Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1975, Qupperneq 44

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How old is the Faroese grannastcvna?
maae fastsættes, hvem der skal holde Tyren og hvor meget der i billig
Godtgjørelse for denne skal erlægges: — hvorefter den opsatte Forening,
naar den af Boigdelaugets samtlige Koeholdere er underskreven, bliver til
Amtets nærmere Approbation at indsende. —
Færoernes Amtscontoir den 23. April 1823. E. Lóbner.«w
Such direct action by the Amt was by no means uncommon.
The Amt found cause to intervene in the village affairs of
Nólsoy alone no fewer than five times between 1814 and
1841, every time on matters that in later times would have
been settled by the grannastevna.11
An excellent example of a joint tenure decision being taken
through legal action is the 1816 reorganisation of the Nólsoy
commons. The Forordning af 20. Januar 1797 om Forligelses-
Indretninger provided a machinery whereby villagers in dis-
pute could come to a quick and cheap settlement.12 On 4 March
1816, a boundary dispute between the two Nólsoy hagapartar
was brought before the Syd-Strómóe Forligelses-Commision in
Tórshavn. As the non-resident owners were not present, and
their tenants had not got their written powers of attorney, the
Commission found itself unable to draw up an agreement that
day. (No less than 13 marks 12 gylden of the 35 marks of
óðalsjórð was then owned by non-residents). The case was thus
adjourned to 27 May 1816 on Nólsoy, when all the owners
were either present or represented. The boundary between
NorSara helvt and Sunnara helvt was agreed, as were the peat-
cutting right for both hagar in Sunnara helvt, and the summer
cow pasture for both hagar in the húshagi of NorSara helvt.
(This agreement remains in force to the present day).13
The earliest document I have found, apart from the isolated
instances mentioned above, in which the word grannastevna is
used, is dated 16 August 1836. The circumstances were as
follows. The sýslumaður of Vágar, J. Zachariasen, wrote to the
Amt in the following terms:
Underdanigst Promemoria.
Ved det under min Omreise i Sysselet i dette Foraar, som sædvanlig
passerede Politi-Mođe, der holdtes, for, ifolge Sysselmandens Instrux og