Hedevig Johanne Bagger (November 1740- May 4, 1822) was a Danish
inn-keeper
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
and
postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
.
Biography
She was born the port of
Korsør
Korsør is a town on Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Korsør was the seat of Korsør Municipality. The town is located west of Slagelse, north-west of Skælskør and connects to Nyborg through the Great Bel ...
in
Sorø
Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in east Denmark. The population is 7,999 (2022). , Denmark.
She was the daughter of merchant Rasmus Langeland (1712–80) and Anne Marie Jensdatter (1714–78). Her father ran a successful business as co-owner of the ferry connection to
Funen
Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...
. Her brother Jens Christian Langeland (1737-1770) was later mayor and customs officer in the city.
She was married in 1761 to Marcus Marcussen Bagger who was the estate manager at the main farm Saltø near
Næstved
Næstved () is a town in the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand in Denmark.
Næstved has several adult education centers, five elementary schools - and has at least one of each type of the four ...
. Her husband died at the age of 44 in February 1770 and her brother later that same year. She bought one of Korsør's larger guesthouses which within a few years was expanded into an inn. In connection with another rebuilding in the early 1780s, a post office was established in property. She applied to establish the local post office in 1782 and was in 1798 named royal postmaster. She was unique in her position: there were female postmasters before her, but they were women who inherited their office from their spouses, while Bagger was the first woman to have been granted the position herself. She retired from the postal office and sold the inn during 1810.
See also
*
Dorothea Krag
Dorothea Krag (27 September 1675–10 October 1754) was a Danish Postmaster General and noble.
Dorothea was married first to count Jens Juel in 1694, and second to the king's illegitimate half brother Christian Gyldenløve in 1701. As the widow ...
References
External links
Madam Bagger (restaurant) website{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagger, Hedevig Johanne
1740 births
1822 deaths
18th-century Danish businesspeople
Postmasters
People from Korsør
19th-century Danish businesspeople