The Havtoresson brothers recover the estate in Shetland
DN 1/501 · 8 Oktbr. 1386 · Bergen
What the letter says
Jon Nikolasson, canon at the Church of the Apostles in Bergen, and Arnulv Gunnarsson, lawman in Bergen, make a witnessed copy of an open letter from the drottsete Ogmund Finnsson, written in Bergen on the Monday before the Winter Nights, 8 October 1386. The drottsete addresses everyone living in Shetland. Malis Sperra had, without judgment or law, taken the estate that Lady Herdis owned, which Sir Jon and Sir Sigurd Havtoresson and their children had held after her death. With the advice of the king's councillors in Bergen, Ogmund restores the estate to the brothers and orders all tenants to pay their land rent only to them or their stewards.
The letter in modern English
To all men who see or hear this letter, Jon Nikolasson, canon at the Church of the Apostles in Bergen, and Arnulv Gunnarsson, lawman in Bergen, send God's greeting and their own. We make known that we saw and read through an open letter from the honourable lord, Sir Ogmund Finnsson, drottsete of the king and the realm in Norway, under his whole and undamaged seal, and it reads word for word as follows: To all men who live and keep house in Shetland, Ogmund Finnsson, drottsete of the king and the realm in Norway, sends God's greeting and his own. You will have learned of the wrong that Malis Sperra has done to the well-born men Sir Jon Havtoresson and Sir Sigurd Havtoresson and their children there in the land. It concerns the estate that Lady Herdis owned, and which they held after her death until the day when the said Malis laid claim to it and put his stewards there. Now the said Malis has taken the said estate to himself without judgment or law, without the said well-born men or their children having been summoned or present.
Original text
Ollom mannom þeim sem þetta bref sea eder hœyra. senda Jon Nikolasson kanuncker at Postola kirkiu j Biærghwyn ok Arnulfuer Gunnarsson logmader j Biærghvyn quediu gudes ok sina. kunnikt gerande at wer saghom ok ifuir lasom opet bref heidrlegx herra. herra Ogmundar Findzsonar kononghsens ok rikissens drodzeta j Norighe vndir hans heilo ok vskoddo jnsighle swa vattande ordh fra ordhe sem her seighir.
Background
Sigurd Havtoresson of Sudreim was married to Ingebjørg Erlingsdatter of Giske, and his brother Jon Havtoresson was a knight and councillor of the realm. The letter does not say how the brothers were related to Lady Herdis, only that they had held the estate after her death. Malis Sperra is known from other sources as a Scottish magnate with claims in the line of the Earls of Orkney, and he had put his own stewards (ombudsmenn) on the estate. The drottsete Ogmund Finnsson governed the kingdom on behalf of the young King Olav Håkonsson, who was king of both Norway and Denmark. Landboer were tenant farmers who rented land and paid land rent, the annual rent, and the drottsete threatened the penalty of the law for anyone who paid to someone other than the rightful owner. Shetland then belonged to the Norwegian realm, and later estates in Shetland were part of the Giske estate. It is probable that some of this property goes back to the inheritance after Lady Herdis, but the letter says nothing about it.
People: Sigurd Havtoresson