Witnesses on the ownership of Grunderud in Rakkestad
DN 4/632 · 1 April 1394 · Grunderud
What the letter says
Guttorm Rolvsson and Ivar Steinsson were at Grunderud in Rakkestad on 1 April 1394. There the canon Sira Aste Gunnarsson of St Mary's Church in Oslo summoned Torgard Gunnarsson before the lawman, because St Mary's Church held that it had a share in and a mortgage on the farm. Torgard brought two women, Jorunn Sveinsdatter and Åse Berdorsdatter, who swore that Tore Aslaksson and then his daughter Liv Toresdatter, Torgard's wife, owned half of Grunderud. The other half was owned by Sir Jon Havtoresson.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all men who see or hear this letter, Guttorm Rolvsson and Ivar Steinsson send God's greeting and their own. We make known to you that we were at Grunderud in Rakkestad parish on the Wednesday before kjersesøndag [uncertain reading] (1 April), in the fifth year of the reign of our worthy lord, Sir Erik, by the grace of God king of Norway (1394). There we heard Sira Aste Gunnarsson, korsbror (canon) at St Mary's Church in Oslo, summon Torgard Gunnarsson to Oslo before the lawman three working days after St John's Eve (Midsummer) now coming, with all the evidence and documents he had for Grunderud on behalf of his wife Liv Toresdatter. Sira Aste said that St Mary's Church owned a share in Grunderud, and said that there were letters in Oslo stating that Sir Peter the provost had received a mortgage on Grunderud for as much money as the letters state. After this summons, on the same day, Torgard brought forward two trustworthy witnesses called Jorunn Sveinsdatter and Åse Berdorsdatter. They swore on the book with a full oath that Tore Aslaksson owned half of Grunderud freely, and his father before him, and afterwards the said Liv Toresdatter after her father, and that Sir Jon Havtoresson owned the other half. They had never known the said land to be given or sold in their lifetime. It had always followed Tore and his daughter Liv, to whom Torgard Gunnarsson is now married. Both Sira Aste and Torgard accepted the said Wednesday as the proper evidence hearing concerning the land Grunderud. In truth we set our
Original text (excerpt)
Ollum monnum þeim sem þetta bref sea æder høyræ senda Gudþormer Rolfson ok Jfuer Steinson q. g. ok sina. mit gerom yder kunnikt at mit warom a Grundarudi j Rakkastadhe sokn a midhuikudaghen nesta fyre kiersla sunnu a fimta are rikis okars wyrdulegs herra herra Eiriks mæd gudz nadh Noregs konongs heyrdum þer a at sira Aste Gunnarson korsbroder at Mari kirkiu j Oslo stemdi Þorgardi Gunnarsyni til Oslo þria syknæ dagha nestæ eftir Jons voku nu nest komande fyre loghmanen med ollu sinu profue ok ski
Background
Jon Havtoresson was the brother of Sigurd Havtoresson of Sudreim, who was married to Ingeborg Erlingsdatter of Giske. The brothers were grandsons through their mother of King Håkon V and owned land over large parts of eastern Norway. Jon is mentioned here only as owner of the other half, and the case really concerns the dispute between St Mary's Church and Torgard. The letter is a letter of testimony from an evidence hearing, a meeting at which the parties brought witnesses before the case came before the lawman. Such letters were made because oral testimony on oath was the most important evidence of who owned land when written documents were lacking. That two women gave testimony shows that women's oaths were accepted in such land cases. The letter is probably included because Jon Havtoresson is mentioned.