Hans Julius Fæster (May 6, 1777 – August 28, 1840) was town and shire clerk under several bailiffs.
The town and shire bailiff’s right-hand man
Hans Julius Fæster was town and shire clerk in Skive and Salling from 1820 to 1840. He was a royally appointed official and his job was to assist the town and shire bailiff in Skive Købstad and Salling Herreder in managing a wide range of tasks: The town and shire bailiff was the government’s representative at local level, in this case Skive and Salling. He was a royally appointed official and performed the functions of mayor, judge, chief of police, bailiff, probate administrator, tax collector (of state taxes) etc. The office included both Skive Market Town and the four lordships of Salling (Nørre, Rødding, Hindborg and Harre H.), which each constituted their own jurisdiction. The town and lord clerk was the right-hand man of the town and lord bailiff, and his tasks were within the administration of the market town and in connection with the administration of justice, including conducting trials before the town and lord parliament.
Wife and children
Fæster was married to Charlotte Amalie Walvig (June 30, 1788 – June 29, 1826), daughter of provisions manager Johan Fridrich Walvig. According to the 1834 census, there were six children living with Fæster on his farm, Nørregade matr. no. 43, and of these only the youngest two, Amalia (b. July 20, 1823) and Wigo Beathus (b. August 17, 1825), were baptized in Skive.
Fæster’s 2 “bosses”
Hans Julius Fæster worked under the town and shire bailiffs Ole Selmer (1779-1822) and Philip Peter Rosenstand (1822-1839).
The administration grows
During Rosenstand’s time as town and shire bailiff, the workload grew and more hands were needed. The 1834 census therefore shows that both Rosenstand and Fæster each employed a clerk.
The burial site
The cast iron cross is the oldest preserved in Skive Cemetery.