Land and river fishery in Geslen pledged to Alv Knutsson
DN 9/341 · 25 August 1462 · Röten (Voss)
What the letter says
On 25 August 1462 at Røte at Voss, Gard Rikolfsson pledges 4 månedsmatsbol of land in Geslen and his whole fishery in the river to Alv Knutsson for 40 kyrlag. Alv is to use the land and the fishery and take the land rent until the whole sum has been paid back. Six lagrettemenn (lay judges) at Voss set their seals below.
The letter in modern English (excerpt)
To all men who see or hear this letter, Gard Rikolfsson sends God's greeting and his own, and makes known with this my open letter: I have pledged to the well-born man Sir Alv Knutsson, knight, 4 månedsmatsbol (land that yields land rent equal to one month's food) of land in Geslen and all the fishery I owned in the river on both sides, for 40 kyrlag (the value of 40 cows). Sir Alv shall have and use the 4 månedsmatsbol and the fishery and take the land rent from them, until he has been paid the 40 kyrlag. None of it shall be deducted from the principal before he has received full payment. In witness of this I ask these good men for their seals together with mine under this letter: Anund Olavsson, Olav Sveinsson, Orm Ivarsson, Tormod Helgesson, Arne Ketilsson and Peder Magnusson, lagrettemenn at Voss. Written at Røte on the midweek day (Wednesday) after the day of the apostle Bartholomew (24 August) in the year of our Lord 1462. Endorsement: (hand from the 1500s on the back) Sir Alv Knutsson bought 4 månedsmatsbol and fishery from Geslen.
Original text (excerpt)
Ollom monnom theim som thetta breff see eder høra sender Gard Rikolfson q. guds ok sina kunnught gørande med tesso myno opno breffue at iek haffuer panth sett velbornom manne her Alff Knwtzsyne riddara iiij manata bol iorder i Geslena ok alt thet fiske som iek atte i anne aa badha sidor fore xl kørlagh. Skal for her Alff haffua ok bruka forsagt iiij manata bol ok fiske ok landskyld aff at tagha til tess at honom for xl kørlagh betalat ero, Æn enckte aff at sla i hofuwd summonne for æn han sina b
Background
Alv Knutsson of Tre Rosor, later owner of the Giske estate, had land at Voss, probably through his wife Magnhild Oddsdatter. A letter of pledge was a form of loan: Gard received values equal to 40 cows, and Alv received the use and income of the land and the fishery. A kyrlag was the value of a cow, a common unit of account in the countryside. Månedsmatsbol was a measure of land according to how much it yielded in annual rent, reckoned as one month's food, and land rent was this rent. The endorsement from the 1500s calls it a purchase, and this suggests that the pledge was never redeemed. In this way much peasant land passed to magnates in the late Middle Ages.
People: Alv Knutsson