Disputes over Møllekrog

Previously the river Kongeå formed the boundary between Hjortlund and Jernved parishes, but some of the river has shifted so that a part of Hjortlund land now lies north of the river. This has previously created a fair amount of disagreement between the local landowners.

A river is an unpredictable kind of boundary marker. With meltwater or high waters, or if the river is dammed, it can form a new flow. This creates problems for the farmers who own the land around the river. In the old days, the boundary between Hjortlund and Jernved parishes followed the course of the Kongeå, but over time the river has shifted. No one can precisely remember anymore where the boundary went, but today two of Hjortlund parishes are land registered north of the river. They are title numbers 1e from 1a Brokær and title number 10. Conversely, Møllekrog, which belongs to Jernved parish, lies south of the river today.

The astute lawyer

A hundred years ago or more, some men from Jernved claimed a meadow that the townspeople of Hortlund used. The Hjortlund men were not willing to give up their meadow, so the Jernved men took on a lawyer to help them.

The Hjortlund men thought they could easily manage to win their case, but the lawyer representing the Jernved men won. Afterwards he told the Hjortlund men that if they paid him, he could initiate new proceedings and get the meadow back to Hjortlund. However, they would not agree to this and the division remained as it was, and probably still is today.

The river course at Møllekrog

Around 1870, the owners of Møllekrog submitted a proposal to make the river run just in front of their property, so Møllekrog would come to lie north of the Kongeå.

The owner of the title number 1a had a meadow called Riberhus Holm, which before the subdivision was divided between title numbers 1a and 2a, both Riberhus farms, hence the name. However, the owner of Riberhus Holm opposed the proposal to alter the river course, as this would cause his land to be halved. The proposal was rejected and Møllekrog still lies south of the Kongeå.

Author: Truels Truelsen, Hjortlund Parish archives

Sources and literature:

Hjortlund Parish archives, see www.hjortlundsognearkiv.dk

Billeder:

9.      Stridigheder om Møllekrog

a.       Filnavn: Top-001, Møllekrog

Tekst: Møllekrog by the river Kongeå.

Tegning: Knud Søndermark, Jernved

b.      lokal-placering