Copy made on Giske of Sigurd Havtoresson's inheritance judgement
DN 2/377 · 1 Decbr. 1363 · Giske
What the letter says
On Giske on 1 December 1363 Svein Eiriksson, rådsmann on Giske, the priest Alv Jonsson and two other men make a certified copy of a letter from lawman Josef Kaldhovudsson in Bergen. In that letter, from September of the same year, Sigurd Havtoresson was awarded the inheritance after Lady Herdis Torvaldsdatter. The reason was that witnesses had sworn that Sigurd's father Havtore and Herdis' mother Ragndid were full siblings.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all men who see or hear this letter, Svein Eiriksson, rådsmann (estate steward) on Giske, Alv Jonsson, priest at the same place, Bovgard Torfinnsson and Otte Arnesson send God's greeting and their own. We make known that we saw and read the letter from Josef Kaldhovudsson, with his hanging seal whole and undamaged. It reads word for word as written here: [Here follows letter no. 375 in the edition.] In truth we set our seals to this certified copy, which was made on Giske on the Friday after the Mass of Andrew (30 November) in the 9th year of the reign of our worthy lord Håkon, by God's grace king of Norway (the editor dates the letter to 1 December 1363).
Original text (excerpt)
Ollum monnum þeim sem þetta bref sea eder hœyra. senda Suein Eirikxssun radzman j Gidzska Alfuer Jonssun prester j þe[im] sama stad [Bo]fgarder Þorfindz sun ok Otte Arnæ sun q. g. ok sina. kunnikt gerandæ at meer saghom ok ifuirlasom bref Josepps Kaldzhofuudz sunar meder hans hangændæ jnsigli heilu ok wskaddu sua uatt- ændæ ord eftir orde sem her seghir. [ Nu fölger brev No. 375.] Ok til sannyndæ settom meer vaar jnsigli firir þetta transcriptum. er gort var j Gidzska a friadaghen nesta eftir An
Background
Sigurd Havtoresson of Sudreim was married to Ingeborg Erlingsdatter, who received Giske from her father Erling Vidkunsson in 1354, and in 1363 Giske was theirs. The letter is a vidisse, a certified copy made by trustworthy men who have seen the original with its seal undamaged. That the copy was made on Giske suggests that Sigurd wanted a copy of the inheritance judgement in his archive there. A rådsmann was the steward who ran the farm and the estate for the owner, and Svein Eiriksson is mentioned on Giske as early as 1350. The letter shows how the magnate families gathered property through inheritance from distant relatives, and how important it was to be able to prove kinship with witnesses.
People: Sigurd Havtoresson