Benzon family

Jacob Benzon

Benzonsdal was established by Supreme Court justice Peder Benzon in 1730 from land that had until then belonged to Gjeddesdal. The aim was to secure a more simple and efficient management of the land. Benzon was a major landowner who also established the manors of Benzonseje (now Risbyholm), Dønnerup and Gislingegård. He had previously also been the owner of Hagestedgaard and Alslevgård. The new manor comprised 50 tenant farms, 100 smallholdings, a brickyard and four watermills.^[1]

One of Peder Benzon's brother, Lars Benzon, bought Benzonsdal from the heirs after Peder Benzon's death in 1735. In 1740, he sold the estate to a third brother, Jacob Benzon.

Changing owners, 1744-1853

Frederik Mathias Barfred

In 1757, Benzonsdal was acquired by the Copenhagen-based wine merchant Frederik Barfred. He owned the property at Rådhusstræde 1 in Copenhagen and leased the tavern in the basement of Copenhagen City Hall. He served both as one of the directors of Jhøbenhavns Brandforsikring and as one of Copenhagen's 32 Men.^[2] Barfred wanted to ensure that the estate would stay in the family and therefore created a so-called stamhus in 1765 with the effect that it could neither be sold, margaged or divided between heirs. Stamhuset Benzonsdal was, however, already dissolved in 1786 and the estate was then sold to his son Jens Laurits Barfred. In 1797, he also purchased Gjeddesdal. In the 1780s, Barfred sold the tenant farms off to the farmers in accordance with the agricultural reforms of the time. In 1800, he sold the rest of the estate to Niels de Bang and Christian Ulrich Detlev von Eggers. Niels de Bang, who after a while had become the sole owner of Benzonsdal, made a big effort to assist the sick and poor farmers on his estate during an outbreak of dysentery.^[1]

1853-present: The Lerche family

Benxonsdal's new main building painted by Ferdinand Richardt

Count Carl Christian Cornelius Lerche bought Benzonsdal in 1853 and constructed a new main building in 1856.^[1]