Karby church /Karby kirke, Morsø Sønder herred, Thisted amt.

Karby church


The interior


The Renaissance pulpit


The Baroque sounding board above the baptismal font


Coat of arms on a church stool , (Thomas Kaas of Ørndrup , his maternal coat of arms)


Romanesque remains by the wall


One of the lion reliefs on the church wall
Karby Church is placed upon a hill in the middle of Karby village near Visby bredning (a bay) by Limfjorden. It is the largest village church upon the island of Mors and is called "The Cathedral of Mors'" The original building in granite boulders is from 1100s, and the rest is built by stages.The large church in Karby is both with its strange Romanesque architecture and its rich inventory of immense antique interest. The Romanesque apse, chorus and nave were followed by five Gothic additions , the porch, tower, sacristy, a western addition and the southern chapel.

The apse and choir are in granite ashlars, built in a primitive technique suggesting high age. The apse was originally higher than now, it has a corniche frieze in ashlars with round arched fields, it is decorated with reliefs. Two ashlars with lions frame the walled-in east window, which is not visible in the changed outer wall. Inside the window is bricked up below the cover store from the outer window. In the choir are some ashlars removed and re-used in the south chapel. Apse and choir ar both circular, the apse with kragsten, the choir without. The Romanesque section of the nave is in raw field stones.

The south door has disappeared and profiled frame ashlars placed on the north side of the nave probably origins from here. The north door is very changed, two of its frame ashlars are placed in the walls of the porch which was built in front of this door. The porch is now used as a tool shed. It is built in monk bricks above a single ashlar course. The western extension's north wall is ashlar in the bottom and monk bricks above. The heavy western tower has ashlars and raw boulder at the bottom and monk bricks above. The tower room with the original cross-vault opens to the nave in a broad point-arched archade. Access to the middle storey of the tower by a free stairway to the north.

The sacristi at the north side of the choir is built in monk bricks above an ashlar course. It has an original cross-vault and a door to the choir. The large south chapel is built in ashlars and raw boulder, partly re-walled after a fire in 1946. The chapel has a round-arched archade to the nave and the windows of the chapel are like other windows of the church much changed. The vault of the sacristi is covered in frescoes from the 1700s of achantus runners and circular medaillons with figures of the Evangelists.

The Romanesque granite communion table is covered in a Renaissance panel with archade-fields from ab. 1600, the top is a monolite-plate and has a relique covered with a stone. The altar piece is Bruskbarok (from ab. 1690) with painting from 1920, the earlier and original painting hangs upon the wall of the nave. The Romanesque granite font is of Morsing-type ; it has a richly decorated Baroque sounding board. The baptismal basin is a Nürnberg-work from ab. 1575. Above the north door of the nave is a small choir-arch crucifix from ab. 1700. The pulpit origins from ab. 1600 with pietistic paintings and a new sounding board with a pidgin. Except the pews beelow the gallery and in the south chapel the pews in the church are Renaissance from 1600-25. Two pews are richly decorated and has the paternal and maternal coat of arms of Thomas Kaas and Anne Vind. The pews by the north door have pretty carved panels. A western gallery from 1680 with contemporary paintings and an organ from 1904. An iron bound pengeblok (money block) Two church bells from 1638 cast by Jørgen Hansen in Århus and Franz Voillard of France.

North of the nave is a strange arrangement of four granite posts which were found in 1913 under the floor of the nave.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Karby (*1297 Karleby)
Næs (* 1418 Nees); Torp (* 1505 Thorp); Agerøby (1688 Aggerbye); Ørndrup (*1452 Ørndrup).

Ørndrup belonged in 1452 to Christen Borre, in 1455 to Mogens Borre and later to Erik Høeg (of the family Banner), who fell in Ditmarsken in 1500. His sister Abel Høeg brought it to her husband Niels Kaas (of the family with a sparre (chevron) in their coat of arms, who was the owner of Ørndrup in 1504 and 1511. In 1523 and 1540 it belonged to their son Mogens Kaas, after him to his sons , Niels, Iver and Jens Kaas. The last mentioned died in 1609, his son's son Thomes Jensen Kaas of Ørndrup died in 1651. His daughter Kirsten Kaas (+1693) married Valdemar Skram - the peasants of the district still sang a libellous song about her in the 1700s. Various owners up till the present.

Næs was earlier a farm of the nobility, where in 1418 Mogens Andersen lived and after him it belonged to his daughters Marine, (Peder Svendsen's widow) and her sister. The last mentioned was married to 1) Poul Jensen (or Nielsen), and 2) to Christen Lauridsen. The son of first marriage, the priest Jens Poulsen made an attempt to gather the estate Næs by out-buying his maternal aunt in 1485 and his many half-siblings and then gave it to Voer Kloster in 1490. He had a co-owner, his half brother Laurids Christensen, who also bought parts of the farm and in 1501 pawned a part of Næs to Dueholm Kloster. His sister Kirsten Christensdatter pawned in 1510 a part of Næs to Vestervig Kloster and was still at Næs in 1515. In 1474 Erik Abildgård was mentioned at of Næs.

Belonging to Ørndrup is mentioned the house Spangen (1664 Spangen, 1688 Spanhutte) and Strandmølle (1664 Stran Mølle).

Listed prehistorics: At Ørndrup the passage grave Torshøj (1638 Tudsberge Høje) with a chamber of 10 carrying stones, but only one cover stone preserved. The hill Arbjergtorn at the vicarage.
Demolished or destroyed: 35 hills, i.e. 3 Trealshøje (1638 Treellshøje) south of Karby.

A large stone in Limfjorden between Karlby and Heltborg. - Klingersten(e) in Torshøj Dyb close to the water's edge north of Ørndrup.

Source: Trap Danmark, Thisted amt, 1961
photo 24 August 2007:grethe bachmann

Tæbring church /Tæbring kirke, Morsø Sønder herred, Thisted amt.

Tæbring church


Tæbring church with free-standing bell tower


Gallery


Romanesque granite Communion table under the white cloth


Renaissance Pulpit


A view to Dragstrup Vig (Bay).
The small Romanesque granite church without a steeple in Tæbring is placed upon a coast brink by Dragstrup Vig (bay). There is a fine view to Limfjorden from a bench behind the church dike, from where the cliff falls steeply down to the bay.

The Romanesque sections of the church are built in well-carved granite ashlars and the walls have several stone mason marks. The church was built ab. the 1100s and restored in the beginning of the 1900s. The choir and nave are Romanesque and the porch from 1919. The choir has Romanesque windows to the east and north, probably re-walled at present. The other windows in the church are from 1919. The well-kept Romanesque choir arch has various profiled kragsten The south door with a straight cover stone is original, though somewhat changed in the outer wall. The bricked-up north door is a glare inside and outside distorted. The porch from 1919 was a replacement of an earlier porch. In 1919 the wooden bell frame by the south wall was moved out into the church yard as a freestanding bell tower.

In the nave and upon the triumph arch are over-chalked fragments of late Gothic and after-Reformation frescoes. A Romanesque communion table is in granite ashlars , originally freestanding, but now placed by the east wall. In the profiled cover plate(in four ashlars)of the altar is a reliquary in an unusual form. It has two relique holes, one heart-shaped and the other square. The altar piece is a simple Renaissance work from ab. 1620. The painting in the large field is of Johan Thomas Skovgård from 1935. A small Romanesque granite font with a smooth basin, re-carved at present. The granite baptismal font and Communion table are from the first building of the church. A south German baptismal bowl from ab. 1575. A pulpit of Næssund-type from ab. 1600, with entrance via the Triumpfh wall, in the large fields are roughly re-painted Evangelist-paintings. The pews, the priest stool in the choir and a grandiose gallery with harmonium origin from the main restoration in 1918-19. At Dueholm kloster is a rather damaged choir arch-crucifix from the church.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Tæbring (* 1386 Tybring, *1424 Tæberingh, 1478 Tæbring); Votborggård (* 1435 Wotteborgh, 1452 Votborgh); Votborg Vandmølle (1664 Wotborig Mølle).

Votborg was earlier a manor. In 1435 and 1453 is mentioned Peder Nielsen Bomøve (Lange-Munk) of Wotteborg, whose widow Inger Kaas ( from the family with a sparre (chevron) in their coat of arms) in 1459 wrote herself "aff Wottborg." It seems that she left V. to her brother's son Jens Nielsen Kaas, who in 1477 wrote himself to V. In 1667 it was by Anders Sandberg of Kvelstrup exchanged to magister Jakob Faber. Various owners up till present.

Northeast of Vothorg was the medieval Votborg's Voldsted (castle bank) which except the listed small rests of a castle yard is completely down-ploughed. According to earlier informations the bank consisted of a low rectangular bank surrounded by moats and banks. No findings are known from the place.

Listed prehistorics: The hill Skelletoftehøj at Tæbring.
Demolished or destroyed: 13 hills.
Source: Trap Danmark, Thisted amt, 1961

photo 24. Ausust 2007: grethe bachmann

Dragstrup church / Dragstrup kirke, Morsø Sønder herred, Thisted amt.

Dragstrup Church

Butterflies on the churchyard

The old church dike

The sacred well

The sacred well
The Romanesque church in Dragstrup is built in granite ashlars in ab. the 1100s. The porch iin small bricks is from 1870. The church is situated in a glade in a small forest on the western part of the island Mors near Limfjorden. The church yard is surrounded by a dike of big granite boulders, and in its north eastern corner is a sacred well, named the "Mary-Magdalene well" which supposedly cured eye diseases. The well was probably the reason why the church was built at this spot.

In the walls of the church are many stone mason marks, and the rests of a leprosy window is in the southern wall. The north door is untouched, while the south door is walled in.
The choir arch in the church with various profiled kragsten frame stones is original, and all the ceilings are beamed. The magnificent Romanesque granite baptismal font and the granite Communion table are from the first building of the church. The font has imaginative dragon figures and is considered one of the prettiest in Denmark. In the Communion table is a hiding place for a relic. The rest of the interior is from the 1500s. Sections from an earlier altar piece are now in Morslands Museum at Dueholm.

The church bell is from the 1400s and is placed in a modern 'glamhul' (window hole) in the gable.

Names in the Middle Ages:
Dragstrup (*1435 Dragzstrup)
Vester Jølby (*1433 Wester Julby); Dragstrupgaard (1581 Drastrupgaard); Digsind(*1433 Digsændæ, * 1435 Digisendæ) ; Kærgaard (1661 Kiergaard).

West of the road between Dragstrup and Ovtrup is the 'Voldsted' Kobbervold (embankment from a castle), a low square bank 57 x 57 m surrounded by a now dry and almost quite ploughed out moat and now closely plant.

A manor Digisende is mentioned in 1400, where Lage Urne's maternal aunt Maren seemingly gave it to Dueholm Convent. The convent gave it to Brune Erik Banner in 1435. Possibly it is the same manor named Clostergaardt in 1520 in Vester Jølby.

There are no listed prehistorics in the parish but there were once 12 grave hills. According to Pont. Atlas was at V. Jølby mark (field) a dolmen, Visti Stol. At Dragstrup was a kitchen midden and in a meadow close to Dragstrup Aa (water stream) was found a mould for a bronze sword.

Source: Trap Danmark, Thisted amt, 1961

photo 240807: stig bachmann nielsen Naturplan Foto & grethe bachmann

Vor Frue Kirke, Århus

Vor Frue Kirke, Århus

Interieur , in the middle the entrance to the early crypt

The alter piece, inspired by Claus Berg's workshop

Detail of altar piece

The crypt from the 1000s

The crypt, detail

The crypt, detail

Text later

photo 2006: grethe bachmann

A Fine Dog by Skaføgård

He belonged there on Skaføgård, not a dangerous watch dog , but a very friendly one.

photo: gb

Kettrup church /Kettrup kirke, Vester Han herred, Thisted amt.

Kettrup church in 2006, usually the tower is white-chalked.


Interior


Granite baptismal font from 1100s


Pulpit from 1573


Chessboard

Kettrup church has a Romanesque apse choir and nave, a late Gothic tower to the west and porch to the south. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars. The granite part of the church is from the 1100s like the granite baptismal font, tower and porch in bricks are from ab. 1500.
Both doors are preserved, the south door round-arched, the north door straight. The original windows are kept in the apse and in the north wall of the choir. The apse has inside a later built monk bricks vault, while the re-walled apse arch has Romanesque kragsten. (profiled edge stones) The circular choir arch has a profiled Attic base and profiled kragsten. The Triumph wall is partly dressed in ashlars. About 1500 a late Gothic tower of the same broadth as the nave was built in re-used ashlars and yellow monk bricks. Its bottom room has an octagonal cross vault and a pointed tower arch. A door in the middle storey stands without a stairway. The smooth gable and the faced walls are probably from 1801 and the porch is very likely from the same time as the tower but without details. The building was restored in 1923-24 ( plus renovations in 2006) .On the southern wall are two chessboard patterns.

The altar piece from 1612 is a højrenæssance High Renaissance (in DK ab. 1580-1610) with Tuscany pillars . In the middle field is placed a small house altar piece from 1561, a Netherland work with biblical alabast reliefs. The Romanesque chorus arch is preserved, the stools are from the 1600s. In the middle of the altar piece is a small house altar from 1561 in alabast reliefs from the Netherlands, given to the church by the owner of the manor Aagard, who also gave the pulpit in 1573. A Romanesque granite font with a pyramid foot with archades and animal ornaments. A south German baptismal basin from ab. 1575. The pulpit is from 1573 and likely aa Aalborg-work, in ungrenæssance, early Renaissance(in DK from 1400-1500) with the coat of arms of Henrik Gyldenstierne, Lisbeth Brahe and Mette Rud. Pews from ab. 1600.-25, the upper pews with Ionian pilasters. A large, probably late Gothic coffin with heavy iron mounting and lock. A church bell from the 1300s, no inscription, Gothic shape.


Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Kettrup (1401 Kætthorp, 1447 Kæætrop); Øslev (1470 Øsløff); Husby (1467 Hwsby); Trustrup (*1487 Trudstrup); Drøstrup (1458 Drostrup, 1477 Drøstrvp); Korsholm (*1320 Korsholm); Øster & Vester Keldgård ( 1488 Kielgard, 1552 Westre Kieldgaard, 1664 Øster Kieldgaard); Kragholm ( 1467 Kraagholm, Kragholm); Skærpinggård (1466 Skyerping) Studsgård ( 1664 Stubsgaard); Siggård( 1467 Siigord).

Ågård belonged for a long time to the family Gyldenstierne. The ex-marsk Erik Nielssøn Gyldenstierne of Ågård is mentioned in 1355, where he had to give the king most of his estate, while he still had Han herred and Næsbo fjerding as a vasalry of the Crown. His son Niels Erikssøn died ibefore 1388, his widow Christine was the owner of Å. in 1388. The son Peder Nielssøn (+ between 1409-1412) inherited Å., but also his brother Erik Nielssøn Gyldenstierne of Tim wrote himself as the owner of Å. in 1423 and 1426. He possibly only had a part of Å. and administered it for his brother's son, Niels Pedersøn (+ ab. 1456), who possibly was not yet of age. In the rebellion in 1441 Å. was burnt down and a contemporary tting-witness tells that Niels Pedersen "kom aff sin gardh icke wthen meth en staff i sin handh" (he was completelty ruined). He wasn't a poor man though, since he inherited much estate, i.e. in Han herred and Hannæs, and his son, rigsråd Mourits Nielssøn of Ågård (+ 1503 or 1504) was an eager collector of estates, he owned about 600 farms; i.e. in the nearby area of Ågård he inherited 76 farms. His widow Margrete Turesdatter Bielke died in 1507, and Å. went to the only child Anne Mouritsdatter, widow after Oluf Stigsøn Krognos. A few years later she married Predbjørn Claussøn Podebusk (+ 1541). Anne died in 1545, and in the division of the estate after her in 1550 her son of first marriage Mourits Olufsøn Krognos got one half of Ågård, the other half went to her only child of second marriage Jytte Predbjørnsdatter Podebusk. Her husband, the last Catholic Odense-bishop Knud Henriksøn Gyldenstierne (+ 1568), gathered Ågård estate by buying his brother-in-law's half-part. After this came the son admiral Henrik Gyldenstierne (+ 1592) and his son Knud Gyldenstierne, + childless in 1627. His widow Sophie Lindenov sold in 1630 Å. to her mother Margrete Rosenkrantz, widow after Hans Johansen Lindenov. Later various owners: family Rantzau, Benzon, Hviid, Mylius, Roulund etc.

Between the country road and the main building of Ågård is an overgrown voldsted (castle bank), a large medieval work of two almost square banks with moats, surrounded by a moor
(originally a lake), which was diked by still partly preserved dikes.On the northern bank are still raw boulder foundations and monk bricks. Probably origins from a four-winged plan, but it has not been possible to decide whether these ruins are from the building which was burnt down in 1441. In the moor are some driven in posts. The plan can be registered as a castrum-curia-plan.

In a letter from 1320 is said the Korsholm is owned by the monks of Vitskøl.

In 1467 it is witnessed that Kragholm and all its estate was given to Vor Frue altar in Kettrup Church for masses, which Mourits Nielsen Gyldenstierne of Ågård's ancestors established in the old days.

South of Kettrup is a hillside named Skt. Jørgensbjerg, where was a battle 6/6 1441 between Christoffer of Bayern and the rebellious north Jutland peasants. The peasants, who was lead by the nobleman Henrik Tagesen Reventlow, suffered a bloody defeat. A folksong accuses the morsingboer and tyboer (people from Mors and Thy) of having let down the vendelboerne (people from Vendsyssel), but this cannot be proved. 15/7 1945 a memorial was raised in Husby Hole.

Listed prehistorics: a long dolmen without a chamber at Vester Keldgård, a passage grave Klovenhøj with a 3 1/2 m long chamber with two cover stones south of Kettrup and 19 hills, of which two at Husby are rather large.
Demolished or destroyed: Not less than 126 hills, most of them on the hillside in the eastern part of the parish.

At Husby Hole was a sacred spring, Skt. Jørgens Kilde.

Source: Trap Danmark, Thisted amt, 1961.

photo 16 June 2006: grethe bachmann

Gøttrup church / Gøttrup kirke, Vester Han herred, Thisted amt.

Gøttrup Church


Interior


Romanesque granite font with leaf ornaments and pyramid foot.


Upon the northern choir arch is a strange reclining human figure from the 1100s.


Chess board


On each side of the porch door is a walled in tombstone, respectively from 1625 and 1629. They were used as doorsteps at Gøttrup Nørregård but were brought back to the church in 1922 and walled in.

Gøttrup Church has a Romanesque apse, choir and nave and a late Gothic western tower and a porch to the south. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars. The south door is unchanged with a cover stone while only the bottom sections of the walled-in north door is visible. From original windows is one preserved in the apse with cover stone and frame stone and one in the north wall of the choir as an outside niche. Several window stones are walled-in in the north side of the tower and a cover stone is placed on the south side.

The apse has inside a half cupola and an apse arch with profiled frame stones. The circular choir arch has very various profiled frame stones, which to the north side has a primitive relief of a human figure with outstretched arms. The late Gothic tower from ab. 1500 has the same broadth as the nave and is built in re-used ashlars and yellow monk bricks. The cross vaulted bottom room with a pointed arch has a round arched window to the south. A new wooden staircase leads to a door in the north side of the middle floor. The porch from ab. 1500 has no original details. The choir and nave has beamed ceilings and the roof works are in old oak wood. The whole building was restored in 1924-25 and in 1958-59. A chapel was built at the same time.

The altar piece is in Renaissance from 1585 (triptychon ) and the middle field is a painting from ab. 1700. A Romanesque granite font with leaf ornaments upon the basin and a pyramid-foot with achades. A baptismal basin from 1695. A simple pulpit from 1579 with naive animal-reliefs and a contemporary sounding board. Pews from 1600-25, later restored and changed. At the organ from 1908 are sections from a gallery, probably from 1612. A church bell from ab. 1500 by Albert Poulsen. Epitaph of major Parmo Speitzer, + 1735, and wife. Grave stone: 1) Anders Nielsen + 1625 2) Chr. Chrestensen, + 1629.


Names in the Middle Ages and the 1600s:
Gøttrup ( 1447 Gyøttrop).
Kolborg Huse (1552 Koldborrig); Bjergegaarde (1458 Bieræ, 1610 Synnderbierre, 1688 Bierregaard); Sløjhuse (*1508 Sløenn, 1664 Sløien); Stjerslev (1664 Stiersleff); Vestermøllegaard (1610 Westermølle); Korsbæk (1664 Korsbech); Tinglavgaard (1664 Tienlaugaard); Storestrand (1552 Strannd,1664 Stoerstrand); Havgaard (1664 Haffgaard); Nr.Bjergegaard (1552 Nørbierg); V. Drøstrup ( *1508 Vester Drøstrup); Vestenbækgaard (1688 Huuse wed Bechen.)

Kristoffer Frederik Petersen lived in Gøttrup and owned some strøgods ("scattered" estate) - 1795.

In the parish was a farm/manor Brostrup (1610 Broustrup)

The parish with its low-placed land had no special prehistoric settlements, there are no listed memorials, but there were 4 hills, now demolished.

In Gøttrup Rimme was found a depot with 12 flint-planks, and north of G. was noted a settlement from Roman Iron Age.

From the churchyard is a wide view over the landscape and to Kettrup Church.

Source: Trap Danmark, Thisted amt, 1961

photo 16 June 2006: grethe bachmann

Lild church / Lild kirke, Vester Han herred, Thisted amt.

Lild Church

Interior

Baptismal font older than the church.


Fine church ship


God's Lamb

Lild Church is in its present look probably the youngest in the district. It has a late Gothic choir and nave, a tower to the west and a porch to the south plus an extension from ab. 1840 to the north. The low building is in its whole probably built in the late Gothic period, likely after 1460. The walls are mostly in raw field stones, although with some monk bricks in the upper sections. From original details are only the south door in a point arched frame and the bricked-up flat round-arched north door.

The inside of the church has beamed ceilings, the choir arch is vaguely curved with simple brick-profiles in the frame stones. The small tower is contemporary with or only a little younger than the nave and in the same materials. It has a pointed tower arch and an octagonal cross vault in the bottom room. The gables are pretty new and the tower was possibly higher than it is now. The porch is also late Gothic but without preserved details except two small flat curved holes in the walls. A cross arm on the north side of the nave is of the same character as the extension at Klim Church from 1847. A Romanesque thympanum with a cross-bearing lamb is bricked-up in the east window of the church and origins from Tømmerby Church. The building was renovated in 1938.

The whole church room was decorated with late Gothic frescoes, which an examination in 1939 showed to be so badly kept that a restoration was impossible. From the original communion table is kept a plate and as an altar decoration is a carved wooden crucifix from ab. 1942 by Axel Poulsen. A simple granite font, medieval, but of indefinable age. A pulpit from the end of the 1500s of the same type as in Gøttrup church. Church bells 1) 1674 by Arent Kleiman in Lübeck 2) cast 1920 by Smith's Støberier in Aalborg for Haderslev Vor Frue.


Bulbjerg Klint

Bulbjergknuden lifts high above the low Stone Age sea land and end out to the sea in a 40 m high steep Bulbjerg Klint (1503 Bwlbierig, 1625 Bulbjerg Klint). It consists of limestone (bryozokalk) from the Cretaceous Period (danium-period) with flat curved strokes of flint. In about 100 m distance out into the sea was the strange pillar Skarreklit, also limestone and flint, which some years ago lifted 15 m above sea level, but it has now eroded to be just a small stone above the water.

Names in the Middle Ages and the 1600s:
Lild (1363 Lyllæ kyrky, * 1430 Lille sogen, * 1438 Lillekiercke sogen);
Lund (* 1447 Lundt, 1471 Lundh); Bjerget (* 1504 Biere, 1552 Biergit); Kæret ( * 1553 Wester Kier, 1610 Paa Kierett); Nørklit (1552 Nørre Clitt); Koldkær (1483 Kolkeer); Rotbøl (1470 Rotbøøll); Myrup (1483 Meyrup, 1552 Myrrup); Holegård (1573 Holle, 1664 Huoull); Rolsgaard (1483 Rolszgaardt); Vabesgård (* 1438 Wathbeck, 1664 Wabech).

Rolsgård was a farm belonging to nobility. In 1458 Roldsz jordt and in 1483 Rolszgaardt is mentioned, and in 1538 the owner was Anders Griis, after him his sons Palle Griis (+1577) and Vogn Griis, who wrote himself to R. in 1565. The last mentioned's widow Maren Jensdatter Fredberg lived at R. in 1586. Her three sons Vogn Vognsen Griis, Jakob Griis and Anders Griis (+ ab. 1650) were all the owners of R., while their sister Karen Griis had to give up all her inheritance , since she had married a peasant. Ab. 1650 R. was owned by Jens Vognsen Munk (of the family Kid) whose father Vogn Krag of Nørtorup had a pawn in R. In 1662 Jens Vognsen Munk sold it to a peasant. Various owners.

A farm Kolsgård ( *1442 Kpolszgaard, * 1458 Kuldtzgaardt) or Kvolsgård, is mentioned in 1442, when it belonged to the rural dean of Mors and Han herred, Palle Sonezen. He conveyed in 1447 Maren Madsdatter a part in K ; and the same year Else Ubbis gave her brother Sone Persen her part except a small section land. Some family members later sold their part to Mariager Kloster in 1461. In 1552 was marsk Erik Banner of Asdal and Kokkedal the owner of Kolsgård by deed of conveyance. The farm was named Rolsgård at once occasion which very likely was a mistake.

Mariager Kloster once owned the settlement Klitten (* KLitte, 1452 Clitten), which possibly is identical to Nørklit.

Listed prehistorics: An almost digged-up hill at the church yard. Some stone rows and high upright stones in the desolate terrain south of Bulbjerg, which is covered in shifting sand. The terrain is named Troldting, in places where the sand has blown away is seen large remains from settlements from dolktid (DK 2400-1700 bc) and from Bronze Age, especially flint and clay pot pieces.
Demolished or destroyed: 7 hills, of which 6 hills were on the hillside north of the church.

Source: Trap Danmark, Thisted amt. 1961

photo June 2006: grethe bachmann

Lild Little church /Lild lillekirke, Vester Han herred, Thisted amt.

Lild Little Church is situated by the coast in the fishing village by the North Sea. The building was earlier a lifeboat station.

photo: grethe bachmann

Hansted church /Hansted kirke, Hillerslev herred, Thisted amt.

Hansted Church is a parish church for the Hanstholm citizens and is situated outside the city.


Interior


The Romanesque granite font, a Thybo-type with relief lions.


The Danish word for this bench is 'Degnestol', ( School-Teacher's chair), which was the place where the parish school teacher sat during the church services. In 'the old days' the church did not own an organ, so he was the one who led the hymn singing. It was of course of great advantage if the teacher had a fine voice. This wasn't always the case.


A fine head with a cut off top, carved in wood. He is probably St. Dionysios. It origins from a former side altar and is from ab. 1500.


In the southern wall is an engraved picture of a ship with one mast, probably a trade ship engraved during the Middle Ages while Hanstholm town still had a trading harbour. Later the harbour sanded up. This medieval ship is the model for the modern city Hanstholm's City Arms.


Entrance to Hansted church with a lovely red painted fence. The white chalked porch is from the 1800s.

The small church, which is placed high upon a cliff close to the North Sea, has a Romanesque choir and nave and a porch to the north from the 1800s. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars. The north door is in use but the south door has disappeared. From original windows is one in the north wall of the choir with a monolit cover stone and a window to the east in the north wall of the nave is visible under the plaster. Upon an ashlar in the south wall is a carved a picture of a one-mast ship - and upon the place of the disappeared south door is an ashlar with a carved buesegment (curved segment).

The church inside has beamed ceilings and the pretty shaped choir arch has profiled kragsten. Both the gables are rewalled at present , the west gable in 1862 and the choir gable probably in 1930. The Romanesque granite ashlar communion table has a monolit top and is covered by a panel from the 1850s with copy paintings of Rafael's Angels. The altar piece from ab. 1590 is a Lutheranian triptychon type with a top piece from the 1850s and a painting from 1855. The altar piece came probably originally from Sjørrind church and came to Hansted in 1650. From a former late Gothic side altar piece is a left a pretty male head from ab. 1500 with a cut-off crown, probably an image of St. Dionysius. A Romanesque granite font in Thybo-type with two relief-carved lions upon the basin. A pulpit with sections from the Renaissance but very re-newed in ab. 1862. A parish clerk stool from ab. 1600 with a Renaissance panel. The church bell is from 1794 by D.C. Herbst and is placed in a bricked gallow by the east gable. Earlier the bell-house was placed upon a flattened prehistoric hill at the church yard.


Close to Hansted church is Hanstholm Lighthouse and the Keeper's house, built 1843.



Opposite Hansted church are fields with cattle and a view to the outskirts of Hanstholm. In ancient times the Hanstholm area was a big island. During the Middle Ages the town Hanstholm was an important trading town, which supposedly worked as a center of trade between Norway and the Thy-district in North West Jutland.




Hanstholm Reserve is a huge protected area. The landscape is very beautiful and magnificent with hills, heaths, moors and lakes and creates an important sanctuary for birds. Hanstholm Reserve is of immense geological, botanical and zoological importance.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Hansted (1555 Handsted).
Gårddal (1652 Gaardall); Nørby (1608 Nørhandsted); Bådsgård (1567 Boesgaard, 1582 Bordtzgaard); Hanstholm (*1455 Hanszholm, end of 1400s Hanzstedholm)

Source: Trap Danmark, Thisted amt, 1961.

photo 15 June 2006:grethe bachmann