The division after Junker Hans Sigurdsson: Giske to Alv Knutsson
DN 8/426 · 11 Septbr. 1490 · Bergen
What the letter says
At the royal residence in Bergen on 11 September 1490 Archbishop Gaute, Bishop Hans of Bergen, the provost Christiern Pedersson, the knight Niels Henriksson, the squire Didrik Pining and the lawman Erlend Frak divide the inherited property after Junker Hans Sigurdsson into three equal parts. Alv Knutsson and his siblings receive Sudreim, Skenem in Oslo, Giske with the estate in Romsdal and Sunnmøre, farms in Senja and Kvæfjorden, and land in Shetland. Otte Matsson and his siblings receive among other things Hval in Sogn, Sørøya in Finnmark and the lower farm at Bjarkøy, while Arald Kane, on behalf of his wife Ingerd and her sister Sigrid, receives Dønnes in Helgeland, the upper farm at Bjarkøy and more. The plots in Bergen have not yet been divided.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all men who see or hear this letter, Gaute, by the grace of God archbishop of Nidaros, Hans, by the same grace bishop of Bergen, Christiern Pedersson, provost of the Church of the Apostles, Niels Henriksson, knight, Didrik Pining, squire, and Erlend Frak, lawman in Bergen, send God's greeting and their own, and make known: In the year of our Lord 1490, on the Saturday in the octave after the birthday of the glorious Virgin Mary (11 September), we were at the royal residence in Bergen together with several good men, at the command of our gracious lord King Hans. The matter concerned division and partition between well-born men: Sir Alv Knutsson, knight, and his siblings on the first side, Sir Otte Matsson, knight, and his siblings on the second side, and Arald Kane, squire, on behalf of his wife Lady Ingerd, who was herself present, and her sister Lady Sigrid on the third side. It concerned the inherited property and odal that had fallen to them after the well-born man Junker Hans Sigurdsson, of blessed memory. Because they were equally close heirs of Hans Sigurdsson and the property lay scattered over a large area, we examined and investigated the matter for several days, and we weighed dues, value and location against each other. Then we laid out the property in three equal shares according to the three branches of heirs, in this way: This is the first part: Sudreim with all shares and appurtenances (everything that belongs to it) and with all the property that lies under it in Romerike and in Hallingdal. Further, Skenem in Oslo. Further, to the sam
Original text (excerpt)
Ollom monnom them som thette breff sea eder høra senda Gawto med gwdz nadh ærkebiscop j Nidros Hans j Berghen med sama nodh biscop Cristiern Pedhersson proffwast ad Apostola kirkia Niels Henrichson riddare Diderik Piningh aawapn och Erland Frak lagman j Berghen q. g. och sina kunnigt gørande ad anno dominj mcdxc Sabato inffra octauas natiuitatis gloriose virginis Marie vore vij vppa kongs garden j Berghen med fleerom godom monnom j befelling wor nadig herres konungh Hans vm skipte och byte mello
Background
Junker Hans Sigurdsson, son of Sigurd Jonsson and Philippa of Eberstein, died in 1466 without children, and the estate lay for more than 20 years before it was divided. The heirs were three branches of the family who stood equally close to him: Alv Knutsson of Tre Rosor, grandson of Sigurd Jonsson's sister Katarina through his mother, Otte Matsson (Rømer), and the sisters Ingerd and Sigrid Erlendsdøtre. A letter of division like this was made at the king's command and was to be the lasting proof of who owned what, and that is why it was preserved. The list shows how large and scattered the estate was, from Romerike and Sunnmøre to Senja, Finnmark and Shetland. Landvord was the fee the landowner received for the use of land and fishing stations, and the shares in Øyfjorden, Grylefjorden and Torsken show that the family made money from the fishing in the north, where the stockfish was produced. Didrik Pining, who sat on the panel of judges, is known as a sea captain and commander in Iceland. With this letter Giske passed to the Tre Rosor family.
People: Hans Sigurdsson (junker Hans), Alv Knutsson, Otte Matsson (Rømer)