Notater |
- The parentage of Gunhild Uf is uncertain and disputed. She must have
been born between 1500 and 1532. What seems to be agreed is that she is
the descendant of Otte Pedersen Uf, the owner of Skovsholm in Ibsker
parish. Some say she is his daughter's daughter (datterdatter). Other's
that she is the daughter of his son Anders Uf, from Otte's first marriage
to Kirsten Galen. It has also been suggested by Sigvard Mahler Dam that
she is the daughter of Otte Pedersen Uf's grandson Hans Olufsen Uf
(1510-1574); possibly because she gave her son with Mads Jensen Kofoed
the name Hans - after her father?
It is known that in 1547 Gunhild's husband Mads Jensen Kofoed represented
her in a legal dispute with Mogens Uf (died 1565) concerning inherited
property from the estate of the deceased Oluf Tuesen. This implies that
there is a close relationship with Mogens Uf; some have suggested they
are brother and sister, others that they are cousins. Considering that
Oluf Tuesen died in 1500, it seems unlikely that Gunhild is his daughter
- as she would have been approaching 50 at the time of the birth of her
son, Hans Madsen Kofoed. Possibly she is the daughter of Oluf Tuesen's
brother-in-law Oluf Ottesen Uf? Or, as Sigvard Mahler Dam has suggested,
the daughter of Oluf's son Hans?
* * * * *
The following has been extracted from a translation of the article
"Landet Borringholm: Bornholmsk-skånske slægtskredse", by Sigvard Mahler
Dam, published in SAXO, 1986:
After the murder of Mogens Ufs' father Oluf Tuesen, his widow
(Margrethe?) went through hard times, but her brothers helped her prove
to Commander van Haffn which of the farms were her own inheritance, and
these were eventually given back to her. Her brothers helped with the
management, but then a pivotal event took place, which later caused a
devastating family feud over inheritance. Apparently Oluf Ottesen
purchased some property from the widow, and in the later court case some
letters and documents supposedly were proof thereof, but her son, Mogens
Uf, maintained that the family had unlawfully confiscated said property.
In 1547 Mogens Uf, still exiled from Bornholm, came to blows with his own
family and took them to the highest court in the land:
(In the original old Danish)
"Mogens W til Odersbiergh citat hustru Gunildt, Mattis Kofoedt paa
Bornholm med deres medarvinger for noget jordegods som de gør dem
forhindring paa smst. efter Oluf Tuesens død smst."
The case concerns Mogens Uf's inheritance from his mother, against
Gunhild Uf, who must be a descendant of his mother's brother, Oluf
Ottesen. Gunhild's husband, Mads Jensen Kofoed, sailed to København on
behalf of his wife and her co-heirs (who were under-aged). Mads won the
case and returned home able to keep the deeds to the farms contested by
Mogens Uf. But in 1552 Mogens Uf is back again to haunt Gunhild's family
(78):
(In the original old Danish)
"Oluff Hansz paa sine egne og metarfvingers Otte Persz arfvinger vegne,
beretter at Mogens W forfølger dem for noget jordegods og skifte, og de
have forfulgt sagen og bragt den for Rigets Kantsker, og til den ende
afsendt Mads Kofoedt med deres breve og beviser, men han er drunknet paa
veien og Brevskaberne forkomne, hvorfor det paalægges landsdommeren Hans
Reymer, at han er dem behjælpelig til endnu engang at faa beskrevet hvad
der er gaaet for sig i sagen."
"Mogens W" had sued Oluf Hansen and Otte Pedersen's heirs for some
property and Mads Kofoed had again been sent to København with
documents. Sadly, Mads drowned underway and the documents were lost.
That same day the king sent a letter to his bailiff on Bornholm, Henning
Gagge, requesting that he quickly settle the case between Mogens Uf and
Otte Pedersen's heirs. It had become bothersome to the king, the very
men he depended upon to resist the Lübeckers were about to destroy
everything with their family feuding. How the court case ended is not
known, but it seems that Mogens Uf lost again.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto,
Ontario, copyright 1990-2002.
|