Hagskýrslur um manntöl - 01.01.1960, Qupperneq 29

Manntalið^l703
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tekið verði, og svo síðan undir yðar bendi á næstkomandi öxarárþingi okkur af-
hendist, uppá það hæðstnefndrar Konglegrar Majestatis befalningu bér útí full-
nægja gjörð verði. Framar þessu befalast nefndum hreppstjórum, að þeir sveit-
anna bændum, hjáleigu- eða búðarmönnum eður öðrum húsráðendum, öllum og
sérliverjum, við kirkjur eða öðruvís, tímanlega tilsegi, sér skjallega að tilkynna,
bverjir utansveitar húsgangs menn í þeirra húsum gista nóttina fyrir næstkomandi
Páska 1703, hvaðan þeir sömu segjast vera, hvert einhleypir eða með börnum, og
hversu mörgum, og hvers kyns. Þetta utansveitarhúsgangsmanna registur skulu
hreppstjórar með kostgæfni saman taka og af sér undirskrifað yður í hönd koma
láta svo tímanlega, að það ásamt ofanskrifuðu fólkregistri okkur í nefndum stað
og tíma afhendast kunni. Vitandi fyrir víst, að ef annaðhvert þeir eða sjálfir hús-
ráðendurnir nokkurt hirðuleysi eða yíirhilming hér í auðsýna, þá skulu þeir sömu
þar fyrir á sinni tíð tiltali og straffi mæta. Guði alltíð Befalaðir.
Jóni Þorlákss. Bessa Guðmundss.
Birni Péturss. ísleifi Einarss.
| Helgafelli í Helgafellssveit
5. Octob. 1702
Þorláki Guðbr.s. Páli Torfas.
Ara Þorkelss. Einari Einarss. Ólafi Einarss.
Hákoni Hannessyni. Vigfúsi Hannessyni. Item.
Ólafi Árnasyni. Jóni Eyjólfssyni, fyrir tvær sýslur.
Jóni Sigurðssyni. Magnúsi Björnss.
Staðarstað
þann 21. Octobr.
Anno 1702.
English summary.
Origin and organization of the census. The first census in Iceland was taken
in the year 1703. It was a general census of the whole population, in which every
person was entered with name, age and family relationship. Although it can not
boast of being the first general census in the world on really modern hnes, it has
not many rivals and, what is a very remarkable thing, the whole material has been
so well preserved that records for no parish are missing.
In the last years of the 17th century the economic conditions of the Icelandic
people were becoming very bad. The country’s trade was subject to a rigid mono-
poly wliich turned out to be very detrimental to the people, and to this may be
added an unusual number of natural calamities. In their distress the people appealed
to the King; and in 1702 Professor Árni Magnússon and Vice-Lawman Póll Vídalín
were commissioned to travel throughout the country in order to inquire into the
conditions and search for means of improvement, and one of their tasks was the
taking of the census.
In the circular concerning the taking of the census the sberiffs were ordered
to prepare a clear and complete register of tbe population in their districts, so
that no one would be omitted. In that register there should be recorded for each
farm the husband and wife, children, and otber residents with name, father’s name
and age. For each male and female there should further be stated his or her occupa-
tion, that is, wbether he or she was a farmer, a farm worker or a servant, or engaged
in any other honest way of making a hving. Those who were temporarily residing
in the district for fishing and the like did not need to be noted down there, but