore 30 hills.
Source: Trap Danmark, Hjørring amt, 1960.

photo Bejstrup 170606: grethe bachmann