Truid Ulfstand of Giske buys land at Voss
DN 12/592 · 15 August 1539 · Bergen
What the letter says
Hans Bagge, lawman at Stegen, guarantees in Bergen on 15 August 1539, on behalf of Engelbret and Anne Olufsdatter, that Lord Truid Ulfstand of Giske has lawful title to 15 månedsmatsbol of land in Melstre in Guldfjerding otting at Voss. The land yields three løp of butter in land rent every year. Truid has paid twenty Joachimsthalers and six lodd of silver in spoons to Guttorm Nielsen, lawman in Bergen. If Truid loses the land by judgement, Hans Bagge is to compensate him in full within twelve months.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
I, Hans Bagge, lawman at Stegen, acknowledge and make known by this my open letter that I, on behalf of Engelbret in [illegible] and his wife Anne Olufsdatter, widow of Jakob Andersson, warrant and clear, and now by this my open letter warrant and clear (that is, guarantee lawful title) for the honourable and well-born man and stern knight Lord Truid Ulfstand of Giske, fifteen månedsmatsbol (land rent of one month's food per bol) of land in Melstre, which lies in Guldfjerding otting at Voss and yields three løp (a measure for butter) in land rent every year. This land was promised and adjudged to the sensible man Guttorm Nielsen in Bergen in exchange for a piece of land called Nyttelandt, on behalf of Lady Kirstine at Fiidth. Lord Truid and his heirs shall from now on enjoy, use and keep the land and the property as their own for ever. Lord Truid Ulfstand has now paid and discharged to Guttorm Nielsen, lawman in Bergen, twenty Joachimsthalers and six lodd of silver in spoons. Should it happen that Lord Truid Ulfstand or his heirs lose the land and the property through any legal proceedings, I bind myself and my heirs to compensate Lord Truid Ulfstand or his heirs in full within twelve months afterwards, with equally good property and equally good rent, equally well situated, or with as much money in ready cash as Lord Truid has now paid out, and keep him and his heirs wholly without loss. For further witn
Original text (excerpt)
JEg Hans Baggæ laugmandtt paa Steg kiennes oc giøre wittherligtt mett thette mitt obne breff att ieg paa Engilbrets i . . . ig oc hans hostrues wegnne Anne Oluffsdatther Jacop Anderszens efftherleffuerske hæmler [oc fræl]szer oc nu mett thette mitt obnne breff hemle oc frælsæ Erlig welbyrdiig mandt oc [st]renge ridder Her Trudt Wlstandt tiill Giske fæmpthend mametteboll jordtt i Melstre som ligger i Guldfierdings otting paa Woss som aarligenn skilder iij løbe y landskildt huilken for jordt som w
Background
Two years after Karine Alvsdatter's death, Truid Ulfstand now calls himself «of Giske», so he has evidently gained control of the estate on behalf of his wife Gjørvel Fadersdatter. The letter is a letter of warranty (hjemmelsbrev), a form of deed of sale in which the seller guarantees that the buyer obtains full right to the property. Månedsmatsbol was a unit for measuring land by how much land rent it yielded, and land rent was the annual rent the tenant farmer paid, here in butter measured in løp. Joachimsthalers were large silver coins from Joachimsthal in Bohemia, and the word daler (thaler, dollar) comes from there. That the payment was partly made in silver spoons shows that silver was still reckoned by weight. The purchase suggests that Truid wished to expand his estate in western Norway after he had won the inheritance.