Gripla - 20.12.2013, Blaðsíða 261

261
to a note in his diary on 6 september 1836: “var eg vid sterfbús upp-
skrifft ä Brúarlandi effter syslumanns fullmakt” [I registered a probate
inventory at Brúarland with authorisation of the county magistrate].110 It
seems furthermore possible that Gunnlaugur wrote some entries in the
prestsþjónustubók ‘parish register’ for Hofsþing between 1830 and 1838,
as the handwriting of these entries is very similar to that in Gunnlaugur’s
manuscripts.111 on 9–10 May 1843 he even notes in his diary that he made
entries in the kirkjubækur ‘church books’.112 this proves that Gunnlaugur
did not just copy manuscripts and compile annals for himself and other
(lay) historians, but that his local community and the community’s leaders
perceived him as a scribe.
Conclusion
this analysis of Gunnlaugur’s scribal network demonstrates the import-
ance of Hólar. Many of Gunnlaugur’s informants and people who exerted
influence on his scribal and historical activities went to the Latin school
there. Perhaps the most influential person in this concern, the Rev. Gísli
jónsson from stærra-Árskógur, was even a teacher there and had access to
the see’s library. Much of the material that Gunnlaugur used can be traced
back to manuscripts written or owned by the Rev. Gísli and other Hólar
graduates. In particular, the information about ordinations, vicars and par-
ishes stands in direct connection with Hólar, which proves that, although
jón espólín might have inspired others, including Gunnlaugur, to conduct
historical research, he was by no means the only or major person to do so,
and that the bulk of source texts for historical research is connected with
Hólar. this puts the learned centre Hólar and skagafjörður into a stronger
position as an integral and important part of historical research. the
bishopric and school of Hólar provided a considerable part of sources for
historical research in Iceland, even after the closing of the school – and also
110 Lbs 1588 8vo, fol. 299r:9–10.
111 see, for example, the entry under athugasemdir ‘notes’ of deaths in the year 1834 in the
prestsþjónustubók ‘parish register’, n.p., kept at the Þjóðskjalasafn Íslands under the signature
BA/1.
112 see Lbs 1588 8vo, fol. 365r:10–11: “skrifadi i kyrkjubækur” [I made entries in the church
books] and fol. 365r:13: “endti vid ad skrifa i kyrkju bækur” [I finished with the entries in
the church books].
GunnLAuGuR jónsson fRoM skuGGABjÖRG