The boundary between Leikang and Eidsberg
DN 3/579 · 13 Oktbr. 1405 · [Eidsberg.]
What the letter says
Gunnar Sigurdsson and Nikolas Gunnulvsson declare that they were present when Sir Alv Haraldsson and the priest at Eidsberg, Sira Øystein Tordsson, had the boundary between the farms Leikang and Eidsberg walked. Endrid of Tveiten showed the line from the northern corner of the churchyard at Eidsberg south to the road, up to Mørkampen and straight north into the river beyond Mørkampen. Alv and the priest took each other by the hand and promised to keep this as the true boundary. The letter was made on the eve of the Winter Nights in the 17th year of King Erik's reign, 13 October 1405.
The letter in modern English
To all men who see or hear this letter, Gunnar Sigurdsson and Nikolas Gunnulvsson send God's greeting and their own. We make known that we were present when the honourable man Sir Alv Haraldsson and Sira Øystein Tordsson, priest at Eidsberg, had the boundary walked [delegang] between Leikang and Eidsberg. Endrid of Tveiten then went from the northern corner of the churchyard at Eidsberg and south to the road, all the way up to Mørkampen and then straight north into the river beyond Mørkampen. Leikang shall own north of this boundary and west of it, and Eidsberg south of it. After this survey they took each other by the hand, the said Sir Alv and the said Sira Øystein, on the condition that they both said they would keep and hold the said boundary as the true boundary between Leikang and Eidsberg, as fully as the said Endrid and Smid Torgilsson had sworn about it. For greater truth of this Smid Torgilsson, who showed them the boundary walk, set his seal together with our seals to this letter, which was made at the said place on the eve of the Winter Nights in the seventeenth year of the reign of our worthy lord Sir Erik, by God's grace King of Norway (1405). [Endorsement on the back in the same hand: «Letter about Mørkampen».]
Original text
Ollom monnom þæmm sem þetta bref sea ædher høyra senda Gunner Sigurdason ok Niculos Gunnulsson q. g. ok sina kunnikt gerande at mit varom ner þa er erliga man herra Aluer Haraldsson ok sira Øystein Þordason prester a Æidzberge leto ganga deilisz gango jmillom Leikanga ok Æidzbergs. gegh þa Endridh a Þueitene fra norda hornenom a Æidzbergs kirkio garde ok sunnan at vegenom alt vp til Morkam(p)sens ok sua ret norda j ana firir vtan Morkampen ok atte Leikangher nordan at þui deili ok vestan at en
Background
Alv Haraldsson (Bolt) was a knight and councillor of the realm and was married to Katarina Jonsdatter, sister of Sigurd Jonsson, who later won Giske. Leikang was probably Alv's farm, and Eidsberg was the parsonage at Eidsberg church in present-day Indre Østfold. A boundary walk (delegang) was a survey of the boundary between two properties, in which people who knew the ground walked the line and showed the marks in the terrain. Endrid of Tveiten and Smid Torgilsson had sworn to where the boundary ran, and Smid set his seal to the letter because he had shown them the way. Leikang was to have the land north and west of the line and Eidsberg the land south of it. The letter shows that Alv owned land in several places in Borgarsyssel, present-day Østfold.
People: Alv Haraldsson (Bolt)