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Ub c - Sameia Interview Archive This is an archive of around 200 interviews that are not currently publicly available, but which trusted employees can access, for example to record or write down the content. Contact Bent Ek - bent.ek@eikerhistorie.no - if you would like access. L 0116 Margit Bolstad Interviewed by Arne Thorkildsen 28/8-1991. 3 soundtracks - total 1 hour 35 min. Download audio files Contents

Jens Hofgaard at Hoen - a proprietor and his use Jens Hofgaard was among Drammen's largest lumber merchants for several decades. He owned sawmills in Ringerike, Modum and Eiker, but chose to concentrate his business on the Hoenselva to an increasing extent. He is known for having built the large cart at Hoensbruket, and it was he who commissioned the famous "Hoenspokal" from Nøstetangen glassworks. But he was also behind an extensive regulation of the Hoensvassdraget, including through the construction of Himsjødammen. The last decades of the 18th century were a golden age for lumber trade and sawmill operations in Eiker. It was the heyday of the "trading patriciate", also called the "plank nobility". Perhaps the best known is Jørgen von Cappelen, who built Fossesholm Manor as a memorial to himself. Another of the great lumber merchants was Jens Hofgaard, owner of the farm Øvre Hoen with underlying delights, including the water rights in the Hoenselva. His predecessors had also expanded the sawmill operation quite significantly by transferring quota grants from sawmills they owned further up the Drammensvassdraget. But Hofgaard continued this strategy, and he ensured sufficient water flow through a purposeful and comprehensive regulation of the entire watercourse.

Rafting in the Drammen River Timber rafting had been taking place in the river since the High Middle Ages, and more and more of the timber had to be transported from the upper parts of the district, where there were still large forests. This applied to both sawn timber and beams that were cut with an axe. The authorities adopted regulations for the rafting and provisions on how large quantities could be cut and sawn on the various saws, but the rafting itself was organized by the lumber merchants in cooperation with each other, but where the largest sawmill owners had the decisive say. The most important timber hinge on Eiker was at Kverk below Skotselv, where the timber was held back and released in quantities no larger than it was possible to sort them when they arrived at the mills. The largest of these sorting hinges was the "Great Hinge" at Nøstetangen, where the timber going to the sawmills in Vestfossen was stopped. Another important hinge was Stenberg, where the beam timber was sorted. There were permanent crews at these hinges, while there was only seasonal work at the smaller hinges and at the quarrying in the tributaries. From Nøstetangen, the timber was pulled up the Vestfosselva river by horses walking along the riverbank. This work was carried out by "timber carriers". In addition, the sawmills in Vestfossen received a good deal of timber from the area around Eikeren. These logs were tied together in rafts and transported across the lake with sails. After the logs had been turned into planks and boards at the sawmills, they were chained together in large "mushrooms", often with several thousand boards, and floated down to the board plots at Bragernes. This plank floating was carried out by special workers called "nersetters".

Fossesholm Manor Written by Bent Ek In the mid-18th century, the estate economy at Eiker was in complete disarray. The large Sems estate had been divided up after Lieutenant Colonel Richelieu went bankrupt in 1719, and in 1743 the main farm itself was bought by the farmer's widow Olaug Pedersdatter on the neighboring farm Berg and divided into two farms. Skjelbred at Fiskum was divided up after the death of the mining councillor Niels Mechlenbourg in 1713, and the division of the Ulleland estate at Skotselv began when the county magistrate Vilhelm de Tonsberg died in 1731. The exception to this development was the manor house Fossesholm at Vestfossen. This estate was also divided, in the sense that it was divided between a number of owners belonging to the same family. However, one of these owners – Gabriel von Cappelen – pursued a determined acquisition of farm shares, and in 1762/63 his son – Jørgen von Cappelen – was able to buy out the last co-owners, so that he became the sole owner. While the other estates on Eiker had disintegrated, Fossesholm still had a significant land and forest estate, with underlying farms between Vestfossen and Fiskumvannet and stretches of forest on both sides of the Eikeren. One half of the settlement of Vestfossen, with five large sawmills, also belonged to the estate. The Cappelen family had been involved in the timber trade for several generations, based in Bragernes, but Jørgen had become a wealthy man as a supplier to Kongsberg Sølvverk. In 1763, he was 58 years old, and he retired to the old manor house at Eiker with his wife, Magdalena Darjes. There they began a large-scale building project, which resulted in the manor house that we largely find on Fossesholm today. Here, the refined lifestyle of the merchant patriciate continued for another couple of generations – until it ended with a forced auction in 1822.

Schools and poor relief The pietist King Christian VI introduced confirmation in Norway, and from 1739, community schools were established throughout the country with religious instruction and simple reading instruction. It was common to have community schools, where teaching took place around the farms and was limited to a few weeks a year. However, Vestfossen got a permanent community school as early as 1747, and at the Hassel ironworks in Skotselv a vocational school was established in 1757. A permanent school probably also came to Haugsund (Hokksund) during the 18th century, but the rest of Eiker still had a community school. The parish priests were responsible for the school system, and the main emphasis was placed on religious education. In public documents we see that it was still common for most people to write their name "with a pen" - they could not spell their own name. Poor people who were unable to earn a living, usually because they were old or disabled, were paid "legd". This was part of the tax system and meant that a group of farms were jointly responsible for providing food and shelter for a poor person. During the 18th century, several decrees on the poor were passed, in 1741, 1742, 1755, 1789 and 1790. Poor committees were introduced, led by the parish priest and the sheriff, who also included the local farmers and two men appointed by the county governor. But during this period, the population also grew, and when the harvest failed, there was a famine: "People eat everything they could get their hands on: Bark bread, roots, moss porridge, etc. and they drank water for it month after month. Pine bark, roots from the ground, aspen and silje leaves were collected, dried and ground into flour. Bread was baked from this, which was fried on flat iron roofs." A rich village like Eiker also attracted many poor beggars. In 1741, the king decided that this should be prohibited and that beggars should be put to forced labor at the "Tugthuset" in Christiania. It was not until the very end of the 18th century that priests came who were concerned with improving schools and the poor: Hans Strøm, who became parish priest in 1779, and Frederik Schmidt, who succeeded Strøm in 1797.

Magazine drive on "Sölvveien" The transportation of goods between Bragernes and Kongsberg is often called "warehouse transportation". In reality, this transportation took place both on land and by water. The actual transportation was carried out by "reeders" in rowboats and drivers with horses and carts. Along the river and the road there were transport stations, guesthouses and inns where both the transport workers and other travelers could quench their thirst and get food and shelter. This is where goods were probably also bought and sold to the local population, at a time when there were no country stores. All the traffic also provided work for craftsmen such as boat builders, blacksmiths, wheelwrights and shoemakers. In the latter half of the 18th century, the mining town of Kongsberg had around 8,000 inhabitants and was Norway’s second largest city – smaller than Bergen, but larger than Christiania. The local agriculture could not feed such a large population, and the miners and their families were completely dependent on a regular supply of grain and other foodstuffs. This gave great power to a small group of “suppliers”, who had the exclusive right to run this profitable business. Together with the top management at the Silver Works, they constituted the upper class in Kongsberg. The grain and other imported goods destined for Kongsberg came to Drammen - which actually consisted of two separate trading posts - Bragernes and Strømsø. The large warehouse of the silver works was located at Øvre Sund in Bragernes until 1786, when a new and larger warehouse was built on Strømsø. From here the goods were to be transported to the warehouse in Kongsberg - today known as "Magasinparken". This was the origin of the term "Magasinkjørsel", and the transport went through Eiker. Although a road had been built all the way to Bragernes as early as the 1620s, much of the traffic was carried out on the river, especially the transport of heavier goods. The "Røyertene" were a separate professional group, who rowed "big boats" up the river to Haugsund. Some goods were transferred to horses and carts at the Langebru transport station near Haug Church, but much was also transported by boat to Vestfossen and sometimes all the way to Rudstøa in Fiskum. However, the last leg through Kongsbergskogen had to be covered by horse and cart. This was by far one of the country's most important transport arteries. "The Silver Road" is a name that this road has been given in recent times. Originally, it was often called "The King's Road", but also "The Post Road", since there was a fixed postal route here with important correspondence between the management of the Silver Works and the central administration in Copenhagen. Today, several new and larger roads have been built between Drammen and Kongsberg, but at the end of the 18th century, the route was largely the same as when the road was built in the 1620s. Maintenance and improvements were carried out, however. One of the most important was the construction of stone arch bridges, which probably replaced older wooden bridges. The largest and most important was Smedbrua, which was built in 1767 by stonemasons from the Silver Works, where the road crosses the Fiskumelva River. Smaller bridges of the same type were built at Skogen and at Brekke on Nedre Eiker. Today, these bridges are protected as cultural monuments.

Diverse industrial development in the 18th century – machine mills, silk saws and factories Much of what happened in the 18th century was a further development of older technology. Alongside the small and simple stream saws came large grist and sifting mills – also called “Dutch mills” or “machine mills”. The first grist mill was established by Peder Tyrholm, who bought the Borge farm in Nedre Eiker and renamed it Møllenhof. He received a royal privilege to operate a grist mill in 1737, and in 1756 this was expanded to operate a sifting mill, which was based on grinding imported wheat. Later, Møllenhof was taken over by the famous mill builder Godberg Poulsen from Flensburg. Both grist and sifting mills became increasingly common during the 18th century. There were machine mills at Mjøndalen, on the Fossesholmsgrunn near Vestfossen and Hærebro near Skotselv. At the same time, important improvements were made at the sawmills. This was particularly linked to the invention of the "silk saw", which meant that one had several saw blades in the same frame. Instead of cutting one board at a time, one could then cut many boards at once. However, it was not simply allowed to increase production. In 1688, quantity regulations had been introduced, which set a ceiling on how much could be cut each year at the individual sawmill. Some sawmill owners then began to buy up smaller sawmills and transfer the quantity from there to the larger sawmills. Vestfossen and Skotselv consolidated their position as the largest sawmill locations, but sawmills also grew rapidly in Mjøndalen, by the Hoenselva and at Vendelborg during the 18th century. Other forms of industry also emerged during the 18th century. At Møllenhof, the production of linseed oil and green soap was started in addition to the groat and sifting mills. The term "silk saw" is used for a gang saw with several blades. The oldest water saws had only one blade, and the same log had to be cut many times. It could take many hours, even days, to cut a large log into planks and tables. With silk saws, the entire log could be cut in one operation. Of all the important technological innovations of the 18th century, the silk saw was perhaps the one that had the greatest impact on Eiker. At Hoenselva there were both wadmelstampers, which stamped wool into wadmels, and feldbereder tampers, which stamped hides to be used in the tanneries. Nail hammers appeared in many places, including at Skotselv and in Vestfossen. A small nail hammer in Dørja was moved to Krokstadelva, where it was expanded into a large enterprise under the name Krogstad Spiiger Fabrique. It was in operation for more than 100 years, and eventually also produced other iron products. Even more advanced was supposedly the hardware factory Friderichsminde, which was established at Stensrudfossen in Bingselva at the end of the 18th century. It was actually located in Modum, but was run by Frantz Neumann, who was the owner of Hassel Jernverk. Farm grinders and stream saws Mills and mills are documented in Eiker in written sources from the late 13th century, but have probably existed since the Viking Age. From Hoenselva we know the name Kverne, close to the place where Eiker Mølle is located today. The place name "Mjøndalen" comes from "Mylnardalen" – Mill Valley. At Vestfossen the noble estates Berg and Foss had their mills, and there were also large mills at Krokstadelva and Solbergelva, where the owners most likely ground the grain for many of the farms nearby. This was also industry, in the sense that water power was used to perform the work instead of muscle power. But the difference was of course great between the small mills by streams and rivers and the factories of the industrial age. The first water saws were not particularly large or complicated structures either. We estimate that the first up-and-over saws at Eiker were built around 1500, and when the Eikværings were required to pay taxes to Akershus Castle in 1528-29, many of the farmers paid in the form of sawmills. Within a few decades, more than 100 large and small water saws were built around Eiker, and sawmilling and lumber trade became an important industry for the Eiker farmers.

The Hoen farms in 1765 In 1765, Øvre Hoen belonged to merchant Jens Hofgaard, who lived in Bragernes. His manager, Peder Gregersen, lived on the farm with his wife Guri Gutormsdatter and their three children. Seven households are listed under the farm, which must have been homesteaders of various kinds. Some of these probably worked at the Hoen sawmills, but there were also three old homesteaders' widows. Niels Clausen Winther, who had recently taken over the farm from his uncle, Peter Nicolai Winther, lived at Nedre Hoen. He lived there with his wife Dorthe, his sister Angel and several servants. The soldier Jens Olssen also lived on the farm, and there were eight household members. Several of them may have worked at the sawmills or had day jobs in connection with the farm or salmon fishing. The Winther family at Hoen Winther was a family descended from old Norwegian nobility that can be traced back to the Middle Ages and that had connections to various farms on Eiker, including Hoen, dating back to the 14th century. The name was again linked to Nedre Hoen in 1685, when a marriage was concluded between Annechen Clausdatter Winther and Niels Christophersen Hoen, who was a parish priest on Eiker. Several of their descendants used Winther as a family name, including the eldest son Claus Nielsen Winther, who became a theologian and parish priest in Stavanger. Øvre Hoen was taken over by his younger brother, Captain Peter Nicolai Winther, but in 1764 his nephew, Niels Clausen Winther, moved back to Eiker and settled on Hoen. He was the owner until 1777, when Nedre Hoen was sold to the brothers Niels and Otto Omsted and farmer Borger Christophersen Woldstad. It is possible that the famous glass cutter Villas Vinter at Nøstetangen was connected to the Winther family at Hoen, but this connection is unclear. The Hofgaard family at Hoen Merchant Jens Hofgaard became the owner of Øvre Hoen in 1751, as heir to his father-in-law Otto von Cappelen. This happened after a long legal dispute between Niels Christensen and Otto von Cappelen, who both claimed to have bought the farm from the previous owner, Christopher Winther. Hofgaard, who was one of Drammen's largest lumber merchants, also became the owner of the sawmills below Hoen, and he increased the yield at these sawmills by transferring quantities from other sawmills in the district, while also having several large dams built to regulate the flow of water in the waterway. He is also known for having built the cart that is depicted on the famous Hoen Cup. Both the lumber business and the Øvre Hoen farm were taken over in 1775 by Jens Hofgaard's sons, Gabriel and Andreas, who started the company "Gabr. & Andr. Hofgaard". When this company was dissolved in 1787, Øvre Hoen and the sawmills passed to Gabriel Hofgaard, and his descendants were owners until 1825.

Here are the QR codes Eiker history club Currently, the site is used to experiment with how to provide access to material in Sharepoint. Uc c - Interviewer

the Norwegian crofter system Husmannsvesenet var et fenomen som fantes over hele Norge, i forskjellige varianter. Eiker og de andre flatbygdene på Østlandet var nok det området der husmannsvesenet fikk aller størst utbredelse, og innenfor Eikers grenser finner vi mange varianter – det var husmenn med jord og jordløse strandsittere, bygselshusmenn og arbeidshusmenn. Siste halvdel av 1600-tallet og første halvdel av 1700-tallet var en periode med store omveltninger i bondesamfunnet på Eiker. Krongodset og adelsgodsene gikk i oppløsning, mange bønder ble selveiere, men også rike trelasthandlere fra byene kjøpte seg gård og grunn på Eiker. Folketallet økte, og mange nye husmannsplasser ble ryddet. Forarbeidet til ny matrikkel i 1723 er vel den første kilden som gir en samlet oversikt over husmenn på Eiker. Den viser at husmannsvesenet på dette tidspunktet var en institusjon som var veletablert i alle deler av bygda. Hele 116 av gårdene på Eiker hadde husmenn på dette tidspunktet. De aller fleste bare en eller to husmenn, men gårder som Nedre Hoen, Vestre Lo og Skjelbred hadde hele seks stykker, Stenshorne hadde hele ni husmenn, under Fossesholm er det oppgitt 13 og under Haug prestegård 14 husmenn. På så å si alle disse plassene ble det dyrket havre, som regel mellom en halv og en hel tønne. Det betyr at dette var husmenn med jord, mens husmenn uten jord ikke er tatt med – rimelig nok, siden dette var en skattematrikkel og det var jorda en betrakte skatt for. Dersom en tar med alle husmennene som ikke hadde jord, ville nok antallet vært betydelig større enn de 246 husmannsplassene som er oppgitt i 1723. Det neste årstallet vi finner en samlet oversikt over husmenn på Eiker, er 1765, da det ble tatt opp et manntall i forbindelse med innkreving av en ekstraskatt. Her var alle personer over 15 år med, og 252 av dem er ført opp som husmenn. Det er altså bare ubetydelig flere enn i 1723. Men skatten i 1765 var en såkalt koppskatt, slik at også husmenn som ikke hadde jord ble tatt med. Disse blir ikke kalt husmenn i manntallet, men føres i samme skatteklasse som husmennene. av dem var det hele 413 stykker. Ut ifra dette kan vi slutte at nærmere 20% av Eikers befolkningen på midten av 1700-tallet var husmenn.Men mer interessant enn antallet er det kanskje å se nærmere på hva slags husmenn en hadde på Eiker. Dessverre sier ikke manntallet i 1765 stort sett ingen ting om hva folk arbeidet med. Unntakene er åtte hammersmeder ved Hassel jernverk og fjorten stykker på Nøstetangen som «arbeider ved Fabriquen». Men ut ifra bosted er det også mulig å si en hel del om hva husmennene på Eiker livnærte seg av., Ikke overraskende finner vi flest husmenn der det var sagbruk og annen industri. Det var i Vestfossen og Skotselv, langs Hoenselva og i Mjøndalen. Det er vel neppe noen tvil om at mange av disse var sagbruksarbeidere. Under gårder som Solberg og Krokstad var det store møllebruk, og her finner vi også en konsentrasjon av husmenn. Det samme gjelder sundstedet ved Haug – både under Prestegården og på østsiden av Drammenselva under gårdene Lerberg og Hobbelstad. Husmennene her kan ha vært knyttet til tømmerfløting og laksefiske, men også det at Haugsund var et viktig knutepunkt for samferdselen hadde nok sin betydning. Blant husmennene her finner vi nok både vertshusholdere, skysskarer og håndverkere. Likevel er det bare en nokså beskjeden andel av husmennene på 1700-tallet som bodde på slike tettsteder. Under alle de større gårdene i bygda var det vanlig med både fire og fem husmannsplasser eller enda flere. Det gjaldt både gårder sentralt i bygda og de som lå i utkanten. Etableringen av slike husmannsplasser må ha sammenheng med behovet for arbeidskraft på gården, spesielt i onnene. Gårdbrukerne kunne sikre seg arbeidshjelp ved å leie ut jord og ta betaling i form av pliktarbeid. Uten å ha studert husmaannskontraktene nærmere, må en kunne anta at husmennene på slike gårder var såkalte «arbeidshusmenn», mens de som hadde fast arbeid på sager eller i annen industri var «bygselshusmenn», det vil si at de betalte for leie av plassen med penger istedenfor pliktarbeid. På en del steder kan det nok ha vært en kombinasjon – det gjelder for eksempel på gårder som Fossesholm, Ulleland og Hoen, som både hadde en betydelig jordvei og samtidig en stor sagbruksvirksomhet. Mange husmenn var nok også tømmerfløtere. Dem finner vi sikkert langs hele Drammenselva, men det var spesielt mange plasser i nærheten av de store tømmerhengslene ved Kverk og Stenberg. En annen næringsvei som la grunnlag for rydding av husmannsplasser, var bergverksdriften. Når det var så vidt mange husmenn under gårder som Berg og Stenshorne, har nok det sammenheng med at det var drift både i Bergsgruvene og Krambudalsgruvene på 1760-tallet.

Inns and Guesthouses Many of those living along the main travel routes were likely able to host travelers, serve food and drink, and offer lodging for a small fee. However, if such activity was to be conducted on a somewhat larger scale, a royal license was required. These licenses were issued by the Rentekammer (Treasury Chamber) in Copenhagen, likely based on recommendations from local officials. At the same time, the innkeepers and guesthouse operators were required to pay an annual fee, which the bailiff was responsible for collecting. Therefore, the archive of the County Governor in Buskerud contains considerable information about who was engaged in such activity. From the Rentekammer’s order, dated 3 November 1759, to the bailiff Egger Madsen Fisker: Since it has graciously pleased His Royal Majesty to grant the following Royal Licenses for the operation of inns and guesthouses within the jurisdictions of Hurum, Røyken, Eiker, Lier, and Buskerud, entrusted to him, subject to payment of an annual fee in addition to what has previously been ordered or may be ordered henceforth, namely: Eiker Parish 16. Nils Sutterud from the settlement of Sutterud –                     1 rigsdaler 17. The widow of the late citizen Augustinus – from Lille Steenset –            48 skilling 18. Peder Augustinusen – from the settlement Sanden under Temte –        18 skilling 19. The resident of the holding Frognes under Haug Vicarage –              48 skilling 20. Lars Thosen from the settlement Bacherud near Vestfossen –           24 skilling 21. Tore Clausen, innkeeping on the Fossesholm side –                    1 rigsdaler 22. Rasmus Schiestad on the Semb side –                           1 rigsdaler 48 skilling 23. Peder Augustinussen – likewise –                                   1 rigsdaler 24. Ingeborg Sperren – likewise –                                    1 rigsdaler By Hokksund on the eastern side of the river 25. Richardt Gram –                                            1 rigsdaler 26. The widow of Peder Andersen –                                1 rigsdaler