Stougård Estate, Skanderborg, Denmark Genealogy

Stougård (a.k.a Stovgård) was a Danish estate headquartered at Tørring parish and was a major land owner in southern Skanderborg and northern Vejle counties.

History
In the late Middle Ages, Stougård was owned by the Skram family, which includes Peder Skram. According to the genealogy books, he had killed his enemy, the lord of Tyrrestrup, and had subsequently fled the country. When Christoffer III of Bavaria (1416-1448) was installed as king of Denmark in 1440, Peder Skram rode with the king's entourage disguised as a country boy. He had been taken in by grace because he had saved Christoffer III of Bavaria from drowning.

A former rampart near Stougård, removed in the late 1800s, testifies that there must have been a large farm on this site early on. The castle or stone room was popularly called 'Røverkulen', but rather it has been a so-called shooting tower, in which one could seek refuge in turbulent times.

Stougård was certainly inherited by Peder's son, Niels Skram. Through Niels Skram's grandson Bege Skram, the farm came to the influential noble family Sehested. Christen Thomesen Sehested inherited the farm in 1616 from his uncle.

Christen Thomesen Sehested underwent a classic nobility education. As a 10-year-old he was sent to Rosenholm, where Holger Rosenkrantz, called 'the scholar', educated his own and other noble children. Holger Rosenkrantz encouraged Christen Thomesen Sehested to embark on an educational journey around Europe. At the age of 13, he visited several major German universities, and later received education at French and Italian universities.

Due to his education in administration and politics, Christen Thomesen Sehested had a brilliant career at court. He spoke fluent French, German, and Italian and was especially used as a diplomatic negotiator for Christian IV (1577-1648). At the same time, he drafted some of the most important laws of the period. Christen Thomesen Sehested was very conservative in his political work and in his religious beliefs. Despite his close contact with the king, he defended the dominant influence of the Council of State, and he left a significant mark on Frederik III's (1609-1670) coronation charter in 1648.

Christen Thomesen Sehested died in 1657, and Stougård went to his son Axel Christensen Sehested. Axel Christensen Sehested sold the family's estates in Scania in connection with Denmark having to cede this part of the country to Sweden in 1658. Before long the economy hung in the balance, and in 1666 Stougård passed to Niels Rosenkrantz after being briefly owned by the Copenhagen merchant Cort Mercher.

Niels Rosenkrantz followed the warlike traditions of the Danish nobility. Niels Rosenkrantz received his military education at Sorø Academy, and in 1649 he went into Dutch war service. Subsequently, he served in the Spanish War under the king's son Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve. Until the spring of 1657 he participated in a series of wars, but when the first Karl Gustav war (1657-1658) broke out, he was called home. He participated in the defense of Copenhagen and later led the completion of the Copenhagen fortifications. Niels Rosenkrantz was highly esteemed by King Christian V (1646-1699) and rapidly rose to the rank of Major General.

During the Scanian War (1675-1679), Niels Rosenkrantz completed the conquest of the strong fortress Wismar. But during the subsequent siege of Helsingborg in 1676 he was shot through the head. He died a few hours later. Stougård stayed with Niels Rosenkrantz's widow until 1686, when Stougård was sold.

By 1791, Stougård had been acquired by Thyge Jesper de Thygeson, who had already dissolved several estates. This was also the case at Stougård, where he succeeded in selling the holdings to the peasants as part of the tenant farmers' transition to freehold. Thereafter he continued to subdivide the main farm into plots, and in 1802 Stougård's land was only 180 acres.

It was ironic that Stougård was dissolved in 1791. This year a furious battle raged, in which two previous owners of Stougård - Christian Frederik Tønne von Lüttichau and Frederik Ludvig Christian Beenfeldt - emerged as leaders of the Jutland landowners' action against the agrarian reforms. The dispute was about the landowners finding the effects of the agrarian reforms, ie. not least the many goods solutions, intolerable and contributing to the country's corruption. The action was severely punished by the Supreme Court, and Christian Frederik Tønne von Lüttichau had to flee to Germany.

When Stougård came to Ferdinand Mazanti in 1817, the farm had long since been replaced and parceled out. His widow, Else Christine Ingwersen, took over the farm after her husband and sold it on to her brother in 1843.

Probate Records
Probate records from Stovgård estate survive from 1720 until 1754 and guardianship records are available for the year 1774. Originally (probably due to the estate closing) these records were buried inside the Nørre Jylland (Northern Jutland) archives. They were unknown when the Utah Genealogical Society was microfilming Danish records and thus they are not available through FamilySearch. Fortunately, Erik Brejl found them by sheer coincidence and he has published abstracts on his website. They can be accessed by clicking here.

Military Reserve Lists
Until 1789, Danish estates were responsible for providing men for the military. Stovgård estate kept lists of males who were eligible to serve and two of these, covering 1741 and 1787, have survived. These lists name each potential draftee and provide his age, name of father, and current residence. Erik Brejl has abstracted both of these lists and they can be accessed by clicking here. Additionally, the Danish National Archives have published scans of the 1787 list. That can be accessed by clicking here.

Land Records
In order to keep track of the dues peasants and cottagers owed, Stovård created multiple land registration lists (jordebøger). These lists name head of household and lists either their annual dues, the value of the land they leased, or both. Erik Brejl has abstracted these lists and they are available on his website. They can be accessed by clicking here.