1 MISC Smålyngen, Pedersker parish, Bornholm
1 _FA1
2 PLAC Freeman (Frimand)
1 MISC Coat of arms (Våben): a red chevron on white (en rødt sparre i hvidt)
Bornholm historian Dr. M.K. Zarthmann (published in 1931) relates thatOtte Pedersen Uf can be found mentioned in records dating from 1493 and1497 in which he is mentioned as the owner of the "proprietairgård"Skovsholm in Ibsker parish. He also owned Simlegård (a.k.a. Simblegård),propreitairgård in Klemensker parish. The document of 1493 whichmentions "Otte Wff" can be found in "Den Arnamagnæanske Samling"published in København. It is also printed in "Suhms Samling".The document of 1497 concerns the sale of Torbern Ødbernsen's wife'svornedegård in Poulsker parish to Peder Lang of "Valløse" (Vollsjö) inSkåne. The witnesses to the transaction were: chief justice Jacob Splid,Otte Uf and his son Oluf Ottesen.
Otte Pedersen Uf is known to have had at least four children: 1) PederUf, a Canon (Kannik) in Skåne, 1505; 2) Anders Uf, mentioned as "frænde"to Anders Galen in 1511, and known to have been alive in 1533; 3) adaughter, given name unknown, married to Oluf Tuesen. 4) Oluf Ottesen,Chief Justice (Landsdommer) of Bornholm from 1508 to 1522. (The word"frænde" can mean either friend or relative.)
Otte's son Anders Uf was admitted to the University of Greifswald onNovember 26, 1499 under the name: "Andreas W de Bornholm". Previously hehad received his education in Lund; on the same day another youngcommoner-son from Lund was admitted to the university: "Ticho Nicolai decivitate Lundensi", who received his "baccalaureus" in 1500.
In the "testamente" (will) dating from 1511, of an Anders Galen of Lund,Skåne (see: Thiset, Danish State Archives), can be found mention of thetwo brothers: "Anders og Peder W." That Peder and Anders Uf are named as"frænde" and heirs in the 1511 "testamente" (will) of Anders AndersenGalen of Lund (who died in 1522), leads to the conclusion that theirmother is the sister of Anders Galen, and thus the daughter of Anders(Tuesen) Galen of Herrestad in Skåne.
After the death of Anders Galen in 1522, his will of 1511 was contestedby the children from his sister's first marriage: Jørgen Hals (born circa1464) of Østermarie and his sisters Anne and Else. Evidently n.n.Andersdatter Galen had eloped with Peder Hals, and her brother Andersrefused to recognize the marriage as legitimate, and as a resultdisinherited her children from that marriage. The case was not settleduntil 1530, about 18 years later!
That Oluf Ottesen Uf and his sister (Margrethe?) are not mentioned in thewill, nor in the court settlement of 1530, naturally brings theconclusion that they are not the children of n.n. Andersdatter Galen.Rather that they are the children of Otte Pedersen Uf from a secondmarriage. It is suggested that this second wife's patronym was"Olufsdatter"; however, I know of no evidence to support this. Possiblyit is based on the fact that they had a son named Oluf?
It is also known that Gunhild Uf (wife of Mads Kofoed), Mogens Uf (died1565), and Hans Olufsen Uf (-1542-) of Simlegård in Klemensker, aredescendants of Otte Pedersen Uf. What is far from certain are which ofOtte Pedersen Uf's children are the parents of Gunhild Uf and Mogens Uf.Hans Olufsen Uf is known to be the son of "Landsdommer" Oluf Ottesen Uf.
The "Landbohistorisk Selskab" has the following entries for the surnameUf:
1) Uf (I), Anders Ottesen, (lever 1511), gift med Anne, datter aflandsdommer Sevid Nielsen; (2 Oct. 1546 - 13 Aug. 1547) utrykt 1546-286b;utrykt 1549-190b; utrykt 1550-075b. (Note: this is incorrect, AndersOttesen Uf (-1511-1533-) was not married to Anne Sevidsdatter; she wasmarried to the Anders Uf (-1469-died c.1487), who was probably the uncleof the younger Anders Uf. - Norman Madsen)2) Uf (I)?, Gunhild/Gunild (Hansdatter?), adelig hustru, Otte Pedersens(Uf I)'s arving, mon gift med Mads Kofoed, frimand på Bornholm?;1547-338d.
3) Uf (I)?, Karine (Ottesdatter?), adelig hustru, Rasmus Henningsensefterleverske i Landskrona; (2 Oct. 1546 - 13 Aug. 1547) utrykt1546-286b; utrykt 1549-190b; utrykt 1550-075b.
4) Uf (I), (Margrethe?) Ottesdatter gift med Oluf Tuesen (Uf II) afKrashave og mor til Mogens Uf (II); (2 Oct. 1546 - 13 Aug. 1547) utrykt1546-286b; (utrykt 190b) 1549-000; (utrykt 75b) 1550-000; (utrykt 146h)1550-000.
5) Uf (II), Mogens Olufsen til Odersberga, havde Bornholm len (dødmellem 1563-66) gift med Berete Poulsdatter Kyrning; 1533-110; 1535-203;1535-217; 1536-094; 1536-098; 1537-472; 1537-472a; v 1543-310; (3 Apr.1546) ridemand 1544-072; ridemand 1546-105; (2 Oct. 1546 - 13 Aug. 1547)utrykt 1546-286b; 1547-338d; utrykt 1549-190b; utrykt 1550-075b; utrykt1550-146h.
6) Uf (I), Oluf Ottesen, landsdommer på Bornholm (lever 1522, er død1546-47); 1516-010; brevudsteder 1516-013; (2 Oct. 1546 - 13 Aug. 1547)utrykt 1546-286b; utrykt 1549-190b; utrykt 1550-075b; utrykt 1550-146h.
7) Uf (II), Oluf Tuesen af Krashave (er død 1547) gift med (Margrethe?)Ottesdatter Uf (I); 1547-338d.
8) Uf (I), Peder Ottesen, mester, kannik i Lund domkirke (lever 4 April1520); 1516-040; utrykt 1516-126; 1518-065; utrykt 1520-046; (2 Oct. 1546- 13 Aug. 1547) utrykt 1546-286b; utrykt 1549-190b; utrykt 1550-075b.
From the Landbohistorisk Selskab - Adkomstregistrering 1513-1550: 1550,Nr. 146h.
1) Mogens Olufsen Uf (II), til Odersberga, havde Bornholm len (dødmellem 1563-66), gift med Berete Poulsdatter Kyrning.
2) Oluf Ottesen Uf (I), landsdommer på Bornholm (lever 1522, er død1546-47).
3) Pedersker sogn, Sønder herred, Bornholm.Sigvard Mahler Dam states (in "Landet Borringholm - Bornholmsk-skanskeslægtskrædse", part 2, published in SAXO, 1986) that Mogens Uf is the sonof Oluf Tuesen and Otte Pedersen Uf's daughter from his second marriage.Also, that Gunhild Uf is the daughter of Hans Olufsen Uf of Simlegård inKlemensker.
He further states (in "De bornholmske væbnerslægter Uf og Splid - nogetnyt om deres våbener", Heraldisk Tidsskrift, 1982) that "Otte W" carrieda deviant emblem - and if we did not know any older emblems we mightbelieve that the family had changed from their emblem to Shield andHelmet. Because he used a triangle with cross-bars over the two lowercorners - looking like the "sparre" (truss) on a house. Possibly this isjust a mistake, or a variation, since some people at that time called a"sparre" a "husgavl" (house-gable) or a "gavl-sparre" (gable-truss).
The first member of the noble Uf-family to appear in Bornholm'shistorical records was Hans Uf, who was appointed commander of Hammershusfortress by his mother's brother Niels Joensen, who was Archbishop ofLund from 1361-1379. During a long winter stay at the fortress theArchbishop died on February 5, 1379. Two days previously he had writtenhis testament, wherein he left to Hans Uf his large gilded silver-hornand two silver cups, also 40 Marks in silver to cover expenses for flour,malt, and other items used during his stay. As well he received therights to six dwellings in Listed fishing-village, which he had had builtfor the Archbishop, and which brought in 6 Marks silver in yearly rent.The Archbishop also thought of Hans Uf's daughter Cecilie, leaving her agold ring. She was later married three times, all of her husbands werenoblemen from Skåne; she outlived them all. During Hans Uf's long termof office he acquired land in the region north-west of Svaneke.
In the middle-ages the peasants had been declared "vornedskabe" (bound),this meant that the descendants of tenured peasants could be forced tostay on the "vornedegaard" they were working, and it gave the owner ofthe farms the right to recall a dead peasant's heir to take over workingthe land. By the 1500s those tenured peasants who lived on manor-ownedfarms worked off a portion of their taxes by service in the manor'sfields.
The following has been extracted from a translation of the article"Landet Borringholm: Bornholmsk-skånske slægtskredse", by Sigvard MahlerDam, published in SAXO, 1986:The Unfriendly Ufs:
Sometime between 1363, when Jakob Splittaf was commander, and 1379,Archbishop Niels needed to appoint a new commander at Hammershus. Likemost people, the archbishop was fond of his own kin, and thus heinstalled his sister's son: Johannes Uf (47). It is possible Johanneshad been serving as an officer under Commander Jakob Splittaf - maybe hehad come to Bornholm as a young man with King Valdermar's men in 1362.Archbishop Niels had grown up in Jylland like his sister, who latermarried one of the leading estate-owners. Johannes' stated patronym of1407 tells us that his father was a Lawe Uf. The Ufs are an oldsoldier-family, and as earlier mentioned his grandfather, "Johannesdictus Wff", was among the men in 1299 who granted Archbishop Jens Grandfree access to København.
Johannes Uf junior must have been away travelling, for in an oldtourney-book from the Duchy of Geldern (presently Holland) we find,amongst all the Knights of Europe, a couple of pages with coat of armsfrom the Nordic countries. First a magnificent rendering of KingValdemar's coat of arms: 3 blue lions (leoparde) on a golden backgrounddecorated with red sea-leaves; as well the royal flag with its whitecross on red background. Next pages show the coat of arms of KingValdemar's noblemen, who probably accompanied him on his trip to meetwith the record-taker and painter of coat of arms. Those men included:Henning Putbus, the Count of Rügen and confidant of the king; Mikkel Rudfrom Skjoldenæsholm estate; Otte Nielsen of the Rosenkrantz-family; andlast, far down from the above - so as to emphasize the class difference -can be found the coat of arms of "Joenz U", a red chevron on a whitebackground. One and the same man as the above mentioned CommanderJohannes Lawesen Uf, for the family went under the variants of U, W, Uf,Uff, and Ugh. It seems that this coat of arms was painted no later than1375, and it fits with our guess that Johannes Uf during this period hadbeen travelling abroad. A couple of years later he appears documented asthe commander of Hammershus fortress on Bornholm.
So now the Uf-family enters through the gates of Hammershus fortress, andbecame an active participants in the history of the island for the nexttwo centuries. Archbishop Niels made his "testamente" (will) while atHammershus on February 3, 1379 (49), and died shortly afterwards. Fromit we learn that Johannes had been commander for sometime, and that he ismarried to Marine (possibly a daughter of Peder Munk?), and that theyhave a small daughter, Cecilie. Since Johannes Uf's son Peter is notmentioned, it must be that he has not been born yet. There are no otherchildren mentioned. Also mentioned is that Johannes Uf had recently hadbuilt some buildings in "Lysta" (the present day fishing village ofListed) as per the wishes of the archbishop, either as a site to gatherthe "herring-tenth" (tax) from the fishermen, or for the salting of thefish.
In spite of several new archbishops Johannes kept his posting atHammershus, and must have lived to an old age. The last time heexercises his office is on January 7, 1407 (50), and we now find that hehas an assistant commander, Paul Degn. They are witnesses on the oldestBornholm deed-document to have survived time's gnawing teeth. The deedconcerns the widow of large landowner Peter Hals, one Marine Clawesdatter(Wiltfang?), together with her son "Ødbjørn Petersen kaldet Hals",transferring to her daughter Katharina a farm and mill in Østermarieparish as her wedding dowry to Orm Herlichsen. The deceased Peter Halsmust have left a huge inheritance, since the daughter's share consistedof both a farm and a mill. In this document Commander Uf is named as"Johannes Lawesson", under his name is affixed his seal: the coat of armswith a wide chevron as shown in the Geldern tourney-book, and again in1379, had now, in 1407, been exchanged for a modern shield with a narrowchevron (51).
The Uf-Family Estates:
A characteristic of the family is that its members were never named inassociation with their family-farm, as was common with most otherBornholmer families. Furthermore, there are no farms by the name of"Uf-gård" to be used in pinpointing the family's residence. Such as isthe case with the Raabuks at Rabechegård and the Splitz-family with theirSplitzgårds (53).
It is not until the 1500s that we encounter their family-farm Simlegård -which farm had never been mentioned previously. It is convenientlysituated near Hammershus and is still to this day one of the largestfarms on the island. And is close by Klemensker Church, where the familyhad their own funeral-chamber in the crypt. The abundance of rune-stonesin the vicinity bear witness to the fact that in very early times anobleman's estate had been situated there. Perhaps it is one of thetwelve Bornholmer king's-farms told of in the Knytlinge Saga (52). Maybeit was even built by Commander Johannes Uf?
Other traces lead the family to "Rodne Herret" (Rønne county). Adeed-document (54) dated March 29, 1416 shows that "Splyt væbner paaBornholm" (a descendant of Commander Jacob Splid) sold a piece of landworth 5 silver Marks in Åby, Nyker parish, to the recently knightednobleman Peter Bosen, who later became the chief justice of Bornholm.Since it was a piece of land being sold it seems that Peter Bosen thenbuilt his family-farm there, maybe the present Åbygård? Near Åby issituated the large, and long established, farm of Vellingsgård, where"Splyt" could have lived and sold off 5 Marks worth of land. Aninteresting witness to this sale of land was the commander's son, PeterUf, now the head of the family. Possibly he and his known sister,Cecilie, had grown up in Nyker parish, which is located near the thrivingtown of commerce: Rønne. Maybe they spent their childhood at the largefreeman's estate of Kyndegård in Nyker.
An ancient silver chalice still rests in Nyker Round-church - on its baseis a coat of arms with an inscription: "Fru Cecilia skænkede denne kalktil Alle Halgens Menighed" (Lady Cecilia donated this chalice to AllSaints Congregation). The National Museum has dated this chalice to thesecond half of the 1400s (55), but looking at the shield-design a personmay alter-chalice dates back towards the time-period 1390-1420, in thatperiod the shield-design was very round, and later there were alterations.
Commander Johannes Uf was the father of the above mentioned Cecilie, whowas mentioned in the archbisphop's will of February 3, 1379: "Item filieJohannis Uf virgini Cecilie. . .". Later in an important inheritanceproceeding concerning Harebjerg (Hardeberga) manor in Torne county,Skåne, we find that Cecilie was married three times. First married to"Tue Pethersön", known from 1380, and dead by November 16, 1391. OnAugust 26, 1387 both Johannes Uf and Tue Pedersen of Harebjerg arewitnesses in an inheritance proceeding, father-in-law and son-in-law!Cecilie and Tue had only one child: a son named "Pether Tuesön". Tueleft Harebjerg manor to Cecilie to own forever, not to his son - whichwas allowed in Skåne as long as the gift did not exceed one half of theestate.
Next Cecilie married the well-known Abraham Bordersen's stepson Bent Pikof Roserød (Rossared) mentioned in documents for 1392 to 1407. He had ason from a previous marriage, and had two daughters with Cecilie, namedBodil and Christine. Bent died too, probably soon after 1407. She foundher third husband far from Skåne: on island of Fyn! This was to Hr.Harvig Limbek of Nebbe, who had previously been married to GreteOttesdatter Skinkel of Fyn From that marriage a son Henneke Limbek wasborn, Cecilie survived her third husband as well, but by then she hadenough children to look after her so she never re-married.
On February 21, 1423 she sold some of her inheritance from her secondhusband, in this document she is referred to as "Frw Cecilia jens ufsdotther i harabjæghe h. hartwik limbeks efthe løuerne" (Lady Cecilie,Jens Uf's daughter in Hardeberga, Hr. Hartwig Limbek's widow). Her sealshows exactly the same coat of arms as is on the chalice in NykerChurch. It is very peculiar that Cecilie, who married two Skåne and oneFyn nobleman, and for most of her life lived at Hardeberga manor nearLund in Skåne, would donate such a silver chalice to a small church onBornholm. Why not to Lund Cathedral, where all the memebers of thecongregation could be reminded of her generosity every time they tookcommunion at the Altar? The answer must be that Nyker county is whereshe grew up. The donation took place after she was married, any timeafter 1387, but what were the circumstances? Was it a present given byher at her first wedding in Nyker Church? However, it was not generallythe custom for brides to donate gifts on their wedding day. Could it bea gift to commemorate the soul of her first husband, who loved her sodearly that he gave her the family manor to own for life? Thoughwouldn't she donate the chalice to his parish church in Lund, where nodoubt he was buried? The most likely scenario seems to be that shedonated the chalice to commemorate her father after his death. A fatherby whose name she is always remembered, never mind all the noblemen shelater married. Jens Uf was an important man, he was remembered for manyyears. Even a hundred years after her birth, in 1479 when the Hardebergainheritance was before the king's court in København, she was rememberedas "Cecilie Jens Hwss Datter i Harebergh gaard".
The Uf Male-Line:
A great span of time follows the March 23, 1416 document in which timePeder Uf, then between 30-35 years old, acted as a witness at aland-transaction in Nyker. It is not until 1493 that his son "OttePedersen Wff" appears in the Bornholmer records, as an older man withadult sons from two marriages. Where have they been during that time?The records are silent, and a person is prone to provide a reason for thegap in the documentation, for there should not be so few entries for aman with such an occupation. He should be found mentioned in theisland's written documents rather more frequently, this was quiteprevalent with other Bornholmer families (57).
Above it was suggested that Peter Uf might have been married to a womanfrom Fyn, and an odd occurance of chance supports this hypothesis. Inthe first half of the 1400s a Tue Pedersen lost his seal in NørrekåsHarbour, north of Rønne; which was recovered in a later century. He isnot the Tue Pethersön of the Rani family, which we know had Harebjergmanor, for his coat-of-arsm displays the Bild/Strangesen's transversedshield - therefore of the same family as the Archbishop Niels Joensen,Johannes Ufs mother's brother. His father may be Peder Strangesen. Thelatter's brother lived only on Fyn: Otte Strangesen recorded in 1377 and1397! Possibly Tue Pedersen came to Bornholm looking to found kinship,and stood at the gunwale of the ship and fumbled with his seal, so itfell into the sea? Was Peter Uf married to Otte Strangesen's daughter,and so came the name Otte in this way into the Uf-family? A name whichotherwise was entirely unknown on Bornholm in that social circle. Didthe family move to Fyn after this marriage, allowing their adscriptpeasants to run their Bornholmer farms? Was Cecilie Uf visiting herbrother Peter Uf after her second husband's death, and while there shemet Hr. Hartvig Limbek, her third husband? Is this the reason for therelative lack on Bornholm of written documents mentioning Peder Uf?
Otte Uf's his first marriage was with a widow of Skåne origin, namelyAnders Galen's daughter from Skåne, and perhaps it is this connectionthat eventually brought him back to Bornholm. Their two sons inheritedfrom their mother's brother, Anders Galen the younger, who died childlessin Lund in 1522 - he had written a will in 1511 (58), where his heirs arementioned: "Mister Peder W, Cannik in Lund, my dear Relative. . . . Itemmy dear Relative Anders W."
Cheated Heirs:
Otte Uf's wife had previously been married to a Bornholmer, and that ishow she came to live on Bornholm. It appears that she had run away withesquire Peder Hals against the wishes of her family, for Anders Galen inLund refused to acknowledge her children from her first marriage! Shehad at least three children (1 son and 2 daughters) when she married OtteUf. Anders Galen's will caused great controversy and the probateproceedings to 21 years to be finalized! Otte's first wife died around1480 and he married for the second time to an unnamed daughter of Oluf(any evidence for this? - Norman Madsen), and they had a son, OlufOttesen, and a daughter, who became the founder of the second BornholmUf-family line. The youngest son, Oluf Ottesen appears as a witness in adocument from 1497 and borrows his father's seal (there are two identicalseals on the document), so he must have been very young. Oluf and hissister were not named in Anders Galen's will of 1511, so therefore theirmother is not his sister.
The freeman Jørgen Hals of Østermarie and his two sisters felt cheatedwhen they were read Anders Galen's will, in which they figured only thus:
(In the original old Danish)
"Item Jørgen Hals X Mark, 1 wpret Segn, 1 Gryde, Anne Jørgen HalsesSøster ligeledes, meth saadan Skell, ath the skwlle ey ydherre begære athærffwe mig."(Which modernized reads in English approximately as follows)
"Item: Jørgen Hals, Østermarie, 1 complete Bed, 1 Cooking-pot, JørgenHals' sister Anne receives the same, with the understand that they willinherit nothing more."From the choice of above words we can see there was no love lost betweenAnders Galen and the Hals-family. He even forgot to include the othersister! Did he not wish to acknowledge the relationship? Is it that atthe time they were not the best of friends, or was there a more sinisterreason? Why acknowledge the two Uf children, and not the three olderHals? A clue can be found in the following declaration given by theCommander of Hammershus in 1522 (59):
(In the original old Danish)
"Jag Niels Jiebsen (Bryske). . . gør vitterligt for alle med dette mitobne Breff, at denne Breffwisere Jørgen Hals er Anders Gallens som dødeudi Lund. . . rette ecte Søstersøn med ogsaa twenne Søstre som førnavnteJørgen Hals hafwer paa Borindholm, og hafwer jag spurgt I sandignen atførnævnte Anders Gallen igen nærmere rette arvinger hafwer end dissefornævnte. . ."(Which modernized reads in English approximately as follows)
"I, Niels Ibsen (Bryske). . . . declare to all by means of this openLetter that the Plaintiff Jørgen Hals is Anders Galen's - who died inLund. . . . rightful Sister's son, as are his two Sisters whom theaforementioned Jørgen Hals has in Bornholm, and I have inquired about thetruth that the aforementioned Anders Galen has no closer heirs than theaforementioned. . . ."This was not considered to be sufficient proof, perhaps the commander wasnot considered to be a knowledgeable enough witness, since he had notbeen on Bornholm very long and could not have known of the details firsthand, he must have had to ask around. Therefore the case was put beforethe "Landsting" (Senate) in Åkirkeby on May 22, 1522. The details werediscussed, witnesses were heard, and finally a document was drawn up andsealed by the most important officials on Bornholm: 1) the Commander ofHammershus, Niels Ibsen; 2) Jørgen Hals' step-brother Chief Justice OlufOttesen (Uf); 3) Jørgen Gagge, who had been made a freeman 20 yearspreviously and was an illegitimate born member of the Gagge-family ofSkåne; 4) Hans Borgeby of Bierregård; 5) Anders Kos in Ibsker parish (ofKåsegård); 6) and the invaders from Lübeck, Peder Kofoed, 7) and MortenLassen, both mayors in Rønne; 8) Lauritz Jul from an old an distinguishedfamily and a bailiff in Østermarie parish; 9) Hans Pedersen from the sameparish, who later married Jørgen Hals daughter; 10) and finally thedocument was signed by the bailiff for Åker parish, Peder Munck. Thedocument reads as follows (60):
(In the original old Danish)
". . . wor skicket for os och for menige Almue. . . beskenden mand JørgenHals, hvilken gik frem. . . och bespurgte sig om det var dem vitterligt,om han og hans søskende er ægte og rette fødte baade af fader och moder,og om det var dem vitterligt at de hørte Anders Gallen til der døde iLund, Gud naade hans sjæl, eller om de burde staai arv efter samme AndersGallen for ægtheds skyld, og arve ham deres døde frænde og slægtning somloven udviser som er ægte og rette baade af fader og moder. Der tilsvarede alle mænd som deraf vidste og bad dem Gud til hjælp, at de ikkeandet vidste med fornævnte Jørgen Hals og hans syskende end at de er ægteog ægtefødte og bør saavel arve deres del efter fornævnte Anders Gallenmed lige og rette saa meget som dem rettelig kan tilfalde efter loven."(Which modernized reads in English approximately as follows)
". . . the modest man Jøren Hals presented himself before us and asked ifwe would attest that he and his siblings are legitimate born both offather and mother, and further attest that they were relatives of AndersGalen who died in Lund, God bless his soul, and that they are the sameAnders Galen's legitimate heirs. To his all the men with God's helpanswered that they were convinced the forenamed Jørgen Hals and hissiblings are legitimate and therefore entitled to inherit their portionfrom the aforementoned Anders Galen in accordance with the just processof law."This document finally saw the heirs receive more than the 10 Mark and afully made-up bed! They received estate-property in Hyltebierg(Hylteberga, Skurup parish, Vemmenhög district) in Skåne, to be dividedinto three parts. A deed dated July 2, 1523 documents (61) that JørgenHals ,and his nephew Axel Poulsen, and Axel's brother-in-law Oluf Due ofØstermarie, sold their inheritance to Mourids Jepsön (Sparre) of Skurup -namely four farmsteads, with the request that he yearly supply theclergyman in Skurup with 1 Skilling worth of "grot" (produce?) for thesouls of their parents. The sister Else did not sell her portion of theproperty, maybe she moved their, as after 1530 there is no mention of her.
The inheritance case was not quite over with! After the above mentionedsale of property, maybe from around 1530 there is another document. Theclergymen Hr. Hans for Østermarie and Hr. Hans for Vestermarie attestthat Jørgen Hals, Poul Olsen's wife Anne, and Ødbern's wife Else are thelegitimate heirs of Anders Galen, and that he ws the true brother oftheir mother. The clergymen along with several other good Danes swear ontheir Soul's Holiness that the above heirs had received no more propertythan that in Hyltebierg after Anders Galen. Next we learn that Hr. Skelm(Gyldenstjerne) was the dean of the clergy on Bornholm when Jørgen Halsand his two sisters were born and christened; he died in Lund and hadbeen born in Blekinge. He had resided at Spidlegård in Åker parish whenhe was the Dean for Bornholm.
We have no further information on Jørgen Hals affairs, so he had probablypassed away and his heirs might have needed the above document attestingto their legitimacy. Maybe the document relates to Jørgen Hals widow,Anna, who from 1533 through 1537 was involved in a legal dispute with theheirs of her second husband. The clergymen from Østermarie - Jørgen Halshome parish - and from Vestermarie, where Anna had her property, wereinvolved as witnesses in the court case.
Skirmishes Between Otte Persen's Heirs:
Throughout history inheritance cases have occupied many families andgiven cause for much disappointment and even split some families intofeuding amongst themselves endlessly, as well as providing interestingconversational fodder for those not directly involved. Not only did OtteUf's stepchildren fight, but his own descendants kept on fighting overtheir inheritance for 40 years after his death! It might have somethingto do with a peculiar aspect of the Uf-family: with his children thefamily divided into three parts. The first branch did not make animportant mark, as it died away quickly, namely the earlier mentionedolder sons Anders Uf, married to Anna, daughter of Chief Justice SevidNielsen (incorrect, Anna was married to another Anders Uf, possiblybrother of Otte Pedersen Uf? - Norman Madsen), and the Canon Peder Uf inLund. Traditionally a Jesper/Esbern Uf appears in the family tree as ason of Anders Uf. However this is doubtful since he was killed in 1565in the battle of Svarteå, while in Hak Holgersøn's company, during theNordic Seven Years War. He was most likely a young nobleman, and couldnot possibly have been a son of Anders Uf who must have already been 45years old in 1511 when he inherited from his mother's brother (63).(Meaning that Jesper/Esbern Uf was born circa 1535-45, and Anders Ufwould have been at least 70 years old in 1540 - Norman Madsen.)
The second branch, the main branch, was continued through the youngestson, Chief Justice Oluf Ottensen, who rejected the family name Uf, andhis descendants were known only by their patronym. We will refer to themunder the name "Sparre-Uf" after their coat of arms.
The third branch was also rather short-lived, but made an indelible markdue to the fiery temperament of its members. This branch we will call"Agern-Uf" after their coat of arms, and it originates from the daughterof Otte Pedersen Uf who married the Bornholmer freeman Oluf Tuesen. Herson adopted the Uf-family name.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto,Ontario, copyright 2006.
1 _FA1
2 PLAC Freeman (Frimand)
1 MISC Coat of arms (Våben): a red chevron on white (en rødt sparre i hvidt)
"Petrus Wf" is mentioned in a document dated March 23, 1416. (See:Danish State Archives - Private Archives, new chronological order onparchment.)The article "Landet Borringholm", by Sigvard Mahler Dam, (SAXO, 1986),states the following on pages 78-79:
A great span of time follows the March 23, 1416 document in which timePeder Uf, then between 30-35 years old, acted as a witness at aland-transaction in Nyker. It is not until 1493 that his son "OttePedersen Wff" appears in the Bornholmer records, as an older man with adult sons from two marriages. Where have they been during that time?The records are silent, and a person is prone to provide a reason for thegap in the documentation, for there should not be so few entries for aman with such an occupation. He should be found mentioned in theisland's written documents rather more frequently, this was quiteprevalent with other Bornholmer families (57).Above it was suggested that Peter Uf might have been married to a womanfrom Fyn, and an odd occurance of chance supports this hypothesis. Inthe first half of the 1400s a Tue Pedersen lost his seal in NørrekåsHarbour, north of Rønne; which was recovered in a later century. He isnot the Tue Pethersön of the Rani family, which we know had Harebjergmanor, for his coat-of-arsm displays the Bild/Strangesen's transversedshield - therefore of the same family as the Archbishop Niels Joensen,Johannes Ufs mother's brother. His father may be Peder Strangesen. Thelatter's brother lived only on Fyn: Otte Strangesen recorded in 1377 and1397! Possibly Tue Pedersen came to Bornholm looking to found kinship,and stood at the gunwale of the ship and fumbled with his seal, so itfell into the sea? Was Peter Uf married to Otte Strangesen's daughter,and so came the name Otte in this way into the Uf-family? A name whichotherwise was entirely unknown on Bornholm in that social circle. Didthe family move to Fyn after this marriage, allowing their adscriptpeasants to run their Bornholmer farms? Was Cecilie Uf visiting herbrother Peter Uf after her second husband's death, and while there shemet Hr. Hartvig Limbek, her third husband? Is this the reason for therelative lack on Bornholm of written documents mentioning Peder Uf?
Otte Uf's his first marriage was with a widow of Skåne origin, namelyAnders Galen's daughter from Skåne, and perhaps it is this connectionthat eventually brought him back to Bornholm. Their two sons inheritedfrom their mother's brother, Anders Galen the younger, who died childlessin Lund in 1522 - he had written a will in 1511 (58), where his heirs arementioned: "Mister Peder W, Cannik in Lund, my dear Relative. . . Itemmy dear Relative Anders W."
Notes: (57) Otte Wff placed seal on a letter of 1493 printed in SuhmsAssemblies I. II. s. 43, and in 1497 10/8 placed seal on "Aatte Persz"and "Olloff Aattesz" with same seal that was used in 1493 - document isreproduced by Hübner 35. (58) Anders Galen's will of 1511, 19/11,Thisets reproduces in Rigsarkivet, Copenhagen.
The assurtion by Sigvard Mahler Dam that Peder Uf's wife was the daughterof Otte Strangesen (before 1350-after 1397) of Tange in Gudme district onFyn, seems to be based on two facts: 1) Otte Strangesen's brother PederStrangesen's son Tue Pedersen is thought to have been on Bornholm in theearly 1400s. Sigvard speculates that it is possible that Tue Pedersenarranged the marriage of his cousin to Peder Uf; 2) Peder Uf's sisterCecilie's third marriage was to Hartvig Limbek of Jelsore and Nebbegårdin Vejle county, Jylland. Hartvig's previous wife had come from Fyn.Sigvard speculates that Cecilie's marriage must have been arranged byPeder Uf through his wife's relatives on Fyn. How else could a widowliving in Hardeberga in Skåne gotten a husband from Jylland?
The Aneklubben Rundetaarn database has Peder Uf's wife as the daughter ofa Laurids Jensen (of Yrwæ near Landskrona?). That Laurids might be theson of Jens Pedersen (-1360-1377-), of Bellinge, "markmand" of Falsterisland, and his wife - the daughter of Jens Falster. Possibly becauseone of Jens Pedersen's other sons was named Otte Jensen (died 1397-1401),Commander (Hovedmand) of Saltø (near Næstved, Sjælland)?
From "Landsdommer-Patriciatet på Bornholm", part 1, by Sigvard MahlerDam: On July 16, 1448 we meet the new Chief Justice (Landsdommer) SevidNielsen, and he had apparently only just been appointed as chief justiceas on that date he confirms to the Archbishopric in Lund that he and hiswife Kirstine have, as their fief for life, received one estate farm(hovedgård) and eight other farms in five parishes. These farms weremost likely part of the domains of the office of the chief justice, andthis letter it the first letter of endowment of a chief justice we knowof on Bornholm. From the preserved seal of his daughter we see that thefamily had a coat of arms which is divided vertically and that the firstfield is half a lilac; which is exactly the same coat which thedescendants of Claus Kjøller used at a later date. During SevidNielsen's tenure as chief justice there is a long period betweendocuments, and the next time he is mentioned is the last time while hewas alive: February 1, 1469 the Archbishop orders: "Sevid Landsdommer isto summon Peder Lauridsen's heirs in Ibsker Parish for a claim by PerLang in Walløse (Færs county in Skåne) against them." Twenty years aschief justice is a long time and soon after he died.
Conclusion, by Norman Lee Madsen:
"Landsdommer" Anders Uf (senior) married Sevid Nielsen's daughter, Anne,and from an undated letter it is known that this couple is endowed with ahovedgård: Store Kannikegård, and the eight farms which Sevid had beenendowed with in 1448. The former endowment of 1448 stated that Sevid wasto possess the farms as long as he lived, and this has to mean that he isnow dead, and that the son-in-law, Anders Uf, had succeeded him as chiefjustice. Anders Uf (senior), took over Store Kannikegård after the deathof Sevid Nielsen; he is described as being a nobleman (adelsmand) and a"Storbonde" (I am not sure of the word's exact meaning, however:stor=great and bonde=farmer, so I suspect it means he was the holder oflarge amounts of land farmed by "vornedskabe" peasants). A Jacob Splidtbecame chief justice after Anders Uf, which Sigvard Mahler Dam statesmight be as early as, or before, 1487; Jacob married Anders Uf's widowAnne, who outlived her second husband as well. Anne, as widow of bothAnders Uf and Jacob Splid, issued a gift letter in 1508 to the Archbishopin Lund, the letter had, among other witnesses, Peder Uf's seal upon it.Mentioned in the 1511 will of Anders Galen (died 1522) are "Master PederUf, Canon in Lund, my dear relative, 2 Guilders and a down blanket.Likewise to Hans Myre, 2 Guilders. Likewise to my dear relative AndersUf, 2 Guilders and my folding table." Peder Uf and Hans Myre were namedto act as executors of his testament. As the chief justice Anders Uf(senior) had been dead for over 20 years, the Anders Uf mentioned in 1511must be the same person as the Anders Uf who is listed in 1499 as beingadmitted to the University of Greifswald on November 26th under the name:"Andreas W de Bornholm".
Since we know that Anders Uf (senior) was married to Anne Sevidsdatter,the student Anders Uf (junior), (as he was a student, he would likelyhave been around 20-25 years old in 1499: thus born between 1470-1480),is most likely the son of Otte Pedersen Uf and n.n. Andersdatter Galen;since we only know of two Ufs on Bornholm at that time who could havebeen married to a sister of Anders Galen (died 1522) - and the elderAnders Uf is ruled out: he was already married to Anne Sevidsdatter. Itseems likely to me that Anders Uf (senior) is the brother of OttePedersen Uf.
We know that Anders Galen's sister was married to a Hals of Bornholm,with whom she had three children - all born between 1450 and 1470: JørgenHals, Anne Poul Olsens, and Else Ødberns. (Note: there is no knownevidence for the existence of an Ødbern Hals; most likely "Else Ødberns"is a patronymic, but we can't rule out the possibility that Ødbern is thename of Else's husband.) Since Anders Uf (junior) was most likely wasborn between 1470 and 1480, it isn't a stretch to conclude that Ødbern(?)Hals died between 1460 and 1470. And that the widowed n.n. AndersdatterGalen married Otte Pedersen Uf, with whom she had two sons: Peder Uf(-1497-1508-1511-1518-1520-) and Anders Uf (-1499-1511-1533-). (Note: itis possibe that n.n. Andersdatter Galen was actually married to PederHals (-1443-1457-), Ødbern Hals' putative father.)
We know that Otte Pedersen Uf had more children (with the sister of"frimand" Jens Olufsen of Klemensker?): Oluf Ottesen Uf, and Mogens Uf'smother (the wife of Oluf Tuesen, of Krashavegård). And possibly alsoanother daughter named Karine (-1546-1550-) of Landskrona, the widow ofRasmus Henningsen, who is mentioned in a court case (source:Landbohistorisk Selskab, see below) from 1546-1550, along with theyounger Anders Uf (possibly deceased by 1546? - he is incorrectlyidentified in the Landbohistorisk website as the husband of AnneSevidsdatter), Peder Uf (possibly deceased by 1546?), Mogens Uf, and OlufOttesen Uf (deceased between 1522 and 1546). However, since these otherchildren aren't mentioned in either the will of 1511 or the court case of1522, they can't be the children of n.n. Andersdatter Galen.
The youngest son, Oluf Ottesen Uf appears as a witness in a document from1497, alongside his father Otte Pedersen Uf, wherein he borrows hisfather's seal (there are two identical seals on the document), so he musthave been very young, likely born between 1470 and 1480. This would alsoplace n.n. Andersdatter Galen's death at between 1470 and 1479.
Of course, other explainations of family relationships could fit withinthe facts as known. It certainly is possible that Anders Uf (senior),and Anne Sevidsdatter, are the parents of Anders Uf (junior) and PederUf. This would entail either Anders Uf (senior) or Anne Sevidsdatterbeing related to Anders Galen. The mother of Anders Uf (senior) and OttePedersen Uf is not known (some say that she is the daughter of LauridsJensen Markmand, of Bellinge on Falster island; Sigvard speculates she isthe daughter of Otte Strangesen Bild, of Tange, Gudme district, Fyn);possibly she was a sister of one of Anders Galen's parents (i.e. a Galenor a Rani). Or perhaps Sevid Nielsen's wife Kirstine (her patronymic isnot known, nor any family-name) was an aunt to Anders Galen.
However, to ignore the fact that Anders Galen's sister is known to havebeen living on Bornholm, and the evidence that points to her childrenwith Ødbern(?) Hals (it seems to me that since we have no certain recordof him points to his dying as a fairly young man, possibly in his earlyto mid-thirties) being born between 1450 and 1470, which is before thelikely dates of birth of Anders Uf (junior) and Peder Uf - both of whomwere most likely born between 1470 and 1480.
From the Landbohistorisk Selskab - Adkomstregistrering 1513-1550:
Entry from the year 1546 (began on 2 Oct. 1546, ended on 13 Aug. 1547),Nr. 286b.
1) Anders Skriver, bonde(?), Mogens Uf's fuldmægtig på Bornholm'slandsting.
2) Jens Ernestsen, bonde(?), døde(?), på Bornholm, havde gård iPedersker Sogn.
3) Rasmus Henningsen, borger(?), død, gift med hustru Karine(Ottesdatter Uf (I)?) i Landskrona.
4) Anders Ottesen Uf (I), gift med Anne, datter af landsdommer SevidNielsen.
5) Karine (Ottesdatter Uf (I)?), adelig hustru, Rasmus Henningsensefterleverske i Landskrona.
6) (Margrethe?) Uf (I), gift med Oluf Tuesen (Uf II) af Krashave og mortil Mogens Uf (II).
7) Mogens Uf (II), til Odersberga, havde Bornholm len (død mellem1563-66), gift med Berete Poulsdatter Kyrning.
8) Oluf Ottesen Uf (I), landsdommer Bornholm, (lever 1522, er død1546-47).
9) Peder Ottesen Uf (I), mester, kannik i Lund domkirke, (lever 4 April1520).
10) Blasius Thomesen von Wickede, lybsk foged på Hammershus, lybskbefalingsmand på Bornholm fra 2 Oct. 1546.
11) Bornholm's landsting 1516: 10 13.
12) Landskrona købstad, Skåne.
13) Pedersker Sogn, Sønder Herred, Bornholm.Entry from the year 1549, Nr. 190b.
1) Jens Ernestsen, på Bornholm, havde gård i Pedersker Sogn.
2) Rasmus Henningsen, borger, gift med hustru Karine (Ottesdatter Uf(I)?), i Landskrona.
3) Anders Ottesen Uf (I), gift med Anne, datter af landsdommer SevidNielsen.
4) Karine (Ottesdatter Uf (I)?), adelig hustru, Rasmus Henningsensefterleverske i Landskrona.
5) Mogens Uf (II), til Odersberga, havde Bornholm len (død mellem1563-66), gift med Berete Poulsdatter Kyrning.
6) Oluf Ottesen Uf (I), landsdommer Bornholm, (lever 1522, er død1546-47).
7) Peder Ottesen Uf (I), mester, kannik i Lund domkirke, (lever 4 April1520).
8) Pedersker Sogn, Sønder Herred, Bornholm.Entry from the year 1550, Nr. 75b.
1) Christoffer Jensen bonde ???, Stig Pors' fuldmægtig på rettertinget iOdense.
2) Stig Eriksen Pors (af Vrandrup), til Øllingsø, lensmand Lundagård ogstiftslensmand i Skåne, ærkedegn i Roskilde, (død 8 Oct. 1556).
3) Rasmus Henningsen, borger(?), død, gift med hustru Karine(Ottesdatter Uf (I)?) i Landskrona.
4) Anders Ottesen Uf (I), gift med Anne, datter af landsdommer SevidNielsen.
5) Karine (Ottesdatter Uf (I)?), adelig hustru, Rasmus Henningsensefterleverske i Landskrona.
6) Mogens Uf (II), til Odersberga, havde Bornholm len (død mellem1563-66), gift med Berete Poulsdatter Kyrning.
7) Oluf Ottesen Uf (I), landsdommer Bornholm, (lever 1522, er død1546-47).
8) Peder Ottesen Uf (I), mester, kannik i Lund domkirke, (lever 4 April1520).
9) Landskrona købstad, Skåne.
10) Pedersker Sogn, Sønder Herred, Bornholm.Note: the Landbohistorisk Selskab website identifies the above AndersOttesen Uf (-1511-1533-) as the husband of Anne, daughter Sevid Nielsen,however this is incorrect, as the Anders Uf she was married to must havebeen born before 1440, and died circa 1487.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto,Ontario, copyright 2006.
There were no children in Kirstine Mogensdatter's first marriage withAnders Ipsen.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto,Ontario, copyright 2006.