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- From the earliest records on Peder Kofoed we see that he was a "Selvejerbonde" (tax-paying freehold farm-owner) without the "Frimand" (freeman) privileges his cousins around R?nne enjoyed. Peder Kofoed fathered five children in his first marriage, to Elsebeth Gagge: one son and four daughters; she and all of their children died in 1585. After Elsebeth Gagge died he inherited her property, as she left no male child to inherit her property. The properties were the 14, 16, 17 and 25 Vornedeg?rde (Vdg.) in ?ker parish (and as well he owned a mill). As Elsebeth Gagge's status was that of a "frij Quinse" (= fri Kvinde, a free woman) it was necessary to obtain Royal permission to keep the farms. This was granted to him by Royal decree on July 3, 1598; however, this did not make Peder a Freeman, but he did obtain something equally as good: The king's decree of July 3, 1598 (see below) gave him the right to own those farms "as free as anyone else on Bornholm owned his farm".
From the "Urkunden zur Geschichte der Insel Bornholm 1327-1621: 1566 - 1621", by Jens Rasmussen H?bertz, Volume 2, page 532:
Nr. 377. 1598 3 Juli. Peder Koefod skal have sit Gods frit. Chr. IV etc. Peder Koefoed har ladet andrage, at han havde ?gtet en fri Quinde, og med hende faaet noget Jordegods, og efter hendes D?d arvet samme med hans B?rn, og siden efter deres D?d arvet disse; men hans Hustrues Broder, som er en Riddermands Mand, har gjort Fordring paa samme Gods. Da der imidlertid er giort dem en Contract imellem, at han maa beholde bemeldte Gods, om Kongen vil unde ham det, saa bevilges ham dette "och hand och hands Arffuinger dett saa friit att beholde, som andre derpaa Landet der frie Folch ere", etc. (Langeb. og en anden Affkr. i Diplom. i Geh. Arch. Conf. Skaanske Reg. Nr. 3 fol. 70. a.)
Christian IV's brother-in-law, the Holstein Duke Johan Adolf, a well educated and enlightened nobleman, visited Koefoedg?rd in 1602 together with five squires and their entourage: "as many as could be seated around four long tables". Although the affair totalled a hefty 22 Rigsdaler, Peder Kofoed could not but praise God for his good fortune in making the aquaintance of such an important and influential man. To do this he shared the cost of manufacturing a magnificient new bell dedicated to the church in ?stermarie in 1604. It is one of two bells that ring for the people in ?stermarie to this very day.
It was unthinkable to have Koefoedg?rd converted to "frig?rd" (free-farm) status; however, as it was now established that Peder had the right to own Freeman's property, it was possible to obtain land already designated as such. Finally in 1606 he got the opportunity to buy the Freeman's estate of Baggeg?rd in Klemensker parish. Now "Peder Kofoed af Baggaard" could met on equal footing with the other Freemen of Bornholm.
In 1572 a meeting was held by Bornholm's Parliament to establish who had the right to the status of "frimand" on Bornholm. Of course, that meeting had a broader purpose: a war in which L?beck and Denmark had fought side-by-side had ended two years previously, and there was another three years before the L?beck 50 year claim to Bornholm was to expire; although L?beck claimed that it had been given a further 50 years. In this predicament it was wise for the King to establish locally situated allies; and Bornholm's influential freemen, who normally would have been snubbed by the king and the true nobility, were now in a position to receive benevolent treatment from the Danish crown.
At the "Frimandsm?det" held on September 6, 1572 there were 17 men named as being in attendance: 1. Jacob Iversen, Landsdommer; 2. Mester Peder W (= Peder [Mogensen] Uf); the brothers 3. Peder Hansen; and 4. Bent Hansen; 5. J?rgen Pedersen; 6. Peder (Madsen) Kofoed; 7. Oluf Madsen; 8. Oluf Bagge; 9. Hans Mogensen, as he was away at the king's court he was represented by his father Mogens Hansen; 10. Peder (Hansen) Myre; 11. J?rgen Gagge; 12. Berent Hansen (= Berild Hansen); 13. Laurids Pedersen; 14. Jens (Madsen) Kofoed; 15. Christen (Clausen) Ki?ller; 16. Peder Hansen (Uf); and 17. Hans (Madsen) Kofoed. Three advisers to the Danish Parliment (Rigsr?der) had been sent to preside over the meeting, namely: Bi?rn Kaas of Starupgaard, Bi?rn Andersen of Stenholt, and J?rgen Marsvin of Dyb?k. The group expressed heartfelt and solemn words about faithful service to the crown; and it seems they had an inkling of things to come, and therefore begged the King not to let himself be "seduced" by L?beck's representative Sveder Ketting, "because you might expect that L?beck only plotted to keep our island under their yoke." This was during the period in which Bornholm was strongly under the influence (and rulership) of the Hanseatic League free-city of L?beck; the Bornholmers felt greatly put upon by the high taxes, unfair rules, and high-handedness of the L?beckers. Contrary to the opinion of latter historians they must have convinced the envoys, as on the 9th of September the freemen were granted the right to gather shipwrecks from the beaches, hunt in the woods, as well as given full authority over their servants - a great victory for the freemen.
This is the first record in which we find the Kofoeds being mentioned as "frim?nd". We know that they were related to Oluf Bagge and Peder Uf, and probably to several of the others. The question remains: did they already have claim to freeman status, or did they take advantage of the King's need for loyal followers - seeking acknowledgement of that status from their peers on Bornholm? It seems that they had to make certain commitments to the King in exchange for the full rights to freeman status.
Peder Kofoed, named as a "Frimand", was one of the delegates who on May 6, 1608, in K?benhavn, selected and confirmed Prince Christian as the future King of Denmark. He, along with four other Bornholmers, took part in the following festivities in Lund, Sk?ne province (now part of Sverige/Sweden), where the nobility swore their allegiance to Prince Christian in the year 1610.
Their written authorization to attend reads as follows:
"We, the hereafter stated signatories: Jens Kofoedt of Kyndegaard, Hanns Kofoedt of Blykobbegaard, Peder Koefoedt of Bagisgaard, Matz Koefoedt of Eskiilsgaard, and Niels Beriildsen of Gadebygaard, all Freemen of Borringholm, and present here together hereby declare. . . The honest and noble man: Hanns Lindenow, Commander of Hammershus Fortress, has according to our consent, requested these two persons: the honourable Hans and Poffuill Koefoedt to travel to Ki?benhaffn with our authorized document and be our representatives (at Prince Christian's election). . . as further documentation we have in our own handwriting signed and sealed this our open-letter."
The above letter is dated: "Borringholm, 6 Maij, Anno 1608" With the signatures of: Jenns Koefoedt, Hans Kofod, Peder Koefoedt, Matz Koefoedt, Jacob K?ller, Hans Berillsenn, Niels Berendtzen.
According to Julius Bidstrup's book on the "Family B" by the altar of the now demolished ?stermarie Church there was a gravestone with three copper plates, the first with the initials "P.K.", for Peder Kofoed, which depicted his emblem: the hoof or "foot" of a cow ("foden af en kue" or "et koben"). The name Kofoed comes from the older name of "KoFod" (meaning "CowFoot"). The second plate was engraved "E.H.G.D." for: Elsebeth Henning Gagge's Daughter; her vertically divided emblem depicted a half mill-wheel (halv kaggehjul) and a chevron (sparre). The third was engraved "I.P.H.D." for: Inger Peder Hansen's Daughter; her emblem depicted what looked like a cheekbone (kindben), which has otherwise been described as a half lobster claw (halv hummerklo); Sigvard Mahler Dam has identified it as a pike's jawbone (geddek?ft), stating that the "geddek?ft" was a symbol of speed - as knights used to fasten the jawbone into the nostrils of their horses, so that they would run fast and wild. It seems that the old Bornholm Kofoed families used the cow-foot as their emblem; from obvious association with their name, rather than through their connection to the Duchy of Holstein. Besides the gravestone of Peder Kofoed, it can be seen in the seal of his brother the Mayor Esbern Kofoed used in 1595. From then on the cow-foot was used repeatedly by this branch of the Kofoed-family; among them his grandson Poul, the mayor of Svaneke, who in 1673 used a seal with the cow-foot image in the arms, above which sat a tiny, not too martial-looking helmet sprouting three flowers, and the initials "P.K.F.M." for: Poul KoeFoed Madsen.
In May 6, 1608 he used a "lille kvist med kl?veret" (small twig with a clover) as the image on his seal. It is curious that he did not make use of the cow-foot coat of arms, which was later placed upon his gravestone.
In the old ?stermarie Church there was an epitaph with the inscription:
"Denne Tavle er opsat til ?rlig og velagte Mands Peder Kofods Ihukommelse, som blev f?d Aar efter Guds Byrd 1548 og d?de 1616. Hands f?rste Hustru ?rlig og gudfrygtig Jomfru Elsebeth Henning Gagges Datter, med hvilcken hand levede i ?gteskab 10 Aar, avlede 5 B?rn, 1 S?n og 4 D?ttre. Hvilcke samt Moderen heden sove salig i Herren Anno 1585". (This Tablet is raised to the honest and respected man Peder Kofod's Memory, who was born in the year 1548 and died 1616. His first Wife honest and God fearing Miss Elsebeth Henning Gagge's Daughter, with whom he lived in Matrimony for 10 years, bearing 5 Children, 1 Son and 4 Daughters. This same mother died in the Year of Our Lord 1585.)
On Koefoedg?rd's church pew in ?stermarie Church was carved a "P K" with a coat-of-arms with the "kofod" image and the year "1637" - the year suggests that this was carved for a son of the same name (who died in 1637 in Malm?). Upon the women's pew was carved "I P H D" and her coat-of-arms; the inscription on the pew informs us that the elderly "Inger Peder Hansens Datter" was still alive in 1637.
In 1595 Hans Kofoed (c.1550-1623), of the "R?nne family" (Bidstrup's "Family A"), incorporated the emblem of a "gavlsparren" (a truss, otherwise known in heraldry as a chevron) in his seal; this later became the most widely incorporated image in later Kofoed seals and emblems. And that Hans Kofoed's eldest son Mads used this image in 1608.
The "Danish Coat of Arms" registry shows that 18 families carry the truss as part of their coats of arms. The image of the truss seems to have come from the Uf family of Sk?ne. Noblemen of the Uf family settled on Bornholm around the year 1400, and quite a few of the native Bornholmer Kofoeds married into that family, and it seems that they adopted the Uf's coat of arms with its depiction of a "sparre". Later, as the "R?nne family" and the "?stermarie family" began to inter-marry the image of the chevron can be seen together with that of the "cow-foot".
Reference: In "Familien Koefoed A og B" Julius Bidstrup (published 1886), Peder Kofoed's father was a Mads Kofoed, however according to later research done by J?rn Klindt it is proven that he was the son of Poul Kofoed; see "P? spore af de f?rste Kofod'er", by J?rn Klindt, published 1979 , page 77.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 21 July 2015.
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1548 - 1616 (68 år)
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