Ship drawn by the young Christian IV when he was ten years old. The Danish National Archives in Copenhagen contains many of the king’s letters but also some of his drawings. 

SKIPPERS

Some of the material for the construction was not located near the fortress but was transported to Varberg from Western Denmark or Norway. The fastest and most convenient way to do itthis was by boat. The waters outside Varberg were heavily trafficked during the 17th century and not least during the construction period. 

In order to produce mortar for the walls of the fortress, enormous amounts of lime were required. In 1606, an order came from Christian IV to the then castle lord in Varberg, Jacob Beck, that he should send ships to Norway to fetch 18,000 barrels of lime for the construction. Jacob Beck informed the king that it was almost impossible for him to find enough shipmasters who wanted to transport the lime at a reasonable price.  

Therefore, in March of the following year all the county’s towns people and farmers who owned “Skuder och Krejerter” (small sailing ships) received orders from the king to sail to Norway in order to, for a certain amount of payment, fetch lime. If they did not obey, they were threatened with punishment. 

The introduction to the letter from the king, Christian IV to the people in Varberg. The king writes that the castle lord, Beck, must issue strict and serious orders for the public to make their vessels available. 

On 12 April 1616, Jens Pedersen put his house mark under this receipt. The castle clerk Christen Jörgensen had paid him four dalers for transporting cement  

“… which I had loaded onto my ship at Copenhagen Castle and then delivered here to Varberg, for his Royal Majesty’s buildings and requirements here”. 

On 15 May 1616, Mogens Nielsen from Särö received 18 dalers after shipping lime from Norway to Varberg. At the bottom of the receipt he put his seal, with the initials MN.