Erik (Erich) Pedersen Bredal (1683 – c. 1741) was a Norwegian-Danish colonial administrator who served as
Governor of St. Thomas and St. Jan from 1716 to 1724.
Early life and education
Bredal was baptized on 24 November at
Brønnøy, Norway. His father was the local pastor Peder Erichsen Bredal (1651–1714), son of bishop
Erik Bredal. His mother was Margrethe Thomesdatter Meier (1660–1695). His parents were married on 9 October 1673. Bredal received his secondary schooling in
Bergen before enrolling at the
University of Copenhagen in July 1697. In June 1702, he was briefly back in Brønnøy, preaching as on the second day of
Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...
(5 June 1702) in the absence of his father.
Colonial administrator
Bredal landed on St. Thomas on 9 May 1713. He spent the next three years as secretary, bookkeeper and member of the Government Council (). On 12 August, following the death of governor Michel Crones (8 March 1716), St. Thomas, he was elected as interim governor of the islands. His appointment was later confirmed by the directors of the
Danish West India Company
The Danish West India Company () or Danish West IndiaGuinea Company (') was a Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian chartered company that operated out of the colonies in the Danish West Indies. It is estimated that 120,000 Atlantic slave trade, enslav ...
in
Copenhagen. On 29 April 1719, he was also appointed as deputy commandant of Christiansfort. In April 1724, he was dismissed by the DQC directors in Copenhagen. He was succeeded by
Frederik Moth
Frederik Christian Hals von Moth (1694 – 12 August 1746) was a Danish merchant, nobleman, colonial administrator and planter who served as Governor-General of St. Thomas and St. John in the Danish West Indies from April 1724 - May 1727 then a ...
.
Personal life and legacy
Bredal married Aletta van Beverhoudt c. 1718, daughter of Lucas van Beverhoudt, a planter from the
Netherlands Antilles
nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom"
, national_anthem =
, common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento
, demonym = Netherlands Antillean
, capital = Willemstad
, year_start = 1954
, year_end = 2010
, date_start = 15 December
, ...
, and Margaretha, née Runnels. His wife's sister Anna Elisabeth was married to Bredal's successor Friederich Moth.
Bredal owned several houses and plantations on St. Thomas and St. Jan. In 1724, he purchased
Hassel Island from Daniel Jansen. After a few years, he sold it to Friderich Moth.
Bredal's fate is uncertain. He travelled to Europe in 1730, leaving his wife and children behind on the island, never to return. He is known to have visited Denmark and several other European destinations but is considered dead as of at least 1741. Aletta van Beverhoudt filed for divorce after seven years of absence. It is unclear whether the marriage was actually dissolved.
References
External links
Source
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bredal, Erik
Governors of the Danish West Indies
1683 births
1710s in the Danish West Indies
1720s in the Danish West Indies