| Notater |
- From "Over hals og hoved - A cry of indignation heard all over Bornholm", by Sigvard Mahler Dam, SAXO, 1991:
Bjergeg?rd i Vestermarie:
The connections lead us to Vestermarie where that parish's pastor, together with the pastor for the Hals-family's parish: ?stermarie, are the witnesses in the deposition of 1530. Now it is time to remember one of the witnesses to the High Court case of 1522: "Hans Borreby i Borgegaard", and since there was no such name for a farm on Bornholm it is probably a variation in the spelling of Bjergeg?rd. It turns out that Hans Borreby was married to a woman named Anne, and another interesting probate case gives us a peek into Anne's family history:
1537, u.d.: st?vning til Herredagen: Peder Anders? i Myregaardt (Aaker) Citat Hans Pers? i Bierregaardt (Vestermarie) och hans hustrues moder fore nogre Jordegots som the om trette, att m?de tiill f?rste almyndelig here (dag) som stande schal her i riiget. (38)
Above translated:
(1537, not dated: Summoned to High Court: Peder Andersen of Myreg?rd (?ker) versus Hans Pedersen of Bjergeg?rd (Vestermarie) and his wife's mother to appear because of their dispute over the ownership of an estate, to present their initial positions here in the kingdom's open high court. (38))
1537 2/7 K?benhavn: Pedher Andersenn paa Boringholm havde st?vnet Anne, Hans Borrebys enke, og hendes laugv?rge, fordi de havde overtaget Myregaard, hvilken var tilfaldet Per Andersens hustru Elline (Hans Borrebys s?ster), idet Hans og Anne ingen levende b?rn havde sammen.
Above translated:
(July 2, 1537 K?benhavn: Peder Andersen of Bornholm has summoned Anne, Hans Borreby's widow, and her guardian, for they having confiscated Myreg?rd, which was to come to Peder Andersen's wife Elline (Hans Borreby's sister), since Hans and Anne did not have any living children together.)
Peder Andersen and his wife had moved onto the farm, but Anne had them thrown out by force, so Peder had to flee - now for over 3 years, and his wife was seized and chained and sought after her rightful inheritance.
Anne's defence was that her deceased husband had given to her and her children, which she had with a husband previous to her marriage to Hans Borreby, Myreg?rd and other property. Anne presented the gift letter, written and signed by Hans Borreby, and as well a legal document signed by: Bernt Knop - the L?beck bailiff for Hammershus, Jens Hansen - chief justice for Bornholm, and Henning Tommessen - the bailiff for the island's southern district. This second document had been written circa 1533, and showed that Anne had complained to the court over being denied Myreg?rd, and that she had outstanding her children's money from the farm, both before Hans Borreby's death and afterwards; which tells us that her children were above the age of majority. According to Sk?ne law, which at the time governed on Bornholm, such bequests to a wife were legal as long as the value of the bequest was not more than half of the estate. But the court ruled that together Myreg?rd and the other property given was worth more than half of the estate, and further: a paragraph from Jylland law was found to support Peder Andersen and Elline's right to own Myreg?rd. Also, Anne had to come before the court and pay a fine, and be punished for the assault on Elline. Today we might speculate that politics probably played a role in the judgement. The L?beck bailiff had supported Anne's claim, while the Danish court denied it, and in spite of Peder Andersen trying to blame the lawsuit for his banishment, we know from another source that he was staying in K?benhavn with the exiled chief justice Mogens Uf because of their part in the 1536 rebellion against the L?beck governance of Bornholm. The king had encouraged the rebellion, and therefore Peder was under the king's protection. Which might be the reason for the unusual application of Jylland law on Bornholm! (39)
What can the outcome of the above court case tell us? That the Hans Pedersen who resided at Bjergeg?rd in 1537 was the son-in-law and guardian of Anne, and since her second husband, Hans Borreby, also lived at that same farm in 1522, then the farm must have belonged to Anne or her deceased first husband. Furthermore, considering that among the witnesses for Anne Sevidsdatter (the widow of Anders Uf and Jep Splid) on July 10, 1508, when she donated money to Lund Cathedral, was an "Oluf Jensen i Bi?rgegaarden", then we easily might assume that the previously mentioned Poul Olsen was the son of Oluf Jensen. (40) As Poul died before 1522, he must have died a very young man. This seems ever more credible when we learn that Oluf Jensen's mother's name was Kirstine Poulsdatter! Oluf Jensen's father was Jens Jensen of Bjergeg?rd, mentioned in 1490. (41) Hans Pedersen was probably married to the "Anne Poul Olsens datter", who was mentioned as married to Oluf Due in 1523. In 1550 Axel Poulsen was named as an heir of Anders Galen, this was concerning the matter of his having sold inherited property to Sti Pors; Axel seems to have received the largest part of the inheritance, which means that the male line of the Hals-family had died out. This means that J?rgen Hals had no sons, but did he have any daughters?
J?rgen Hals' heirs:
When J?rgen Hals died, or who were his heirs, is without documentation as of today. No disputes among the heirs have been noted, so the probate proceedings must have ended peaceably. We can get a hint about this when we see both Gadebyg?rd (Store Halseg?rd) and Lille Halseg?rd belonging to Hans Berildsen and his descendants. Hans Berildsen lived at 24 vg. in ?ker, also called Bjergeg?rd (or Bierreg?rd); previously it had been a copyhold farm, but which had been made free by the order of the king. (42) In 1551 Hans Berildsen given to a seat in the Landsting (Parliament), and sometime between 1553 and 1559 he was made landsdommer (chief justice), a job he held until his death sometime between 1562 and 1572. (43) He probably married a daughter, maybe the only one, of J?rgen Hals, which is indicated when his grandson Niels Berildsen sold Gadebyg?rd on September 30, 1648 for 900 Slettedaler, promising to give the buyer the "fribreve, som jeg, saavelsom mine forf?dre haver haft paa forn?vnte Gadebygaards frihed" (freedom-letter, which I, and my forefathers have been given for the aforementioned Gadebyg?rd's freedom). (44)
The Younger Bjergeg?rd-family:
The family, which branches from Hans Pedersen and the daughter of Hans Borreby's widow Anne, resided at Bjergeg?rd, Vestermarie, and thus can be known as the younger Bjergeg?rd-family, got the wind in their sails as a result of receiving the Galen inheritance. As mentioned earlier we first met up with the family on July 2, 1537, when Hans Pedersen was his mother-in-law's guardian for the court case regarding Myreg?rd in ?ker - a case that they lost. Later in that same month, on July 21st, we find a letter wherein the L?beck bailiff, Bernt Knop, was given the news about the decision made on the case in K?benhavn; the letter was conveyed to him by Chief Justice Lars Pedersen, who had been in K?benhavn. Bernt Knop then wrote a letter to the town council in L?beck: "Mogens Uf, Per Andersen og nogle flere, som formedelst deres ops?tsige og forr?deriske forhold under opr?ret er landflygtige fra Bornholm, ville nu bruge deres l?gnagtige praktiker i K?benhavn" (Mogens Uf, Peder Andersen and several others, who on account of their disobedient and treasonous rebellion had fled in exile from Bornholm, are now bearing their falsehoods forth in K?benhavn). Again we are reminded of the politics surrounding the Myreg?rd case! (45) On June 13, 1543 Bailiff Knop wrote to L?beck that Chief Justice Lars Pedersen has complained that his position lacked sufficient rewards, and he therefore requested access to a farm. The town council in L?beck agreed to his request - if he agreed to carry out all the bailiff's requests! (46) Furthermore, we find that the judge's brother, Hans Pedersen, asked for one of 3 farms which had belonged to the bishopric in Lund, but which the king had since taken back. This could very well be a fight over Bjergeg?rd, which had belonged to the Church since 1334, and had been awarded by the bishopric to the two "Bjergeg?rd-families". (47) Bernt Knop had awarded another three farms to the judge, but Sti Pors had stolen them. It was proven that they belonged to the Church and not to Hammershus fortress, so Bailiff Knop and his cohorts had to give in, even though the farms had been in the service of the fortress for 18 years! (48)
A document dated June 10, 1545 mentions Lars Pedersen as chief justice over a court case, (49) but by October 19, 1551 he is likely dead, as that is when Hans R?mer in R?nne was newly called to the office of chief justice for Bornholm, with Peder Gagge and Hans Berildsen as co-justices. (50)
The Farm Accumulators:
The next generation of the family made itself known during the second half of the 1500s, when it became harder and harder for Bornholm's elite to defend their noble status. On November 26, 1565 King Frederik II issued a letter stating that he was aware"at en del paa Bornholm udgive dem for Herrem?nd, og tilholde sig adelig frihed, uden at kunne bevise at have nogen ret dertill" (that quite a few on Bornholm pass themselves off as Gentlemen, and take upon themselves noble privileges, without having the right to do so). The king ordered his representative to take care of the matter. The very same day Commandant Sveder Ketting in Hammerhus took Bendt Hansen of Ibsker parish to task for unlawful beachcombing as well as for pretending to be have noble privileges. (51) He had to go before the High Court, of course the commandant planned to prove that Bendt Hansen was just a peasant, which meant more taxes for the commandant, but Bendt managed win his case. Bendt did very well from himself indeed, for on September 13, 1583 he was counted among the most distinguished on the island, as he was called to be a co-justice together with the presiding chief justices: Peder Hansen (Uf) of Simleg?rd in Klemensker, Jens Kofoed of Kyndeg?rd in Nyker, Christen Clausen (K?ller) of Halleg?rd in Olsker, all three of them being of the acknowledged nobility. (52) He was named as "Bent Hansen til Ellingsgaard", this must be an erroneous spelling of Vellingsg?rd in Nyker, the farm his family owned. (53)
On September 6, 1572 some of the king's councillors travelled to Bornholm and summoned the island's freemen to a meeting in at the church in ?kirkeby (where the island's parliament meet) to prove their right to noble status. (54) Seventeen men showed up, and among the first named were "Peder Hansen og Bendt Hansen, br?dre" (Peder Hansen and Bendt Hansen, brothers), the former could easily be mistaken for Chief Justice Peder Hansen (Uf) of Simleg?rd - however, he was also present and for that matter was the brother-in-law of Peder and Bendt Hansen. (55) Also named were J?rgen Pedersen and Laurids Pedersen, which indicates that they are the sons of Peder Hansen. Laurids (or Lars) must have been named after the chief justice of the same name, while the name J?rgen harkens back to J?rgen Hals in ?stermarie. The brothers Peder and Bendt Hansen owned the freeman's farm Eskeg?rd. A witness before the High Court on March 1, 1633 testified that the owners of Eskeg?rd in Pedersker parish were: first Bendt Hansen, then Laurs Pedersen, after them the wellborn Mads Kofoed, who was the current chief justice, and after him his son J?rgen Kofoed took over the farm, none of them had payed any taxes to the crown.
When you look at the Bjergeg?rd-family tree it is easy to follow the succession, in June of 1631 the clerk for Hammershus fortress testified that Eskeg?rd and its 2 copyhold farms were exempt from all royal taxes, and had been so in the time of J?rgen Kofoed's father, Mads Kofoed, thus also in earlier times when his predecessors in the family had themselves own and used the farm. (56) On February 20, 1588 the probate hearing for freeman J?rgen Pedersen was held. He had 3 daughters: 1) Karen, later married to Chief Justice Mads Kofoed, who brought into their marriage both Vellingsg?rd in Nyker and Eskeg?rd in Pedersker; 2) Elline, who brought 3 farms into her marriage with Esbern Kofoed: Frig?rd (4 vg. Poulsker), Tueg?rd i Egeby (6 vg. in ?ker), and M?by (1 vg. Nyker); and 3) Kirsten, who inherited B?stadg?rd (1 vg. R?) and Saltholm (5 vg. Nyker). (57)
The Family's Arms:
In Klemensker Church there is on display a special seat, which previously had belonged to the owners of Simleg?rd and had embellished their pew in the church. The seat has 2 carved and painted shields with the initials "PH - MHD", which pertains to Chief Justice Peder Hansen (Uf) and his wife Mette HansDatter. The Uf-family's coat of arms shows (an inverse, red chevron on a white field (58) and 2 red vesselhorns on its helmet), and his wife's shield shows the Bjergeg?rd-family's "geddek?ft" (pike's jawbone) or "halve hummerklo" (half lobster claw) coat of arms (a white claw on a red field, and 2 white vesselhorns on the helmet). (59)
At one time a gravestone was situated close by the altar in ?stermarie Church, the stone was adorned with 3 copper plaques: one engraved with"PK" (Peder Kofoed), and which displayed a shield with a cow foot; engraved on the second plaque was "EHGD" (Elsebeth Henning Gagges Datter), with the Gagge-family arms; and engraved on the third was "IPHD" (Inger Peder Hansens Datter), with a shield that was difficult to make out (60) - but seemed to depict a "hummerklo" (lobster claw). If this is correct, then it would appear to be identical to the above mentioned arms of Mette Hansdatter; and would point to Inger being the daughter of freeman Peder Hansen of Vellingsg?rd. Another gravestone can still be found in Olsker Church for Truid Myre (-1551-1558-), who died at Myreg?rd in Olsker on November 1, 1574. (61) The carving of the shield is very worn and difficult to make out, but you can still make out 2 of the 3 ants on Truid's coat of arms (62) and 2 vesselhorns. His wife's shield depicts "enhalvbue med nogle spidser" (a crescent with several points) - a description also applicable to the "hummerklo" - also with vesselhorn on the helmet, and according to the chronology she may have been a daughter of Hans Pedersen of Bjergeg?rd. (It seems more likely to me that she was his aunt, for if she was Hans Pedersen's daughter, or sister, then she would have been committing incest by marrying her grand-uncle, or uncle. - Norman Madsen)
Lastly, we are faced with a bit of heraldric mystery! The 1648 seal of freeman Hans Kofoed Olufsen, who in 1638 inherited the nobleman's farm Blykobbeg?rd (in Nyker) and Frig?rd (15 vg.) in Vestermarie from his father, depicts the chevron arms of the Kofoed-family above a lobsterclaw (a.k.a. a pike's jawbone). Why? We are led to believe that one of his female ancestors came from the Bjergeg?rd-family, but the problem is that we have no record of either his mother or his father's mother! His father, Oluf Hansen Kofoed, also resided at Blykobbeg?rd (-1624-1638), like his father, Hans (Madsen) Kofoed, before him. As previously mentioned in SAXO (63) Hans Madsen Kofoed possibly married a daughter of Christen Clausen K?ller senior. (I disagree with this. I believe it more probable that he married a daughter of Claus Kames, and that Claus Kame's wife was the mother of Christen Clausen K?ller. That Oluf Hansen Kofoed's mother was the younger half-sister of Christen Clausen K?ller. - Norman Madsen) Their grandchild, Hans Olsen Kofoed (with the chevron above the lobster claw), shows up in the Parliament records for the year 1666 concerning the inheritance after Christine K?ller, the widow of Sigvard Gagge of ?ker, wherein he protests that he is just as close an heir after her as her guardian Claus Kames. (64) We do not believe that Hans Madsen Kofoed could have married a woman from the Bjergeg?rd-family, as that would have meant that his son, Chief Justice Mads Hansen Kofoed (-1608-1646), would have committed incest in marrying Karen, one of J?rgen Pedersen's 3 daughters. Then was it Oluf Hansen Kofoed who married a daughter from the Bjergeg?rd-family? If that is so - to whom was he married? The last 2 males of the above family were the brothers J?rgen and Lars Pedersen, the latter of whom resided at Eskesg?rd, but it was J?rgen's son-in-law who inherited that farm, namely Chief Justice Mads Kofod, which indicates that Lars died childless. We know the names of J?rgen Pedersen's sons-in-law, so apparently Oluf Hansen Kofoed did not marry any of them. . . or did he? In 1608 and 1618 his daughter Elline was married to Esbern Kofoed, of Poulsker. A man not otherwise included on the family tree. Esbern, through his wife Elline, inherited 3 freehold farms from the Bjergeg?rd-family's large landholdings: one of them in ?ker, one in Nyker, and one in Poulsker. So one would expect to find more records mentioning him - perhaps he passed away early in their marriage, and the Oluf Hansen Kofoed may have married his widow? Something suggests this could be the case, for in the land protocols from 1622-1625 can be found the following for 2 copyhold farms in Poulsker and 1 in ?ker: "Oluf Kofoeds bonde" (Oluf Kofoed's peasant)! Were these Esbern Kofoed's peasants that Oluf Kofoed had taken over? This would certainly explain the combination of symbols on Hans Kofoed Olufsen's seal! And with the end of that particular emblem, when Hans Kofoed Olufsen died in 1694, the Bjergeg?rd-family's "geddek?ft" (pike's jawbone) was sent into oblivion, a symbol which had been highly regarded on Bornholm for nearly 200 years - kept alive by the salt water injection of the Galen inheritance from Sk?ne.
But now you ask, why was the Bjergeg?rd-family's arms identical to that of the revered old commandant and chief justice family Splid - yes, I am at a loss to answer how. But it is interesting to note that on March 29, 1416 a "Splyt v?bner p? Bornholm" (arms carrier Mr. Splid on Bornholm) is recorded as selling some land in ?by, Nyker parish - which is close by to Kyndeg?rd and Vellingsg?rd, where the Bjergeg?rd was residing some 150 years later!
Notes:
38) H?b. nr. 96; same symbols, maps, nr. 1, folio 235b.
39) Herredags Dombog, die visitationis Mari?.
40) L?U V, 135 (see note 7).
41) 1491 14/1: Oluf Jensen og moderen, Kirstine Poulsdatter oplader til domkikren i Lund al den egendom hans for?ldre har lagt til Bergegaarden paa Bornholm. Oluf har et barn. 1490 u.d.: Lunde kapitel lejer J?ns J?nszon Biergagaarden paa Bornholm. (January 14, 1491: Oluf Jensen and his mother, Kirstine Poulsdatter, give to the cathederal in Lund all of the estate his parents have gathered under Bjergeg?rd on Bornholm. Oluf is a child. 1490, un-dated: Lund bishopric gives Bjergeg?rd on Bornholm to Jen Jensen.) Rep 2 nr. 6831.
42) The first time he is mentioned by name is in 1547, wherein he is referred to as: "Hans Berrildsen i Ocker sogen paa Borringhollum" (Hans Berildsen in ?ker parish on Bornholm), as stated in the article "Tegnelser over alle Lande" in "Danske Magazin", 4 rk. I, K?benhavn, 1864, p. 306. This might be the very year that his farm was made "fri" (free).
43) For further information about him, see SAXO yearbook 1988, p. 72 - folios.
44) "H?jesterets Dombog 1665", I.
45) H?b. nr. 97.
46) H?b. nr. 109.
47) H?b. nr. 110, see also note 34.
48) H?b. nr. 114, here we get a good glimpse into the situation, where the two brothers Lars and Hans Pedersen were pushed into the arms of the L?beckers, and how they got caught up in the fight over Church and State owned property. The king had given up his leas on Hammershus fortress for 50 years, but after the Reformation the Crown took back its held Church estates, and the Crown found itself in the peculiar situation in which it was to their advantage to prove that much of the Crown's estates originally belonged to the Church!
49) H?b. nr. 126.
50) H?b. nr. 136.
51) H?b. nr. 215 and 216, "Tegnelser over all Lande" nr. 8, 443 b.
52) SAXO: 1987 and 1988 "Landsdommer-patriciatet p? Bornholm" etc.
53) H?b. nr. 338.
54) H?b. nr. 249.
55) SAXO: 1988 "Landsdommer-patriciatet p? Bornholm", article II, by S. Mahler Dam, p. 77. Peder Hansen (Uf)'s wife was Mette Hansdatter.
56) Enclosuer nr. 22 in Augustus Dechner's Jordebog (Land Registery Book), DaRA. - printed in "Stamtavle over familien Koefoed A" (hereafter "Koef.A"), by J. Bidstrup, K?benhavn, 1886, p. 183.
57) 1608 30/1: Esbern Kofoedt i Poulsker s?lger sin hustru, Elline J?rgensdatters, arv i Vellingsg?rd og Eskesg?rd til Madtz Kofoedt til Vellingsg?rd. Og Mads Kofoed tilsk?dede Esbern Kofoed sin hustru, Karne J?rgensdatters, arvepart i g?rden ?st for Poulskirke, en g?rd i Egeby i ?ker og en g?rd i Nyker. (January 30, 1608: Esbern Kofoed in Poulsker sold his wife, Elline J?rgensdatter's, inheritance in Vellingsg?rd to Mads Kofoed of Vellingsg?rd. And Mads Kofoed issued a deed for Esbern Kofoed's wife, Karne J?rgensdatter's, inheritance in a farm east of Poulsker Church, a farm in Egeby in ?ker and a farm in Nyker.) "Koef.A.", p. 182.
58) Peder Hansen's seal displays an inverse chevron - probably to differentiate from the arms of his older brother, Oluf Hansen. For further information on the Uf-family coat of arms see Heraldisk Tidsskrift 5:46, October 1982, p. 275 - folios "De bornholmske v?bnersl?gter Uf og Splid", by S. Mahler Dam, unfortunately my faith in the older researchers brought me to the wrong conclusion about Peder Hansen's parents' shield, as Mette Hansdatter is traditionally listed under the Myre-family.
59) Mette Hansdatter is mentioned in a high court judgement, dated June 15, 1582 (Herredags Dombog nr. 11, DaRA), as being the heir of Hans Myre, in a fight over Fuglsangsg?rd in Ibsker. Although this does not necessarily mean she is his daughter, as Hans Myre was first mentioned in 1511 and was dead by 1531, and she could hardly have been of age at that time. Hans Myre could possibly be a relative of Peder Myre, who was mentioned in 1489, and therefore we might assume that Lars and Hans Pedersen's mother was the daughter of Hans Myre, which harmonizes with the fact that Bent Hansen in 1565 was residing in Ibsker (at Fuglsangsg?rd?), which his brother-in-law Peder Hansen (Uf) later bought from him.
60) "Stamtavle over familien Koefoed B", by J. Bidstrup, K?benhavn, 1887, p. 1 mentions the gravestone, and describes Inger's shield: "som n?rmest ligner et kindben" (which closely resembles a cheekbone) - (refer to Bornholms Top. saml. i DaRA - I have not been able to find the source). In "Stamtavler oer familierne Hauberg go Arboe", by J. Bidstrup, K?benhavn, 1911, p. 160: he is much bolder, and states: "Inger Pedersdatter, vist datter af landsdommer Peder Hansen (Uf)" (Inger Pedersdatter, surely the daughter of chief Justice Peder Hansen (Uf)); in a footnote the description of the gravestone has been altered, so that it supports the erroneous assumption: "et v?ben der n?rmest ligner et kindben eller en sparre med spidsen vendt nedad" (a shield that closely resembles a cheekbone or an inverse chevron with spikes)!
61) "Danmarks kirker" volume 7 Bornholm, the coat of arms are worn down, but the inscriptions described as seen by the author's own eyes in the Olsker Church.
62) Truid Myre also carried the family's ant symbol on his shield, even though in "Danmarks Adels ?rbog" 1901 edition, p. 231, he is listed under the Kyrning-family's coat of arms (with the 6 pointed star).
63) SAXO: 1988, "Landsdommer-patriciatetet p? Bornholm" by S. Mahler Dam, p. 82 folio.
64) Augustus Dechner's Jordebogsregnskab 1687 (Land Registry Account Book for 1687). DaRA. Voucher 23.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 21 July 2015.
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1495 - 1537 (~ 43 år)
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