Witnesses for Sigrid Erlendsdatter about a wedding in Nordland
DN 5/565 · 26 Oktbr. 1423 · Losne
What the letter says
Three men make known that they were at Losna in Sogn on 26 October 1423. There Ingebjørg Arnfinnsdatter and Jorunn Jonsdatter, with a handshake, gave testimony to Mistress Sigrid Erlendsdatter on behalf of Peter Toresson that Olav Petersson the tailor had often said that he held the betrothal feast for Tore Unasson and Gyda Torkelsdatter in Nordlandene. Ragnhild Håkonsdatter testified that she had been at their wedding. The women were willing to swear to this if needed.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all men who see or hear this letter, Anstein Jonsson, Sigurd Kolbeinsson and Olav Jonsson send God's greeting and their own. We make known that on the Tuesday before the day of the apostles Simon and Jude (28 October) in the year of our Lord 1423 we were at Losna in Sogn. There we saw and heard that Ingebjørg Arnfinnsdatter and Jorunn Jonsdatter, with a handshake, gave the well-born woman Mistress Sigrid Erlendsdatter full and complete testimony on behalf of Peter Toresson that Olav Petersson the tailor had often and many times said that he had held the festarøl (the feast at the betrothal) for Tore Unasson and Gyda Torkelsdatter, and he had held this festarøl in Nordlandene. Further, Ragnhild Håkonsdatter gave with a handshake the testimony that she was at the wedding of the said Tore Unasson and Gyda Torkelsdatter. The said women will swear to this and testify to it whenever it should be needed. They confirmed this with a handshake to Mistress Sigrid, with full yes and handclasp, on behalf of the said Peter. In witness of this we set our seals on this letter, which was made on the day and in the year said before.
Original text (excerpt)
Ollum monnum theim sem thetta bref se eder heyra sendæ Ansteinn Jonsson Sigurder Kolbeinsson oc Olafer Jonsson q. g. oc sina kunnigt giørande at a thysdagen næsta fore apostolorum Simonis et Jude anno domini m cd xxiij vorum midh j Losnu j Sogne saghum oc heyrdum a at Jngibiorg Arnfinz dotter oc Jorun Jons dotter handselde velborenne kuinnu hustru Sigridho Erlendz dottor fullan vitnisburd oc allan a uegna Peturs Thoresson at Olafer Pætursson skraddare lysti tijtt oc opta at han hafde giort festn
Background
Sigrid Erlendsdatter was the widow of Håkon Sigurdsson and was at this time a party to the inheritance dispute over Giske against Sigurd Jonsson. The letter concerns another matter. Festarøl was the feast held at the betrothal, and betrothal and wedding had to be provable for the children to be counted as born in wedlock and able to inherit. This suggests that Peter Toresson, probably the son of Tore Unasson and Gyda, needed to prove his parents' marriage in order to secure an inheritance. The letter does not say why the testimony was given to Sigrid, but it may suggest that she owned land the case concerned, or that Peter was in her service. It is a letter of witness, and it shows that women's testimony was used in inheritance cases.
People: Sigrid Erlendsdatter