Alv receives Sundby and leases southern Tufn
DN 5/442 · 10 May 1405 · Thufn
What the letter says
The knight Gyrd Gyrdsson, Jon Karlsson, lawman in Tønsberg, and Torgard Alvsson declare that they were at Tufn in Råde parish on the Sunday before St Hallvard's Day, 10 May 1405. There Sir Alv Haraldsson and Sir Amund Bolt took each other by the hand. Alv was to have Sundby and the other lands assigned to that share, and Amund the southern farm at Tufn. Amund then leased southern Tufn to Alv, on condition that Alv had the old main house and the loft roofed within two years and paid three laup a year.
The letter in modern English
To all men who see or hear this letter, Gyrd Gyrdsson, knight, Jon Karlsson, lawman in Tønsberg, and Torgard Alvsson send God's greeting and their own. We make known that we were at Tufn, which lies in Råde parish in the outer part of Borgarsyssel, on the Sunday before St Hallvard's Day in the sixteenth year of the reign of our worthy lord Sir Erik, by God's grace King of Norway. We saw and heard that the well-born men took each other by the hand, on the one side Sir Alv Haraldsson and on the other side Sir Amund Bolt. The condition and handshake were that the said Sir Alv shall have Sundby and the other lands that were assigned to that share, and the said Sir Amund shall have the southern farm at Tufn. Then the often-mentioned Sir Amund leased the said southern farm at Tufn to the often-mentioned Sir Alv, on condition that he shall have the old main house and the loft roofed [uncertain reading of the rest of the sentence] within these two years and pay three laup [a measure, often for butter] each year. For greater confirmation the often-mentioned Alv and Amund set their seals together with ours to this letter, which was made on the day and in the year stated above (1405).
Original text
Ollum monnum þæim sæm þettæ bref seea æder høyra sændir Giurdær Giurdson riddare Jon Karlson logman j Tunsbærge oc Þorgardær Alfson q. g. ok sinæ kunnikt gerande at mer varom a Þufn ær ligger j Rodo sokn j yttrælutanom j Borgæsyslo a sunnædagen nest firi Haluards messo a sextande are rikes vars wrdeligs herra herra Eriks mæder guds naad Noregs konongs, saam oc høyrdom aa at vælborne men heldo hondom saman, af æinnæ halfuo herre Alfuær Haraldson æn af annæræ halfuo herre Amundær Bolt, mæder þui
Background
The letter follows up the settlement in Tønsberg six days earlier (DN 5/441), in which Alv Haraldsson and Amund Berdorsson (Bolt) agreed about Tufn. Now the land was divided: Alv received Sundby, and Amund received southern Tufn, but Alv went on using southern Tufn as a tenant under Amund. Leasehold (bygsel) was a tenancy agreement in which the tenant could use the land in return for land rent and upkeep of the buildings. A laup was a measure, often used for butter, and here it was the land rent for the farm. The roofing on houses and lofts had to be renewed regularly, and the duty to keep the roof tight was a common part of a lease. Alv Haraldsson was a knight and councillor of the realm and was married to Katarina Jonsdatter, sister of Sigurd Jonsson, who later won Giske.
People: Alv Haraldsson (Bolt)