Places

Sidsel was born in Thy, spent her twenties on the roads of Vendsyssel and Himmerland, her middle years in Aarhus and her last ones in Storring, and worked as a cunning woman on the farms of Djursland. The map shows the places in her story on the Royal Danish Academy's map of Jutland, surveyed in her lifetime and printed from 1820.

Click a pin to read about the place, or zoom in to see the old map up close. The pins are placed from each place's modern coordinates and are accurate on the old map to about 2 km. Each one links to the same place on today's map. The places are also listed below.

Where she lived

• Nors, Thy. Her home parish. Her baptism was confirmed in Nors church on 2 April 1786, and the parish paid for her daughters' keep. Nors parish register, baptisms 1786; Projekt Nors: Sidsel Rolandsdatters døtre Anne Marie og Johanne Cathrine
• Odby, Thyholm. Her first child, Christian, was born here in March 1803. Marker near Odby, on Thyholm. Projekt Nors: Sidsel Rolandsdatters døtre Anne Marie og Johanne Cathrine
• Terndrup, Himmerland. Her daughter Anne Marie was born here in December 1804. Projekt Nors: Sidsel Rolandsdatters døtre Anne Marie og Johanne Cathrine
• Aalborg, North Jutland. Her father died in the town-hall jail in 1807. Ane Marie was born here in 1809 to "Arrestantinde Sidsel Rolandsdatter". Aalborg, Budolfi parish register, burials 1807; Aalborg, Budolfi parish register, baptisms 1809, no. 28
• Aarhus, East Jutland. The night-soil men's house outside Mølleporten, her home from about 1810 to 1826. She married twice in Vor Frue church, held the night-soil post 1815–26, and died at the county hospital in 1854. Aarhus, Vor Frue parish registers, 1811–1826; Inge Rasmussen: Sidsel Rolandsdatter; Storring parish register, burials 1854, no. 7
• Storring, West of Aarhus. House no. 40, bought in 1826 and auctioned in 1829; later the poorhouse, where she and Laus spent their last years. She is buried in the churchyard. Ane Marie lived here all her married life. Inge Rasmussen: Sidsel Rolandsdatter; Storring parish register (kontraministerialbog), 1814–1838; Storring parish register, burials 1854, no. 7
• Uggelhusene, Near Randers. Her home in 1836, when the Mørke affair began. Aalborg Stiftstidende, 11 March 1837, pp. 3–4

Her cases as a cunning woman

• Thorsager, Djursland. One of her first known cases as a cunning woman, in 1811. Inge Rasmussen: Sidsel Rolandsdatter
• Karlby, Djursland. The Overgaard family's losses, about 900 rigsbankdaler over several years, were part of the 1814 judgment. Marker at Karlby parish on Djursland. "Kvinden, der bedrev mystiske kunster. Om Sidsel Rolandsdatter"; Inge Rasmussen: Sidsel Rolandsdatter
• Rosmus, Djursland. The red cat, November 1821: two cunning women took 300 rigsbankdaler from a farmer here. "Kvinden, der bedrev mystiske kunster. Om Sidsel Rolandsdatter"; Aalborg Stiftstidende, 11 March 1837, pp. 3–4
• Mørke, Djursland. The buried mole skin, 1836: Jens Olesen's losses led to the trial of 1837. Aalborg Stiftstidende, 11 March 1837, pp. 3–4; "Kvinden, der bedrev mystiske kunster. Om Sidsel Rolandsdatter"
• Tistrup, Near Varde. Arrested in April 1840 at a farm where a boy was ill. She first gave her name as "Cicilia". Fyens Stiftstidende, 5 May 1840, p. 3

Courts, jails and prisons

• Holstebro, West Jutland. Held in the town-hall jail with her mother and sisters as vagrants, aged six, in 1792. Judgment of Hjerm-Ginding herred court, Holstebro, 14 December 1792
• Sæby, Vendsyssel. Held in the jail here in 1807, where her daughter Johanne Cathrine was born. Her two little girls grew up here with foster parents. Inge Rasmussen: Sidsel Rolandsdatter; Projekt Nors: Sidsel Rolandsdatters døtre Anne Marie og Johanne Cathrine
• Viborg, Central Jutland. Viborg Tugthus, where she served three terms (1807–08, 1818–21, 1838–40), and the Landsoverret, which upheld or passed her sentences in 1814, 1829, 1837 and 1841. Viborg Tugthus, prisoner register 1807–08; Inge Rasmussen: Sidsel Rolandsdatter
• Randers, East Jutland. Held in the town jail in March 1837 while the Mørke case was tried. Aalborg Stiftstidende, 11 March 1837, pp. 3–4
• Varde, West Jutland. Held in the jail and tried here in 1840 after her arrest at Tistrup. Fyens Stiftstidende, 5 May 1840, p. 3; Inge Rasmussen: Sidsel Rolandsdatter
• Odense, Funen. Odense Tugthus, her last prison, January 1841 to January 1842. Inge Rasmussen: Sidsel Rolandsdatter; Viborg Tugthus 1818 and 1838; Odense Tugthus 1841
• Horsens, East Jutland. Horsens Tugthus, where her son Lars began a life sentence in 1856 and her half-brother Poul died in 1865. Horsens Tugthus, prisoner register, 13 January 1856; Familien fra Carolinevej (Allan Jensen)
• Copenhagen, Zealand. The Supreme Court upheld her sentence in January 1838. Her half-brother Poul, her son Lars and probably Ane Marie's father were all prisoners in Stokhuset here. Beyond the edge of the 1820 map. Berlingske, 27 March 1838, p. 6; Census 1845, Copenhagen, Stokhuset; Stokhuset, prisoner register, no. 1986

Her family

• Lejrskov, Near Kolding. Her father, Roland Christiansen, was baptised here in 1761. Lejrskov parish register, baptisms 1761, no. 18
• Lovns and Hoel, Himmerland. Her sister Birthe Cathrine married Christen Hansen of Hoel here in 1796 and died here a pauper in 1856. Sidsel stayed with her at Hoel after her first prison term. Lovns parish register, marriages 1796; Lovns parish register, burials 1856, no. 5; Projekt Nors: Sidsel Rolandsdatters døtre Anne Marie og Johanne Cathrine
• Sennels, Thy. Her half-sister Sidsel Kathrine was born here in 1785. Sennels parish register, baptisms 1785, no. 12
• Rostrup, Himmerland. Her half-brother Christian Peter was baptised here in 1790. Rostrup parish register, baptisms 1790
• Ørsted, Djursland. Her half-brother Poul was born here in 1793 and was back here, at Stenalt manor, in 1850. Ørsted parish register, baptisms 1793; Census 1850, Ørsted parish, Stenalt manor
• Ebdrup, Djursland. Her half-sisters Juliane and Maren, twins, were born here in 1800. Ebdrup parish register, births 1800
• Tæbring, Mors. Her half-brother Christian Peter was found dead on the shore here in 1813, killed by his cousin. Tæbring parish register, burials 1813
• Voer, Randers Fjord. Her half-sister Gjertrud died here a pauper in 1837. Voer parish register, burials 1837, no. 7
• Kolind, Djursland. Her half-sister Juliane died here in 1882, the widow of a pauper. Kolind parish register, burials 1882, no. 6
• Funder, West of Silkeborg. Her grandson Niels Jensen married Thrine Frank in Funder church in 1875. Funder parish register, marriages 1875, no. 2
• Silkeborg, Central Jutland. Niels and Thrine's daughter Jensine married Jens Julius Hansen here in 1908. Niels died here in 1924. kartoffeltysker.com: the family page