Katarina Jonsdatter exchanges land in Brunlanes
DN 8/308 · 14 April 1440 · Manvik
What the letter says
The priest Torgeir Hallbjørnsson of Tanum, a chaplain and four men of the lagrette (local court) announce that they were at Manvik in Berg parish in Brunlanes on 14 April 1440. There Lady Katarina Jonsdatter, with the consent of her son Eiliv, made an exchange of land with the housewife Sigrid Nikolasdatter, who had the consent of her daughter, the maiden Katarina. Sigrid received northern Staurheim in Tanum parish and the whole of Risøya. Katarina received shares of land in Krossgarden, Haugen and lower Lunde in Berg parish and in Dreng and Asgautsvitrissinne in Tjølling parish.
The letter in modern English
To all men who see or hear this letter, Torgeir Hallbjørnsson, priest at Tanum, Asmund Torgeirsson, chaplain [to the housewife Sigrid, uncertain interpretation], Torleiv Salvesson, Reidar Åsulvsson, Tord Eskilsson and Lavrans Guttormsson, men of the lagrette, send God's greeting and their own, and make known that we were at Manvik in Berg parish on Neset [Brunlanes] on the day of Tiburtius and Valerian (14 April) in the year of our Lord 1440. We saw and heard that they joined hands with consent and handshake, on the one side the well-born woman Lady Katarina Jonsdatter and on the other the well-born woman, the housewife Sigrid Nikolasdatter, and made an exchange of land between them, with the consent of Eiliv, Lady Katarina's son, and likewise with the consent of the maiden Katarina, the housewife Sigrid's daughter, on these terms: The said housewife Sigrid shall own and keep as her part of the exchange the whole of the northern farm of Staurheim, three markebol [land paying a land rent of three marks a year], which lies in Tanum parish on Neset in Vestfold, and besides the whole of Risøya.
Original text
Ollom monnom theim sæm thettæ bref sia ædher høyra sænder Thorgeir Halbiornson prester a Tuneim Asmunder Thorgeirson cappellanus hustrv Sigridho Thorleifuer Solueson Reidar Asulfson Thordh Eskielson oc Laufrens Guttormson logrettismen q. g. oc sina kunnukt gørandhe at meer varom a Manwikom j Bergsokn a Nesit vm Tiburcij oc Valerianj dagh anno dominj mocdoxlo.
Background
Katarina Jonsdatter was the sister of Sigurd Jonsson, and she had received Manvik in Brunlanes from her kinswoman Margareta Eilivsdatter in 1420 (DN 1/671). Her son Eiliv was by Jens Hjerne, who was probably a Swedish nobleman. A land exchange was a swap in which both parties gathered their holdings, and here Katarina gave up land in Tanum and received most of the return in Berg, the same parish in which Manvik lies. The letter counts the land in markebol and øresbol, that is land paying a land rent of one mark or one øre a year, and one mark was eight øre. The heirs had to consent to an exchange of family land, which is why both Eiliv and the maiden Katarina take part. Through Katarina the inheritance later passed to her grandson Alv Knutsson, who received Manvik at the division of her estate in 1482.
People: Katarina Jonsdatter