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Appendix B: Agriculture and Forestry
- aker (OSw, ODan) ,akr (OG, ON) n.
- Aker, akr, which is found in all laws, refers to arable open land, field, often as opposed to meadow (OSw æng) and wood or forest (OSw skogher). An aker, was cultivated (permanent, tilled, manured), a lot of work had been invested in it, and it was the most valuable land for growing food plants. What crops would be cultivated of course differed between provinces and climate. In the Swedish laws stealing barley, oats, rye, beans, peas, turnips or brassicas was regarded as a crime.Where a system of single farms existed the farmer was free to use his cultivated land at his own will, but when the population grew and farms became grouped in village-like structures the cultivated land became an economic asset that needed to be divided between the different farms. At the time when the laws were written down in Denmark and southern Sweden, the cultivated land belonging to a certain village would be divided into one-, two- or three- permanent fields depending on the rotation system practiced, and terms for land measurement and evaluation appear in the laws.In the Danish laws an aker was also a strip field in the vang (see below) whereas the following words, which all appear in the laws, akærland (ODan), akerskifte (ODan), ollandæ (ODan), utlænde (ODan) refer to cultivated land and/or meadows, sometimes, as opposed to land within the enclosure of the toft. According to Hoff they all, except akærland are remnants from cultivating systems possibly preceding the rotation systems described above (Hoff 1997, 142–49).
- Refs: Hertzberg 1895, s.v. akr; GDO s.v. aker; Hoff 1997, 142–49; KLNM, s.v.v. ager, envangs-brug, gödsling, odlingssystem, svedjebruk, teig, tovangsbrug, trevangsbrug; Myrdal 1999, 19–109; 2011, 49–52, 77–81; Schlyter s.v. aker.
- akerland (ODan) , akrland (OIce) n.
- In Danish laws it refers to strip fields. In Icelandic laws to arable land or cropland in general.
- Refs: CV s.v. akrland; Hoff 1997, 142–49.
- akerskifte (ODan) n.
- Common strip field.
- Ref: Hoff 1997, 142–49.
- gærþi (OSw) , vang (ODan) , teiglag (ONorw) n.
- The large individual cultivated field in a field rotation system was called gærþi (OSw), vang (ODan) or teiglag (ONorw, not in the laws). Each farm had at least one strip field (tegher (OSw), teigr (ON), aker (ODan)) in each field (gærþi (OSw), vang (ODan)). The distribution and size of these strip fields was regulated in most laws, and a number of shift systems were practiced to divide and distribute the land (see below). The size and situation in the village of the tompt, toft, i.e. the land on which the farm-buildings were situated, were important as they determined the size and situation in the gærþi (OSw) and the vang (ODan) of the strip fields. The use of the strip fields was regulated in the laws as to fencing, what crops to grow, harvesting and grazing. The original meaning of gærþi (OSw), gærthe (ODan, OGu) was ‘fence’ or ‘fenced in land’.In the Norwegian system we find teiglag (ONorw) corresponding to (OSw) gærþi, with a number of strip fields, teigr (ON) forming a teiglag (not in the laws).
- Refs: Hellquist [1948] 1964, s.v. gärda; Hoff 1997, 142–49; KLNM, s.v.v. gärde, hegn, odlingssystem, envangsbrug, teig, teigkast, teiglag, tovangsbrug, trevangsbrug, vang; Myrdal 1999, 19–109, 2011, 77–95; SAOB, s.v. gärde; Schlyter s.v. gærþi; Widgren 1997, passim.
- gerði (ON) n.
- Refers to fenced in land that was used for grazing after harvesting in Norwegian laws.
- Ref: Herzberg s.v. gerði.
- tegher (OSw) , teigr (ON) , aker(ODan)
- A strip field (parcel) in a gærþi (OSw), vang (ODan) or teiglag (ONorw, not in the laws) or, sometimes, an enclosed piece of land for grazing or hay harvest as in Iceland. Tegher also had a more general meaning ‘particular piece of land’, i.e. ængtegher meadow-, skoghtegher forest-, rörtegher a piece of land along a shore where reed was growing, markteigr (ONorw) forest lot.The corresponding Danish term was aker.
- Refs: Hoff 1997, 142–49; KLNM, s.v. teig; Schlyter s.v. tegher
