Landfoged Explained

A Landfoged (Icelandic: ; Danish: ; Faroese:) was a civil servant who saw to the finances of the Danish king in islands such as Iceland and the Faroe Islands, collecting revenue for the whole country. The usual English translation is 'sheriff'.

Iceland

In Iceland, he was treasurer of the, and had to control the property of the king in Iceland, taxes and other payments, and manage fisheries of the king at Suðurnes. The collected taxes in Gullbringusýsla and was police chief in Reykjavík. He had to make sure the trade legislation would be obeyed.

These are Iceland's :^[1]

• Kristofer Heidemann (1683–1693)
• Andrés Iversen (1693–1695)
• Jens Jörgensen (1695–1702)
• Páll Pétursson Beyer (1702–1717)
• Kornelíus Wulf (1717–1727)
• Kristján Luxdorf (1727–1739)
• Kristján Drese (1739–1749)
• Guðni Sigurðsson (1749)
• Skúli Magnússon (1749–1793)
• Jón Skúlason (deputy) (1763–1786)
• Hans Jakob Líndal (1786–1787)
• Magnús Stephensen (1793–1794)
• Paul M. Finne (1794–1804)
• Rasmus Frydensberg (1804–1813)
• Sigurður Thorgrímsen (1813–1828)
• Christian Ulstrup (1828–1836)
• Ólafur H. Finsen (1831–1832)
• Þórður Sveinbjörnsson (1835–1836)
• Stefán Gunnlaugsson (1836)
• Morten Hansen Tvede (1836–1838)
• Stefán Gunnlaugsson (1838–1849)
• Kristján Kristjánsson (1849–1851)
• (1851–1852)
• Vilhjálmur Finsen (1852–1860)
• Hermanníus E. Johnson (1859–1861)
• Árni Thorsteinson (1861–1904)

Faroe Islands

In the Faroes today, the is the name of the Faroese Police,^[2] and the head of the police.^[3] Previously, he received the taxes from the sysselmand and delivered the proceeds to the stiftamtmand of the Faroe Islands.

Danish West Indies

Saint John

• Hans Wilhelm Koch
• Ditlev Nicolay Friis
• (-1774) Carl Frederich Weyle
• (1787-1819) Sophus Emil Zielian

Schleswig-Holstein

North Dithmarschen

• (-1585) Marcus Swin
• (1671 -) Heinrich Christian Boie
• Christian Mathias Jakob Johannsen

South Dithmarschen

• Peter Bogislaus Carstens
• (1806-) Johan Christian Friedrich Heinzelmann

Sild

• Johann Friedrich Jensen
• (1830 -) Uwe Jens Lornsen

Ærø

A landfoged office on Ærø was introduced in 1773.

• (1773-1774) Johann Heinrich Prehn
• (5 March 1784 - ?) Johann Georg Tilemann
• Peter Bogislaus Carstens

Notes and References

1. Einar Laxness: Íslandssaga a-ö, 2. vols (Reykjavík: Vaka-Helgafell, 1995).
2. Web site: Links. Útlendingastovan - Faroese Immigration Office. 8 November 2015.
3. Web site: landfoged. Den Store Danske. Danish. 8 November 2015.