Gabriel Schanche Kielland (4 March 1760 – 5 March 1821) was a Norwegian businessman and ship owner. He managed the Stavanger company Jacob Kielland & Søn from 1790, and became one of the most wealthy and prominent persons in the city. He let construct the large country house Ledaal around 1800, which has later become a royal residence in Stavanger. He was elected to the Parliament of Norway in 1815 without assuming office. He is also known as an important ancestor within the Kielland family.
He was born in Stavanger as the only son of captain and businessman Jacob Jansen Kielland (1727–1788) and Elisabeth Schanche (1733–1784). In April 1783 he married Johanna Margaretha Bull (1758–1818).[1] His father-in-law Jens Bull was a former son-in-law of Vincent Stoltenberg (1694–1763), ancestor of the Stoltenberg family.[2] Gabriel Schanche and Johanna Margaretha Kielland had six children, four sons and two daughters.[3] The first son died young, so did the second daughter. The second son Jens Bull Kielland became a noted military officer, the third son Jacob Kielland became a noted businessman and his fourth son Jonas Schanche Kielland became a politician. Gabriel Schanche and Inger Larsdatter Lura (1800-1874) had one son together.[3] Søren Lura (1819-1866) became a master cobbler in the age of 23.
Through Jacob Kielland he was the grandfather of Jens Zetlitz Kielland and great-grandfather of the priest Jacob Kielland, painter Kitty Kielland, writer Alexander Kielland and jurist and journalist Tycho Kielland. Through Jacob Kielland he was also the grandfather of officer Jacob Kielland and through him grandfather of diplomat Axel Christian Zetlitz Kielland, civil servant Christian Bendz Kielland and politician Jonas Schanche Kielland.
Gabriel Schanche Kielland was originally intended to be a teacher, and studied dead languages for seven years with private tuition.[3] However, due to his father's declining health and him being the only son, he would take over his father's business endeavors. He acquired burghership in Stavanger in 1783, and after four years in his own trade company, he became a partner in his father's company in 1787. He also conducted several travels to the Nordic countries, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic, in order to study trade and to build a business network. After the death of his father in 1788, he bought shares from his sisters. In 1790 he merged the trade company and his inherited properties, creating the company Jacob Kielland & Søn.[1]
The properties included a brickworks in Sandnes. The building of the property Ledaal was finished 1803. It was intended as a leisure and social house, and also functioned as a small, private museum and library.[3] Ledaal was acquired by Stavanger Museum in 1936, and opened as a royal residence in 1949.[4] Jacob Kielland & Søn was also heavily involved in shipping. In 1801 the company owned one fregate, one barque, six brigs and one galeas. The company had benefitted from the French Revolutionary Wars, both from trade since Denmark-Norway was neutral, and also because Kielland was involved in insurance and took provision from auctions on flotsam. Being vice consul for the United Kingdom since 1787, he even managed to prevent British caper fregates from violating the neutrality of Denmark-Norway in 1793 and 1796. He held several posts among the notable citizens of Stavanger. He became town lieutenant at a young age, and was promoted to head of the town vigilantes in 1784. In 1801, following the Battle of Copenhagen, the United Kingdom and Denmark-Norway became belligerents, and the vigilantes of Stavanger set up coastal batteries.[3]
In the same year, failed crops led to lack of grain in Stavanger Amt. Jacob Kielland & Søn managed, for a good part, to uphold the grain supply. The same thing happened in 1807, when the Gunboat War broke out, an open war between the United Kingdom and Denmark-Norway. Kielland organized grain storage in an initial phase, although others took over. Kielland also contributed personally to funding the standing defence of Norway. The company experienced hardships during the war as many ships were taken by privateers, and trade became difficult. It survived the Gunboat War partly due to "pliable circumvention of taxes".[3]
Kielland was decorated as a Knight of the Danish Order of the Dannebrog in 1809. He again became British vice consul in 1816, and also consular agent for Prussia in 1813 and vice consul for the city-state Hamburg in 1817.[3] In 1815 he was elected to the Parliament of Norway, but illness prevented him from actually assuming office. He died in March 1821 in Stavanger,[1] as one of the most wealthy persons in the city.[5]