The occupants of Jordberga
At the age of 23 Carl-Adam von Nolcken became the owner of Jordberga, a large estate in southern Skåne. During his studies in Kiel, Copenhagen and Uppsala he had come into contact with the Scandinavian cultural elite, which included H.C. Andersen, Adam Oelenschläger and Erik Gustaf Geijer. Under the influence of Geijer, in particular, von Nolcken developed into a romantic idealist with pragmatic overtones, and he wanted to put his ideas into practice on his estate. Jordberga developed into a model farm. This article treats von Nolcken's attitude towards and relationship with the inner circle of servants, the female servants, nursemaids, coachmen, male servants, huntsmen and protégés. The analysis shows that, while there were certainly deep class antagonisms inherent within the reigning patriarchal system that sometimes led to direct conflicts and problems, they could also lead to lasting, trusting relationships, and even to lifelong solidarity and friendship.
The position of the estate owner was sovereign in the socio-economic system. However, von Nolcken had a realistic view of his subordinates. He regarded the various social classes as deeply dependent upon one another and thought that they should interact and cooperate so that society could achieve harmony.
The author of this article, Ulf Pernö, died in 1988. The article is part of a doctoral dissertation that Ulf Pernö was working on as a doctoral student at the Department of Ethnology, Lund University, but which he was unable to complete. The text has been prepared by the head of Stockholm University Library, Tomas Lidman, who has also written a short introduction.
Translation: Marie Clark Nelson
