Agnes Alvsdatter and her sister Gro divide their father's inheritance
DN 2/885 · 3 May 1472 · Sigerstad
What the letter says
The knight Aslak Turesson, the canon Jakob Matsson of Trondheim, Niels Posse, the squire Otte Matsson, the priest Helge Sæmundsson of Råde and the local officer Guttorm Eriksson announce that they were at Sigerstad on 3 May 1472. There the housewife Agnes and Lady Gro, the daughters of Sir Alv Haraldsson, struck hands on being agreed about the division of their father's inheritance. Each of them is to own for ever what fell to her share. With the letter goes a note listing Agnes's share, about fifty farms and parts of farms in Bohuslän, Østfold, Romerike and Oslo.
The letter in modern English
a. To all who see or hear this letter, Aslak Turesson, knight, Sir Jakob Matsson, canon in Trondheim, Niels Posse, Otte Matsson, squire, Sir Helge Sæmundsson, priest in Råde, and Guttorm Eriksson, lagrette man and local officer (lensmann) in Åbygge ship district (skipreide), send God's greeting and their own, and make known that we were at Sigerstad on Holy Cross day in spring (3 May) in the year after God's birth 1472. We saw and heard that they joined hands, the well-born women the housewife Agnes and Lady Gro, Sir Alv Haraldsson's daughters, in such a way that they were then agreed on the division of their father's inheritance, which is named in this roll sealed together with this letter. Each of them shall have the property that has now fallen to her share in this division and keep it unbroken in perpetual ownership. In truth and further confirmation of this we, the said men, hang our seals to this letter, which was made on the day and in the year stated above. b.
Original text
a.Allom thøm som thetta breff see eller høre sender Aslak Turesson ridder her Jacop Matsson canik j Trondhem Nighels Pose Ottæ Matsson aa wapen her Helghæ Semunsson prester j Rodho Guttorm Eriksson laghrettes man oc lenssman j Abyggiosskipredo q. g. oc sina kunneth gørandhæ at wi varom (a) Sigerstada helghe korsdagh wm waren ar epter gudhz byrdh mcdlxxii *sagam oc hørdom ath the høllo handom saman welbyrnæ quinnor hustru Angnes oc ffru Groo her Alloff Arallsson døttær i saa matho ath the ware
Background
Alv Haraldsson (Bolt) was a councillor of the realm and a knight, married to Katarina Jonsdatter, sister of Sigurd Jonsson, and he died around 1433. Agnes Alvsdatter was married to the lawman Knut Jönsson of Tre Rosor and was the mother of Alv Knutsson, who later received Giske. The division came almost forty years after their father's death, and the letter does not say why it took so long. Otte Matsson, who sat among the men making the division, was himself an heir of Katarina Jonsdatter, and the canon Jakob Matsson probably belonged to the same Rømer family. Agnes's share shows that the Bolt estate lay thick in Viken, with farms, a mill stream and salmon fishing, and with a farm and a plot in Oslo. The letter does not say where Gro's share lay. The share list is given here in short form.
People: Agnes Alvsdatter, Alv Haraldsson (Bolt), Otte Matsson (Rømer)