Sigurd Jonsson judges on the eel fishery in Ennindedal
DN 5/754 · 8 August 1448 · Oslo
What the letter says
On 8 August 1448 in Oslo, Sigurd Jonsson, knight and regent of the realm south of the mountains, sits in judgement together with eleven other clerical and lay men in a case between Bishop Jöns of Oslo and the married couple Lage Pedersson and Borghild, also called Ingeborg Gudbrandsdatter. The case concerned an eel fishery in Ennindedal in Ranrike. The court found the bishop's letters valid and awarded the fishery to the bishop's see for ever. Lage may continue to lease the fishery, but must pay a fine in butter and money for each year he has not paid land rent, and loses the lease if he breaks the conditions.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all who see or hear this letter, Sigurd Jonsson, knight and regent of the realm of Norway south of the mountains, Olav Håkonsson, knight, Toke Nilsson, archpriest, Sigurd Bjørnsson of Tune, Jon Hallvardsson, Niels Beske, Sigurd Bjørnsson of Haug, Ivar Vikingsson and Laurens Jensson, canons in Oslo, Guttorm Eivindsson and Simon Bjørnsson, squires, and Herlaug, lawman in Oslo, send God's greeting and their own. We make known that we and many other good men, both clerical and lay, were in the canons' common house in Oslo in the year of our Lord 1448, on the Wednesday before the day of the glorious martyr Laurence (10 August), that is 8 August. There we saw and heard that the parties gave each other a handshake: on the one side the venerable father in God, Sir Bishop Jöns of Oslo, and on the other side Lage Pedersson and Mistress Borghild, who is also called Ingeborg Gudbrandsdatter. They promised to abide by what we arrived at between them concerning the eel fishery that lies in Ennindedal by Ælgha lid [uncertain reading] in Ranrike deanery. The bishop had summoned them here for this case, and Lage and Ingeborg acknowledged that this was their proper day of summons. The bishop laid before us many good letters with good men's seals about this eel fishery, as the letters themselves show in more detail. We examined the letters and read them carefully, and they were in all points clear and fully valid. Therefore we judged them fully valid and in full force, and judged that the eel fishery rightly belongs to the bishop's see in Oslo
Original text (excerpt)
Ollom monnom þeim som þetta bref sea æder høyræ sender Sighurdh Jonsson riddere oc Norighis righis her sunnen fieltz forstandere Olaf Hakonsson riddere Toke Nielsson ercheprester Sighurdh Biørnsson a Twne Jon Haluardsson Niels Beske Sighurdh Biørnsson a Haugh Jfuer Wikingxsson Laurens Jensson korsbrøder j Oslo Guttorm Ewindsson Symon Biørnsson a wapn oc Herlaugh laghman j Oslo quediu guds oc sinæ kunnicht gørende at wi oc manghe adhre godhe men till effrens bothe clærke oc leekmen waro wti commu
Background
The letter is a judgement, and it was probably included because Sigurd Jonsson presides over the court. Sigurd was a daughter's son of Ingeborg Erlingsdatter and owner of Giske, and in 1448 he was one of the most powerful men in the realm. King Christopher died in January 1448, and in the period without a king Sigurd governed as regent south of the mountains, that is the southern and eastern part of the realm. Ranrike is present-day Bohuslän, which then belonged to Norway. Land rent is the annual rent a tenant paid to the owner of the land or the fishery, and a laup was a measure for butter. The case shows that fishing rights were valuable property on a par with land, and that the Church kept careful account of its revenues.
People: Sigurd Jonsson