Lecture: The murders in Stagsted Hedehus – a reckoning with history by Martin Schmidt Nielsen
Hear the dramatic story of the murders at Stagsted Poorhouse and gain a new, nuanced perspective on one of Vendsyssel's most famous criminal cases.
On 1 November 1841, seven residents of Wendelburg took the law into their own hands and killed the inhabitants of the poorhouse in the small town of Stagsted. According to the popular narrative, four leaders of a notorious gang of thieves were beaten to death by citizens who believed they had no other means of protecting themselves from crime.
The ensuing trial took on enormous proportions. More than 170 Wendelburg residents were convicted, and for many years the story was told as a necessary reckoning with the Vendsyssel gang of thieves. But was that really the whole truth?
In this lecture, librarian and history enthusiast Martin Schmidt-Nielsen presents the results of his thorough investigation of the case and offers a new and more nuanced perspective on the events and unfortunate circumstances that led to the murders. The lecture questions the simplified tradition and places the case in a larger historical context.
The lecture will take place at "For retfærdigheden".
Tickets can be purchased at Kystmuseet Sæby or online.