The wealthy Skeel family

The Skeels are the family most often linked with Gammel Estrup. For 600 years, until 1926, there was a Skeel at the manor. In the 17th and 18th centuries the family was one of the wealthiest in Denmark. It was said of Jørgen Skeel’s son Chresten (1623-1688) (known as “the Rich”) that he could ride from Grenaa to Viborg on his own land. This was not quite true, but the family’s wealth was indeed immense. In 1725 the Skeels had a large area, including the estate at Sostrup, turned into a shire under the name of Scheel. However, Gammel Estrup manor itself was not part of this county, because it had already been made an entailed estate for the Skeel family. This meant that it was exempt from tax, and that it had to be handed down to the eldest son in its entirety; in return it could not be sold.

The family never again acquired as much influence as it had under Jørgen Skeel (1578-1631), but both Jørgen Scheel (1718-1786) - a Chief Equerry, who for a time ran the court of the dowager queen Juliane Marie and Prince Frederik - and also his son, Christen Scheel (1743-1771), ambassador to Russia from 1765-1771, played an important part in Denmark's history.