Jon Marteinsson receives land in Lunde as a fine
DN 1/486 · 26 March 1384 · Lören
What the letter says
At Løren on 26 March 1384 the priest Guttorm Torsteinsson at Sudreim and four other men bear witness to a handshake between Jon Marteinsson and Gulle Jonsson. Jon waived the fine Gulle had been sentenced to pay him, and in return Gulle conveyed 4 markebol in the farm Lunde in western Skaun in Romerike to Jon to own for ever. Gulle was also to deliver to Jon the letter he had received from Sir Sigurd concerning Lunde.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all men who see or hear this letter, Guttorm Torsteinsson, priest at Sudreim, Øystein Amundsson, Torgeir Arnulvsson, Tormod Sigurdsson and Havtor Øysteinsson send God's greeting and their own and make known: We were at Løren in eastern Skaun in Romerike, at the proper thing site, and saw the handshake between the upright man Jon Marteinsson and Gulle Jonsson. The condition was that the said Jon waived towards the said Gulle the whole sakøre (fine) that the often named Jon had been awarded from the often named Gulle [illegible] lies in western Skaun. With the same handshake Gulle Jonsson conveyed to Jon Marteinsson 4 markebol (land that yields one mark in annual land rent) in the said land Lunde, to own for ever, free and secure against anyone and without claims, outside the fence and inside, with everything that lies and has lain with the land of old and new. Gulle shall also hand over to Jon Marteinsson the letter he received from Sir Sigurd, which concerns Lunde. In truth of this the often named Gulle set his seal together with our seals to this letter, which was written at Løren on the Saturday after the Mass of Mary in Lent (the Annunciation, 25 March), in the third year of the reign of our worthy lord, Sir Olav, by the grace of God king of the Norwegians, the Danes and the Goths (1384). Endorsement: On the back in a later hand: About 4 markebol in Lunde.
Original text (excerpt)
Ollum monnum þæim sæm þettæ bref sea eder høyræ sendæ Guþormer Þorstæinsson prester a Sudhremi Øystein Amundzson Þorgeir Arnulfsson Þormodher Siughwrzsson ok Hafþorer Œysteinsson Q. G. ok sinæ kunnight gerande at meer varom a Lœyrini j œystra Skauni a Raumariki ok a rettom þingby, saghom handarband ærligs manzs Jons Marteinssonar ok Gullæ Jonssonar med þwi skilordhe at fyrnæmdher Jon gaf vp vider fyrnemdæn Gulla allæn þen sakarœyri sem o[ftnem]dom Jone var dœœmth af oft[nemdo]m Gullæ fi . . . .
Background
Jon Marteinsson (Rømer) was married to Agnes, daughter of Sigurd Havtoresson of Sudreim and Ingeborg Erlingsdatter, and became the father of Sigurd Jonsson, who later inherited Giske. Sir Sigurd in the letter is probably his father-in-law Sigurd Havtoresson. The letter is a letter of testimony about an agreement made by handshake at the thing site, and such letters were written so that the agreement could be proved later. Sakøre was a fine imposed for an offence, and here it was settled with land instead of money. A markebol was land that yielded one mark in annual land rent, that is, rent from whoever farmed it. The letter shows how magnates could increase their estates through fines and debts from neighbours.
People: Jon Marteinsson, Sigurd Havtoresson