Thorfinn of Hamar

January 8 is the feast day of St. Thorfinn of Hamar. Thorfinn was Bishop of the Ancient Diocese of Hamar, which was formed in 1152 and lasted until 1537. The diocese included parts of the counties of Hedmark (all except Solør, Odalen and northern Østerdalen), Oppland (all except Valdres), Buskerud (Numedal and Ringerike), and Telemark (Hjartdal, Notodden, Seljord, Tinn and Vinje). It was part of the ecclesiastical province of Nidaros.

After King Eric II of Norway repudiated the Tønsberg Concord (which had confirmed the rights of the clergy) in 1282, there was a dispute between church and state, and Thorfinn was exiled. He went to the Ter Doest Abbey in Lissewege, Belgium. He died there on 8 January 1285.

Walter de Muda, a monk at the Ter Doest Abbey, wrote a poem about Thorfinn. He described Thorfinn as kind, patient, gentle, strong, and good. He hung the poem over Thorfinn's tomb.

Thorfinn of Hamar is one of the few Norwegian saints. Some of my ancestors lived in Seljord and Hitterdal (now part of Notodden), which were part of the Ancient Diocese of Hamar.

References
Ancient Diocese of Hamar
Feast of St. Thorfinn of Hamar (January 8)
One of the few Norwegian saints
Saint Thorfinn
Saint Thorfinn - Newman Connection 
Thorfinn of Hamar
Thorfinn of Hamar (d. 1285)

52 Ancestors: Week 6 "So Far Away": Halvor Ryen

My 10th-great-grandfather Halvor Ryen is the most distant ancestor that I have identified in my maternal grandfather's direct paternal line. Halvor was born about 1580, and was also known as Halvor Skoje (or Skoge). In 1611, he lived on the Skoje farm in Sauland, Telemark, Norway, where he owned 1 tønde (73.3% of an acre) of land. He was the allodial farmer at Skoje; Sveinung Vreim and Torvill Espedalen also had allodial rights. Halvor also owned 4 ½ tønde land (3.3 acres) of the Ryen farm in Heddal (Hitterdal), 3 tønde land (2.2 acres) of the Folserås farm in Gransherad, 4 ½ mæle (a grain unit of measurement , approximately 15-17 liters) of the Skårdal in farm Sauland, and a part of the Lona farm in Bø.

According to the Odelsrett (an ancient Scandinavian allodial title), if a farm has belonged to a family for a specified amount of time, family members have the right to buy it if it is sold. If the farm is sold to someone who is not a family member, family members have the right to buy it back within a specific period of time. Sveinung Vreim and Torvill Espedalen must have been Halvor's relatives. Several generations of a family can have allodial rights, so more information is needed to determine what the relationship was.

Halvor was probably married to Torgon, the widow of Jon Skoje. Jon had lived at Skoje from 1593 to 1602. Halvor was the stepfather of Gjermund Skoje, who lived at Skoje from 1640 to 1648.

Halvor and Torgon had a daughter, Svanaug, who married Petar Haraldsson Folserås. Halvor also had a son, Gregar (my 9th-great-grandfather), who was born about 1605.

Jordebok 1615 for Telemark og Numedal indicates that Halvor Skoje still owned the Skoje farm in Sauland in 1615. He resided in Sauland. Sveinung Vreim  and Torvild Espedal (who both resided in Bø, Telemark) were also owners of the Skoje farm. Halvor also still owned property at Rygi nedre (also called Ryen nedre), Heddal; Folserås, Gransherad; and Skårdal søndre, Sauland.

By 1645, Halvor was a widower. He was living on the Ryen nedre farm in Heddal, and was known as Halvor Ryen. Gregar and his wife Gunne Halvorsdatter also lived at Ryen nedre. Halvor was still living at Ryen nedre in 1650. He died around 1660.

Koppskatt, Telemark, med ekstrakt, Bratsberg, Telemark, 1645. Hitterdal. Available from http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:NBN:no-a1450-rk20080807640823.jpg

Thanks to Rick Mathews from the Norway Genealogy Research community for help with translation, copies of Bygdebok entries, and information about allodial rights in Norway.

References
The Allodial Rights Act
Boe (Bø) and Halvorson-Otterholt; Shared Roots in Telemark. Compiled by Melvin and Alpha M. (Boe) Brodshaug, 1984. Published by Arlene (Boe) Christensen and Marjorie (Boe) Bergee. Printed by Anundsen Publishing Co., Decorah, Iowa.
Henneseid, Stian. Bø-Soga II: Telemark, Gards- og ættesoga. Band I. Ed. Gregar Nordbø. Bø Kommune, Norway, 1982.
Holta, O. H. Hitterdalsboken: Gaarde og slegter. Porsgrund, Norway, 1926.
Jordebok 1615 for Telemark og Numedal
Karlsrud, Gjertrud Kleveland. Hjartdalsoga: Gard og ætt Sauland. Band II. Hjartdal Kommune, Norway, 1992.
Koppskatt, Telemark, med ekstrakt, Bratsberg, Telemark, 1645
Odelsrett
Quamme, O. A., Tjønnås, Ketil, and Nisi, Aaste. Gransheradsoga. Notodden Kommune, Norway, 1977.