August Willads Bech (21 July 1815 - 28 May 1877) was a Danish landowner. He owned

Valbygård Valbygård is a manor house and estate located four kilometres northwest of Slagelse, Denmark. Created by Joachim Castenschiold in 1874 from land that had previously belonged to Antvorskov Abbey, the estate was in 1846 acquired by August Willads ...

Slagelse Slagelse () is a town on Zealand (Denmark), Zealand, Denmark. The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality, and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of Korsør, 16 km north-east of Skælskør, 33 km south-east of Ka ...

and Borupgård at Borup. Valbygård is still owned by his descendants.

Early life and education

Bech was born on 21 July 1815 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, the son of merchant and ship-owner Jørgen Peter Bech (1782–1846) and Ellen Sophie Magdalene Meyer (1784–1846). He grew up in his father's house at Nybrogade 22 and later studied agriculture in Denmark and

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

. His elder brother was

Edward Bech Edward Bech (May 4, 1812 – July 9, 1873) was a Danish diplomat and businessman who lived in the United States. His former home is now part of Marist College. Early life Bech was born on May 4, 1812, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was a son of Elle ...

, the Danish Counsel in New York.

Career

In 1840, Bech purchased Fredsholm at

Nakskov Nakskov is a market town on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. The town has a population of 12,200 (1 January 2025) and is the largest town on the island of Lolland. It is located in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland. Nakskov is situ ...

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the List of islands of Denmark#List of 100 largest Danish islands, fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Kattegat, Belts and Sund area, it is part of Re ...

. In 1846, he purchased

for 500,000

Danish rigsdaler The rigsdaler was the name of several currencies used in Denmark until 1875. The similarly named Reichsthaler, riksdaler and rijksdaalder were used in Germany and Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively. These currencies were of ...

and then parted with Fredsholm the following year. He modernized the operations and converted many of the copyholds to freeholds. He also constructed a number of new buildings on the estate. In 1855, he also acquired nearby Brorupgård. The two estates had a combined area of more than 600 hectares and were mainly used for breeding of cattle. He operated a modern dairy on his estate. He was also a pioneer of cultivation of root crops. In 1856, he increased his holdings with the acquisitions of Moselund in Engesvang at

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).Holmen Church The Holmen Church () is a Parish church in central Copenhagen in Denmark, on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by Christian IV. It is famous for having hosted the wedd ...

, Bech married Kirstine Margrethe (Grethe) Rothe (7 June 1823 - 21 March 1886), a daughter of counter admiral

Carl Adolph Rothe Counter-Admiral Carl Adolph Rothe (8 December 1767 – 12 July 1834) was a Danish naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Danish West Indies from 1820 to 1822. Biography Rothe was born on 8 Decemb ...

(1767–1834) and Benedicte Ulfsparre de Tuxen (1790–1877). He died on 28 May 1877 at Engelsholm in

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality (''Municipalities of De ...

. He is buried at Norup Cemetery. Valbygaard was passed down to his eldest son Jørgen Peter Bech. His second eldest son Carl Bech purchased Engelsholm Castle at

. His elfest daughter Benedichte married Ludvig Eduard Alexander Reventlow, Count of Rudbjerggaard- The younger daughter Ellen Sophie Magdalene "Mimi" Bech married Knud Sehested, of Stamhuset Broholm on

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

Accolades

In 1850, Bech was created a Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog In 1864, he was awarded the Cross of Honour.

References

External links

August Villads Bech
ast geni.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bech, August Willads 19th-century Danish landowners 1815 births 1877 deaths