Sigurd Jonsson judges an inheritance dispute from Agder
DN 21/463 · 20. oktober 1450 · Tunsberg
What the letter says
The knight Sigurd Jonsson, commander of the realm while King Christian is away and commander of Tønsberghus, sits in judgement in the town hall of Tønsberg on 20 October 1450 together with a councillor of the realm, the lawman, the burgomasters and the councillors. Gunnar Kjetilsson claimed that Torbjørn Hallvardsson had for many years kept from him the inheritance after Gunnar's maternal aunt Sigrid Anundsdatter, while Torbjørn said that Gunnar had received everything and had also taken the farm of Langetveit unlawfully. The court found Gunnar's letters valid, and he received both his share of the inheritance and Langetveit. Finally a settlement was made: Torbjørn gave Gunnar the farm of Oddersland in Moland parish and 20 light gulden, and the other claims were cancelled.
The letter in modern English
To all men who see or hear this letter, Sigurd Jonsson, knight, commander of the realm of Norway in the absence of our gracious lord King Christian and in particular commander of Tønsberghus, Engelbrekt Stefansson, councillor of the realm, Peder Olavsson, lawman in Tønsberg, Klaus Berentsson and Josef Andersson, burgomasters, Gunne Pedersson, town bailiff, Berent Lyneborg, Tønnes Tinum [uncertain reading], Hans Sass, Bennike Brøker, Audun Hallvardsson, Peder Lyneborg and Olav Helgesson, councillors in the same place, Magnus Jensson and Gudbrand Tordsson, men of the lagrette, send God's greeting and their own, and make known that on the Tuesday after the Winter Nights (20 October) in the year of our Lord 1450 there came before us and several other good men up in the town hall of the said town the honest men Torbjørn Hallvardsson on the one side and Gunnar Kjetilsson on the other, and submitted themselves here to a final judgement by us concerning the dispute and quarrel they have had between them for many years over an inheritance and a division of property. Then Gunnar Kjetilsson complained against Torbjørn Hallvardsson that he had not received his inheritance in full of the landed property that fell to him by inheritance after Sigrid Anundsdatter, his mother's sister.
Original text
Ollum monnum thæim sem thettæ bref sea æd(e)r høyre sendæ Sighurd Jonsen Ridder noregs rikis høvitzman i vars nadighe Heræ Koning Cristierns fraværo oc besønirlighe hovitzman uppa tunsbærgshus Engilbricht steffansen rikissens radh Pædher olafsen Loghman i tunsberghe, Claves bærentsen, jussep andersen borghamestare, gunne pædersen byfoghut, bærent Lyneborgh, thenus thinum, hanes Sass, benike brøkare, audhom halvardsen, pæder Lyneborgh, olaf helgesen, radhmen ther samasteds, magnus Jenesen oc
Background
After Christian I became king in Norway in 1449 and 1450, he was often in Denmark, and Sigurd Jonsson governed the realm as commander while the king was away. He also held Tønsberghus, the castle by the town. The case itself concerned farmers in Agder and not the family, but it shows Sigurd as the highest judge of the realm in an ordinary inheritance dispute. Helningsfelag was an arrangement in marriage by which each spouse owned half of everything, and it had been agreed in the kaupmål, the marriage contract. Lodd og landnåm was the compensation for having used another man's land wrongfully. The letter is known only from a copy made in 1754 from a parchment letter at the farm of Froland, and some names are uncertain readings.
People: Sigurd Jonsson