Jacob Brønnum Scavenius (2 April 1749 – 20 June 1820) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

landowner.

Early life and career

Scavenius was born in

Skagen Skagen () is Denmark's northernmost town, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalborg. The Port of Skagen is ...

in 1749 as the 9th of 11 children of merchant Peder Christensen Brønnum (or Brøndum) and Anne Ibsdatter. He graduated from Aalborg Grammar School in 1770 and assumed the name Scavenius (a latinification of for ''Skagbo'' = person from Skagen). Scavenius was a volunteer in (Treasury) until 1776 when he was employed as an assistant for the Danish Asiatic Company in India. He returned to Denmark as a wealthy man in 1792 after spending 15 years in Bengal.

Property and titles

Scavenius purchased the

Gjorslev Gjorslev is a cruciform medieval castle located 17 km south-east of Køge, on the Stevns Peninsula, Stevns Municipality, some forty kilometres south of Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally owned by the Bishop of Roskilde, it is considered one of ...

, Erikstrup and Søholm on Stevns from the Lindencrone family in 1793. In 1798 he also purchased Klintholm on the island of

Møn Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langebæk, Præstø, and Vordingbo ...

. He made a turn-around on Hjorslev and established a chalk plant at Bøgeskov. He was appointed to ''justitsråd'' in 1793 and ''etatsråd'' in 1711. He was interested in mathematics and literature. He created a large collection of books but much of it was lost in the fire of

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace ( da, Christiansborg Slot; ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament ('), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme ...

in 1794 as well as in a fire caused by the British bombardement of Copenhagen in 1807.

Personal life

He married Karine Lucie Debes (1775-1825) in 1794. She was a daughter of Supreme Court justice Lucas Debes and Christine née Suhr. Two sons died young. The daughter Jacobine married headmaster at

Sorø Academy Sorø Academy (Danish, ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...

Hector Estrup and became the mother of later prime minister J.B.S. Estrup. Scavenius died at Gjorslev on 20 June 1820 and is buried at Gortug Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scavenius, Jacob Bronnum 18th-century Danish businesspeople 19th-century Danish businesspeople 18th-century Danish landowners 19th-century Danish landowners People from Skagen Scavenius family 1749 births 1820 deaths