TINGSTAD IN UTNE

Tingstova (Local Court House)
You are now standing in front of Tingstova (courthouse) in Utne. This building was probably erected here around 1730, although Utne had long held assembly meetings before this. Utne is a natural geographical centre in the inner Hardanger region. The Thing (assembly) at Utne is said to have covered the area from Røldal to the south and to parts of Kvam to the west. Utne offered overnight lodging from 1722, which also made it a hub of sorts.

In the early Middle Ages, assemblies were usually held outdoors. Gradually it became more commonplace to meet in houses such as the sheriff's quarters or in a guest house, where there was space for larger gatherings. Some places decided to build their own assembly hall, such as this courthouse here in Utne.

All land owners met at the village council
It is difficult to determine the precise age of the Thing, but we know that it can be traced back to viking times. The assembly would usually meet three to four times a year, although matters that had to be decided urgently, such as murder trials, were also arranged ad hoc. All those who owned land were duty-bound to meet up, and though this was primarily men, there were also some female land owners, and they were heard on an equal basis with the men.

What took place at the courthouse?
The Thing’s main task was to adjudicate in cases concerning local disputes, transgressions and other conflicts. In addition to this, taxes and duties were collected here, and questions and demands could be put forward to the central governing authority. It was also the place where villagers would do business deals and make agreements and draw up contracts. The Thing was an important gathering place that strengthened social networks.

The Norwegian Code of the Realm from 1274 (a centralised state law)
King Magnus Lawmender's Code of the Realm, which came into place in 1274, was the first collection of comprehensive national legislation that applied to the entire country. It is here that a clarification of the role and composition of the village council was stipulated, and the Thing now became both the royal authority's organ for governance in rural Norway, as well a body for self-government in those rural areas.

More extensive judicial system
By royal decree in 1590, the Thing was made the first point of contact in what became a far more extensive judicial system. The administrative workload at the Thing thus became greater, and the following year it was determined that the village council should employ a skrivar (literally a writer), who was responsible for both the written work and assisting with reading and interpretation of the laws.

Sorenskrivar (the Magistrate)
From 1634, this skrivar – whose title was Sorenskrivar (a ‘sworn in’ writer), held the role of foreman in the court, and judge, or magistrate. The magistrate for Hardanger and Voss was based at Hesthamar, about 4.5 km from Utne on the road heading west towards Jondal. The tradition of village councils nevertheless continued, through the use of lay judges in all of the more important cases. After King Christian V's Norwegian Law of 1687, the magistrate would sit alongside eight local farmers who would function as lay judges. The use of lay-judges, without formal legal education, is still the practice in the Norwegian legal system.

Tingstova today
Tingstova is owned by the Utne Hotel. As it is used for accommodation and meetings, is not accessible to the public.

TINGVIKJE
Tingvikje in Utne (see map) is thought to have been a place of execution.

A place of execution
Such a place was used to execute people convicted of serious crimes, and it was mostly in murder cases that the death penalty would occasionally be deemed appropriate. Local folklore tells of an execution at Tingvikje in the 1700s, when a woman was convicted of killing four of her five children. She was also convicted, together with a man, for the murder of the man’s wife. They were both sentenced to death by decapitation, and their heads were subsequently put on stakes as an example for all to see.

Tingvikje today
Today there is no trace of the place of execution. Tingvikje is owned by the University of Bergen and contains holiday lodging for its employees. Tingvikje is accessible by walking through the yard which belongs to the Hardanger Folk Museum.

* Tingstad means meeting place or governing assembly place. The word thingstead was used in old English.