Jorunn Eivindsdatter Nomeland

Valle Kommune; GARDS OG ÆTTESOGA V - III av Alfred Ryningen PAGES 613-618

Valle gards- og ættesoge B6 side 341

The ancestry of Jorunn Eivindsdatter Nomeland:

The History of the operators – When Torjus Aslaksson gave his daughter Tarjerd in marriage to Odd, he left Nomeland. Odd also left his property. It is probably correct to place Torjus Aslaksson at Rike. There were reports about him in the introduction to the history of the operators at this gard. As can be seen there, it was this man who was there in the 1470s. He is the first operator of Nomeland whose name was known. Information with which we begin this section was taken from a document dated 1542 – it was typical of the kind of meticulous descriptions used in the introduction to the history of the operators at Rike. Some of it is included here:

Ragna Taraldsdatter, who appeared to have been married to Torjus Aslaksson, said to her son Gunstein that he could just as well allow Steinar Torbjørnsson? -- see the introduction to the history of operators of Syndre Bø -- receive Nomeland med det gode. He could manage to gain the gard back before Gunstein died. Gunstein however did not want to listen to her. From this latter account, we understand that Steinar had good cards in his hands regarding ownership of Nomeland -- we must consider that one of his ancestors had owned the gard. Probably this was true back in the first half of the 1400s, but the names of the owner at that time was hidden in the mists of history.

The document from 1542 tykkjest again to establish that a man by the name of Arne Bjørnsson had allodial rights to Nomeland – the mentioned place under Rike. It also sounded like it was Steinar who lived there was in debt. It was not known how he acquired this debt. It appeared that the mother who spoke for her son was right. In 1569, at any rate Steinar Torbjørnsson exchange land with Arne Bjørnsson and that Arne was the owner of 5 ½ markebol of land in Nomeland and Steinar received 4 mb. in Bø. In fact, that document reported that Nomeland had belonged to two brothers – the families of Steinar and Arne, is that possible?

Concerning Arne Bjørnsson we arrive at a person about whom we know something more. He probably did not live long after that. It seemed that he was rich because he owned property in various locations and made several exchanges. For this reason, it would probably be just as right to tell about him in connection with one of the other garder where he had interests.

As early as in 1569, it was mentioned that he exchanged 4 mb. at Bø – where there was property that he owned. As early as 1506, he had obtained 2 ½ mb. in Bø in exchange for 8 mb. deserted property in Tveit in “Sangedal” -- Songedal in Fyresdal? – and 1 mark gold. As told in the introduction to the history of Syndre Bø, he also owned 4 mb. of that gard -- it must have been exchanged in 1569. He also had property in Tveti -- which he had acquired in 1515 for 5 mb. in exchange for 4 mb. at Klauvreid in Skafså – see the introduction to the history of the operators of Tveti. In 1538, he sold Støylen Løyning in the Sandnes Valley -- see the introduction to the history of the operators about Sandes. Finally, it should be mentioned that in a document from 1542 -- cited above – an exchange was discussed which Gunstein Torjusson and Arne Bjørnsson had made with Tveti and Nomeland, without any more details being provided.

           It has not been possible to learn from where Arne came -- he could have been a valldøl or an immigrant. We know that his first wife came from Moland in Telemark and it may have been through her that he obtained the property there in the east.

Two times, in 1593 and in 1596, the heirs of Arne met at the Chapter House of the Cathedral in Stavanger – an ecclesiastical Court of Law which, among other matters, considered matters of marriage. From these cases something about Arne’s two marriages can be discovered. Other sources tell something about, among other things, the names of some of the children.
Arne Bjørnsson n. 1506-1569 was married the first time to Astrid Helgesdatter from Moland, Telemark, n. 1593 and 1596. Children: (1) Bjørn n. 1563 -- then at Lunde in Sirdal, also see Tveti, introduction to the history of the operators. (2) Eivind n. among other times 1559 -- see below. Arne was married the second time to Torbjørg “Torusdatter” n. 1593 and 1559. Children, at least the following: (1) Askjell n. 1596, fate unknown, (2) Såve n. 1596, fate unknown, (3) Torkjell n. 1568 and 1593, to Tongstad in Sirdal, (4) son n. 1596, fate unknown, (5) son n. 1596, fate unknown, (6) son n. 1596, fate unknown, (7) daughter n. 1596, see below, (8) daughter n. 1596, see below.
The origin of both of his wives was unknown and the order of birth of the children was not known either. One of the daughters married Ulv Eivindsson Hoftuft who died after 1594 -- Syndre Hoftuft, introduction to the history of the operators.
Through that which is noted in the legal cases which came before the Chapter House of the Cathedral in Stavanger rakna for Astrid can be discovered. She was “forbistrit” already when she was a girl and after she married Arne she was “aldeles wild oc affsindig” (completely wild and insane?). she ran in the forest and in the fields and sometimes came home and wanted to burn up the house and kill her husband.
We do not know more about her unfortunate fate other than Arne did not want to share a house with her any more. Instead, he slept with his servant girl Torbjørg “Torusdatter” or Torolvsdatter? -- and had several children with her while Astrid was still alive. At least his sons Såve and Askjell were born before Arne married Torbjørg and perhaps even all 8 of the children who grew up after they were born outside of marriage.
Finally Torbjørg and Arne were properly married. It was Priest Jakob Mikkelsen in Valle who married them, but it was at the Chapter House at the Cathedral that it was determined that he married her without the approval of the Bishop, Jon Guttormsson. Jakob was the Priest in Valle around 1551 and, according to what Siglief Engen wrote in the article “Meleætta i Høgsfjord “ -- in Ætt og Heim, 1950 -- Jon Guttormsson was the bishop until 1557. It seemed that Torbjørg and Arne were married sometime between 1551 and 1557.
The first time that the case came up at the Chapter House of the Judgment Seat in Stavanger in 1593, it was Torkjell Arnesson who wanted to establish whether the children of Torbjørg and Arne should receive the inheritance from their parents like the half-siblings whose mother was Astrid Helgesdatter. At the time, Torkjell lived at Tongstad in Sirdal and no judgment had been made.
Lidvard Ulvsson at Syndre Hoftuft supported the same case 3 years later and it was then established that only the two sons in the first marriage should be considered to be legitimately born and therefore obtain the inheritance from Arne Bjørnsson.
Something about Torkjell Arnesson, who was mentioned above, was also reported in the introduction to the history of the operators about Harstad and under residence # 2 of that gard.
With this, Arne disappeared from the saga and it appears that his son Eivind lived at the gard after him, although we do not know anything more about him other than that he was lagrettemann in 1559. It appeared that he had at least two daughters and perhaps a son:
Eivind Arnesson Nomeland n. among other times in 1559. His wife was unknown. Children, probably at least the following Jorunn d. ca. 1631 married Åsmund Torleivsson Rygnestad n. 1583-94 -- Nordre Rygnestad, in the introduction to the history of the operators, (2) daughter married to Arne Ulvsson n. 1582-87 -- Lunden, introduction to the history of the operators, (?3) Tarjei n. 1595, died before that date.

It is known that the wife of Åsmund Torleivsson Rygnestad -- “Vonde Åsmund” -- was Jorunn Eivindsdatter and she appeared to come from Nomeland. Because it is known that Arne Bjørnsson had a legitimately born son, Eivind, who was later mentioned in the sources with Nomeland as his “address”, it is fairly certain that Jorunn was his daughter.