SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications
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SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

vsnrweb.publications.org.uk
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23.03.2013 Views

o I kilometres I ••••••• Outfield boundaries -----Boundary between outfield and infield 2 I OGNARHAGI (24 marks) MapD Ancient outfields, N6lsoy UR-f)IN

Land Tenure in a Faroese Village 35 a description of N6lsoy now available in prints- explains that some time before the Reformation the Church confiscated half of N6lsoy for some breach of ecclesiastical law. At the Reformation half of this land was taken as a crown estate, and half was sold to the families of Benkestok and Rosenkrands, the only families of the nobility ever to own estates in the Faroe Islands. One mark of the Ognarhagi, however, also belonged to the Church, so that at the present day, it happens that 13 marks of N6lsoy are crown land. Unfortunately Schreter in reporting folk-lore was apt to swell out genuine evidence with his vivid imagination, and it is impossible to confirm the story. It is in one small detail at variance with deductions that can be made from the earliest crown rent books. It might be expected that the different outfield parts would have their infield in localised sections of the ancient beur, but this is not so. Subdivision of the ognarjera, and the exchange of plots, legal or simply informal, have completely blurred any picture of what the ownership pattern might have been at the period of the Reformation. Only the name KirkjumfJrk for a mark of infield just north of the village bears out one detail of Schreter's story. Until 1836 the portions of outfield that were enclosed and cultivated were rather small. However, early in the nineteenth century the potato was introduced and, according to N6lsoy tradition, rapidly became a popular crop. Occupiers of land were unwilling to use corn- or hay-land for potatoes. Hence arose the practice of staking out viobyrgir. These are small portions of outfield, usually adjacent to the boundary wall that in every Faroese village lies between the infield and the outfield, and fenced in to prevent the sheep from eating what is being grown. In theory, every occupier of land should enclose oiobyrgi» at the same time, and in 21 Var"in XI (I93I), 168-75.

o I<br />

kilometres<br />

I<br />

••••••• Outfield boundaries<br />

-----Boundary between<br />

outfield and infield<br />

2 I<br />

OGNARHAGI<br />

(24 marks)<br />

MapD<br />

Ancient outfields, N6lsoy<br />

UR-f)IN

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