Fru Inger acknowledges revenues from Stjørdal fief
DN 9/733 · 9 March 1533 · Stenviksholm
Fru Inger of Austrått, who held Giske in these years, also had Stjørdal fief from the crown. The letter is part of the settlement with the archbishop after the reconciliation of 1532 and shows her as a fief holder with her own revenues.
What the letter says
Fru Ingerd Ottesdatter of Austrått declares at Stenviksholm on 9 March 1533 that Archbishop Olav has paid her part of the account for Stjørdal fief. She has received 29 lodd of silver, 66 mark in ready money, flour, butter, squirrel pelts and skins. The archbishop still owes her butter, flour and 20 ermine skins.
The letter in modern English
I, Ingerd Ottesdatter of Austrått, widow of the honourable, well-born man and stern knight Sir Nils Henriksson, formerly steward of the realm of Norway, God have his soul, acknowledge and make known to all with this my open letter that the most reverend father in God Lord Olav, by God's grace Archbishop of Trondheim and legate of the papal see, has now paid me to my full satisfaction from the account of Stjørdal fief 29 lodd of silver [one lodd is c. 15 grams], 66 mark in ready money, 26 vetter of flour [vett: a measure of flour, uncertain reading], 18 spann of butter [spann: a measure of butter], 35 timber of squirrel pelts [40 skins to a timber] and 38 skins. So his grace still owes me on the said account 18 spann of butter and 2 pund of butter, 9 ½ vett of flour and 2 våg [one våg is c. 18 kg], and 20 ermines [stoat skins]. For further certainty and better security in this I press my seal below on this my open letter, which is written at Stenviksholm on Reminiscere Sunday [9 March] in the year of his incarnation 1533. [On the back:] On the Stjørdal account.
Original text
Jeg Jngegerd Ottis dotther tiill Østeraaet erlig welbørdiig mandz oc strenge riidders hær Nyels Henrichsonns fordom Norgis riigis hoffmyster hues siel gud haffue efftherliffwerske kennis oc gøre wittherligt for alle mett thette myt obne breff ath erwerdugiste fader i gud her Oluff mett gudz naade erchebiisp i Trondem och paffuelig sædis legatt, haffuer nu tiill gode reyde fornøgt megh aff Stiørdals lenns regennskaff xxix lod sølff oc lxvj marck reidepenninge xxvi wetther miøll oc xviii span
Background
Fru Inger was the widow of the councillor of the realm Nils Henriksson, who had been steward of the realm (rikshovmester), and she opens the letter with the title of his widow. Stjørdal fief was a crown fief (len), an area where the king's revenues were collected by a feudal lord, and fru Inger had probably received the fief from King Frederik I. While the archbishop sided with Christian II in 1531 to 1532, his bailiff had collected the revenues, and now he had to pay them back. Gråverk was squirrel fur, counted in timber of 40 skins, and ermine was the winter fur of the stoat, valuable goods from the forest districts. The letter is one of several settlements between fru Inger and the archbishop after the reconciliation in 1532.
People: Ingerd Ottesdatter (fru Inger)