Hugo Fredrik Hjorthøy (9 May 1741 – 29 August 1812) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

priest and

topographer Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scie ...

. He was born in

Klepp Klepp is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kleppe. Other villages in Klepp include Klepp stasjon, Orre, Orstad, Polle ...

as the son of

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

Hugo Fredrik Hjorthøy (1700–1741) and his wife Inger Beata Schreuder (1705–1791). His father died before his birth, and hence Hjorthøy was sent to his mother's family in Fana. He was tutored by Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer. He studied at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

, graduating with the

cand.theol. Candidatus theologiæ (male), Candidata theologiæ (female), abbreviated cand. theol. is an academic degree with a long tradition, awarded after a six-year higher education in theology in Iceland, Denmark, and Norway. In Norway, the title has re ...

degree in 1764. He was a curate in Flesberg from 1765 to 1768, and then worked in Denmark and on Danish ships from 1768. In 1771 he returned to Norway as vicar in

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsj ...

. He became vicar in Fron in 1774 and dean of

Gudbrandsdalen Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending towar ...

in 1775. He was married to Bolette Marie Braag from November 1771 to her death in January 1776; he then married her sister Maren. He had three daughters and three sons in total. He published the topographical-economical work ''Physisk og Ekonomisk Beskrivelse over Gulbrandsdalens Provstie'' in two volumes in 1785 and 1786. This work is regarded as one of the best of its kind and age. Hjorthøy was finally a vicar in

Nykirken Nykirken (literally: "The new church") is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bergen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the Nordnes area of the city of Bergen. It is one of the churches for the Bergen Cathedral paris ...

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

from 1783 to 1791, and in Sund from 1791 to his death in 1812.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hjorthoey, Hugo Fredrik 1741 births 1812 deaths People from Klepp 18th-century Norwegian Lutheran clergy Norwegian topographers University of Copenhagen alumni Norwegian expatriates in Denmark 19th-century Norwegian Lutheran clergy