The drottsete Erling buys land at Systrond in Sogn
DN 1/204 · 23 August 1329 · Bergen
What the letter says
Jon of Lübeck, Jon Skjøring and Alv Ivarsson announce that they were present in the royal residence in Bergen on 23 August 1329. There Ogmund Lang sold ten månedsmatsbol in the land of Høyniniar at Systrond in Sogn to Sir Erling Vidkunsson, the king's drottsete. The price was forty mark forngild, and the land came with all its attached rights for perpetual ownership.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all men who see or hear this letter, Jon of Lübeck, Jon Skjøring and Alv Ivarsson send God's greeting and their own. We announce to you that on the Wednesday before St Bartholomew's Day (24 August) in the 11th year of the reign of our worthy lord Magnus, by God's mercy King of Norway, Sweden and Götaland, that is, 23 August 1329, we were present in the royal residence in Bergen. There we heard Ogmund Lang sell to Sir Erling Vidkunsson, drottsete for our said lord the king, ten månedsmatsbol (land rent of one month's food per bol) in the land of Høyniniar, which lies at Systrond in Sogn. The price was forty mark forngild (reckoned in the old, full value of the coinage). With the land came all the rights that shall belong to it of old and new, outside and inside the fence, for perpetual ownership and free disposal. As true testimony of this purchase and that we were present, Ogmund Lang set his seal together with ours to this letter, which was made at the said place, day and year. Endorsement: On the back in a contemporary hand: «brev om Høyniniar».
Original text (excerpt)
Ollum monnum þæim sæm þettæ bref siæ eðær hœyra. sænda Jon af Lybyke. Jon skœringær ok Alfuær Jwars son Q. G. ok sina. Ver gærom yðær kunnight. at a midwikudaghæn neestæ firir Bartholomei messo aa ellifta aræ rikis vars vyrðulæghs herra Magnusar með guds miskun Noreghs. Swya. ok Gota konongs. varom ver hia j konongs garðe j Biorgwin ok hœyrdum aa. er Oghmundær langær selldi herra Erlingi Vidkunnar syni. drozsæta vars herra konongsæns fyrnæfndz. tiu manaðrmata bol j jorðæni Hœynynium. ær liggær a
Background
Erling Vidkunsson of Giske and Bjarkøy was drottsete, regent, for the young King Magnus Eriksson from 1323 to 1332. In these years he bought a great deal of land throughout western Norway, and this letter is one of many letters of testimony about such purchases. Månedsmatsbol was a unit of land based on how much land rent, annual rent, it yielded. Forngild mark meant that the sum was reckoned in the old, full value of the coinage, because the coins had grown poorer over time. That one of the witnesses is called Jon of Lübeck suggests that there were German merchants in Bergen even before the German Kontor was formally established. The purchase shows how a magnate turned power and income into land, which gave a secure return in goods year after year.
People: Erling Vidkunsson