Charles August Selby
Charles August Selby | |
|---|---|
 Charles August Selby | |
| Born | 24 October 1755 |
| Died | 15 March 1823 (aged 67) |
| Nationality | British-Danish |
| Occupation | Merchant |
Charles August Selby (24 October 1755 – 15 March 1823) was an English-Danish merchant and landowner. He built the Orupgaard manor house on the Danish island of Falster. The Baron's oldest son, the politician and landowner, Charles Borre Selby, inherited the estate.[1][2] Salby also owned property in Copenhagen, including Strandgade 24 in Christianshavn.
Biography
Educated by English Benedictine monks in Douai in Flanders, he then entered commerce. In 1773, he joined William Chippendale's firm in Copenhagen which had interests in a sugar refinery. He was also associated with the Copenhagen[3] firm of Handelshus Selby & Co., which later became Selby & Ter-Borch, and in 1795, the company was taken over by Selby's partner, the Austrian consul Thomas Ter-Borch.[4] Selby developed a profitable interest in West-Indian trade until 1795 when he bought Bækkeskov and the Bredeshave farm. There, he was successful in introducing English and Flemish methods of farming. He built a Neoclassical manor at Bækkeskov but surprisingly sold it again in 1805 for reasons unknown.[5] Selby was styled as Baron in 1796.[4]
After his first wife died in 1809, he bought Orupgård on the island of Falster, redesigning the manor and developing farming there. Through his second wife, he acquired Güldenstein in Holstein together with several farms in the vicinity where he applied model approaches to cattle farming and forestry for the remainder of his life. From his correspondence, it can be seen Selby was a well-educated, gentlemanly figure with an interest in art and aesthetics. He demonstrated strong affinities with Denmark, donating considerable sums for the reconstruction of its fleet.[5]
References
- ^ "Orupgaards historie", Orupgaard Gods. Template:Da icon Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "Orupgård", Lolland-Falsters Herregårde. Template:Da icon Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Bruun, Carl; Hovgaard, Andreas Peter; Rist, Peter Frederik (1893). Museum: Tidsskrift for Historie og Geografi (in Danish) (Public domain ed.). Gyldendal. pp. 71–. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ a b Thalbitzer, Sophie Dorothea Zinn (1906). "Grandmama" bekiendelser." (in Danish) (Public domain ed.). Gyldendalske boghandel, Nordisk forlag. pp. 110–. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Charles Selby", Dansk Biografisk Leksikon. Template:Da icon Retrieved 29 November 2012.