Danish Military Levying Rolls: Administration and Registration Process

Lægdsvæsenet (Administration over Military Registration)
The administration that managed the military registration system was organized into 4 levels. At the top sat the Generalkrigskommissæren (the General War Commissioner) of the Danish Chancellery. Below him was a Krigskommisær (War Commissioner) over the lægderne in several counties. Then a Lægdforstander (Lægds Superintendent) who was responsible for one or more lægd. At the bottom of the hierarchy was a Lægdsmand (a Local Representative) for each lægd.

The laegdsmand was a local farmer and often also the parish bailiff. He passed on notifications to the lægdsforstanderen, who was often lægdets squire. Starting in 1843, when the market towns were assigned their own lægdsnummer, the mayor also acted as the Lægdsmand.

It was the laegdsmand who had the direct contact with the people who, together with the lægdsforstanderen, maintained the local rolls. They sent information up the system to the War Commissioner, who in turn forwarded them to the General War Commissioner in Copenhagen. Here was the supreme audit and control of lægdsrullerne. The same information is often found at several administrative levels.

In the mid 1800s the administration was shanged. The lægdsforstandernes responsibility was in 1850 transferred to judicial officers instead of the war commissioner appointed a udskrivningscher for each printing group. Commissioner-General position was closed and stores moved to Jusitsministeriet and later in 1914 the Interior Ministry.