The farming community on Eiker

Written by Bent Ek

By the latter half of the 18th century, the vast majority of the farmers on Eiker had become self-employed. One hundred years earlier, they had been tenants, either under the crown estate or at estates that belonged to nobility and officials. The estate economy at Eiker reached a peak under Governor Hannibal Sehested, who was also sheriff of Eker county in the years 1648-1652. When he fell into disfavor, his large collection of goods was taken over by the Crown. This estate was first mortgaged and later sold to private individuals to cover the state's debt. This is how most of the old collections of goods disappeared, and the Eiker farmers became owners of the farms they lived on.