Sigurd Havtoresson certifies a copy of a royal letter
DN 2/418 · 19 June 1371 · Eidsvold
What the letter says
Sigurd Havtoresson, Kolbjørn Kjetilsson, Holte Gunnarsson and the lawmen Guttorm Gudbrandsson in Oslo and Sigurd Eiriksson at Hamar write at Eidsvoll on 19 June 1371. They have seen and read a letter from King Håkon VI with his whole and undamaged secret seal, and reproduce it word for word. The royal letter itself is printed as a separate number in the edition and is not included in this text.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all men who see or hear this letter, Sigurd Havtoresson, Kolbjørn Kjetilsson, Holte Gunnarsson, Guttorm Gudbrandsson, lawman in Oslo, and Sigurd Eiriksson, lawman at Hamar, send God's greeting and their own and make known: We saw, examined and carefully read through a letter from our worthy lord, Sir Håkon, by the grace of God king of Norway and Sweden, with his secret seal whole, hanging and undamaged. It ran word for word as written here: [Here follows letter no. 417 in the edition.] In truth of this we set our seals to this copy, which was written at Eidsvoll on the Thursday after St Botolph's Eve (the Mass of Botolph is 17 June) in the same year as named above (1371).
Original text (excerpt)
Ollum monnum þæim sæm þettæ bref sea ædr høyræ sændæ Siugurdær Hafþorsson Kolbiorn Ketiulsson Holte Gunnærsson Gudþormær Gudbranzson loghman j Oslo ok Siugurdær Eirikxsson loghman j Hambre q. g. ok sinæ kunnigt gerandæ at mer saom ok skodadom ok inuyrdeleghæ ifuir lasom bref vars vyrdulegs herra herræ Hakonær med gudz nad Noregs ok Swiærikis konongs med heilo hangandæ ok vskaddo hans secreto sua vattændæ ord æftir orde sæm her sæghir. [ Nu fölger Brev No. 417.] Ok til sannyndæ sættum mer vor ins
Background
This is a vidisse, a certified copy in which trustworthy men bear witness that they have seen the original letter and that the copy is correct. Such copies were made because the original was valuable and could be lost, or because the same right had to be shown in several places. Sigurd Havtoresson of Sudreim was married to Ingeborg Erlingsdatter, the heiress of Erling Vidkunsson, and was a grandson through his mother of King Håkon V. Holte Gunnarsson also appears in a letter from 1367 in which he pays for a share of Senja on behalf of Sigurd and Ingeborg, and was probably Sigurd's man. What the royal letter concerned does not appear from this text, but that Sigurd himself stands as the first witness suggests that it concerned him or his property.
People: Sigurd Havtoresson