Land register of the estates fru Inger held in fief
DN 10/738 · [c. 1550.] · [Throndhjem?]
What the letter says
The land register, written some time between 1543 and 1551, lists the farms that belonged to Rein Abbey and that fru Ingerd Ottesdatter, widow of Sir Nils Henriksson, held in fief. The abbey's estate lay scattered across Trøndelag and into Romsdal and yielded in all 225 spann 2 øre 2 mark in land rent. Then follow the farms on Ytterøy that she held from the king, the crown's taxes and leidang in Herjedalen, and the crown's land and leidang in Romsdal, paid in butter, grain and money. Finally comes the diocesan property that the lawman Olav Mogensson and Simon Svensson in Trondheim held in fief.
The letter in modern English
[Page 1] Here follow the lands and shares of land that belong to Rein Abbey, which fru Ingerd Ottesdatter, Sir Nils Henriksson's widow, holds in fief. [abridged: a long list of farms with land rent in spann, øre and mark, arranged by district. In the margin are the names of the districts: Modal and Skodal [uncertain reading], Stadsbygd, Byneset, Ytre Skogn, Orkdal, Dragstranda and Leksvik, Stjørdal, Frosta and Åsen, Skogn and Verdal, Ytterøy, Sparbu, Beitstad, Snåsa, Namdalen, Bjørnør, Nordbygda [uncertain reading], Hitra, Hemne and Romsdal. The farm Fevang yields 8 øre, Nedregården 3 spann and Fosseim 4 spann. Stod and Skånøya yield ½ and 1 spann respectively, but lie deserted and cannot be farmed because of frost. Some farms also pay leidang, such as Noste with 8 mark of butter. Each page has its own total.] Grand total of all the said lands and shares of land of Rein Abbey amounts to 225 spann 2 øre 2 mark. [Page 12] The lands and shares of land that fru Ingerd holds from His Royal Majesty. Ytterøy. [abridged: some 40 farms on Ytterøy, such as Sandstad with 5 spann 2 øre, Roggvik with 9 spann 2 øre and Fanneberg with 9 spann 2½ øre.] Total on both pages and grand total of all the said lands and shares of land lying on Ytterøy amounts to 1 hundred and 49 [uncertain reading of the figure] spann 1 øre 10 pennies.
Original text
p. 1. Heer efftherfølliiger hwes jorder och jordepartter som liiger tiill Reienns closther szom frue Jngierd Otthisdatther heer Niiels *Herrisszenns efftherleffuerske haffuer vdi forlenning Feuanggiiffuerviiiørre Nedregaardenn:g:iiiispann Hasle:g:ispann Snerwick:g:iiørre Setthergiiffueriørre Duerdall:g:iispann Siindgiiffueriiiispann Orrenszetther:g:iiiiørre Bodestadtgvispann Siøerdegiiffueriispann Fløtthe:g:iɉørre vi
Background
Rein Abbey in Rissa was a nunnery founded by Skule Bårdsson around 1230 on the family farm of Rein, where the Rein family descended from Åsolv of Rein and Tora Skoftesdatter of Giske. At the Reformation in 1537 the abbey's estate passed to the crown, and the king granted it in fief to fru Inger of Austrått. A fief meant that she collected the land rent and other income in return for paying or serving the king, while the land remained the crown's. The register therefore shows how great fru Inger's power in Trøndelag was in her last years, with income from the whole fjord region and from Romsdal and Herjedalen. Romsdal was an area where the Giske estate also had many farms. Leidang was originally a levy for the war fleet and was paid in goods, here mostly butter. Some farms are listed as deserted because frost meant they could not be farmed, which shows how vulnerable farming was in Trøndelag.
People: Ingerd Ottesdatter (fru Inger)