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In the middle of the flat pastures at Torsnes was the farmyard of the estate, undivided until the middle of the 1700s

In the middle of the flat pastures at Torsnes was the farmyard of the estate, undivided until the middle of the 1700s. The old main building with the “blue hall” and the “knights’ hall” was demolished around 1860. Today the farm is divided into four units. Two of them still belong in the Galtung family. (Svein Nord).

Written by Nils Georg Brekke Leif Galtung

Published 06.02.2024

Torsnes

When bishop J.Neumann was on a visitation in Hardanger in 1825 he also visited Torsnes, the seat of the Galtung family. They were then in the process of pulling down the old dwelling house on the farm. As the committed observer of ancient monuments and antiquarian buildings that he was, bishop Neumann has provided us with interesting details:

“All the same I saw in a half demolished Castle, one of former times’ grand Halls. How humble and thrifty our Forefathers were! Low Doors, dark, and not large Rooms – but these were decorated, as in a church, with moral texts, painted on all the Roof Beams and Arabesques on the Walls, and Names and Coat of Arms on the small Windows, framed in Lead.”

This house that was demolished, was perhaps from the late 1500s or early 1600s. We may compare this building with another building from the same time; the beautifully decorated “bed-loft” of the mighty farmer at Gjerde in Mauranger; in later centuries called “Målabuo” (the painted house). Through inscriptions this house has been dated to 1589, and we can easily imagine that it may have been the same painter from Bergen, who has had assignments both at Gjerde and at Torsnes.

In 1504 a new, stone-built cowshed was erected on the farm by the owner at the time, Peter Nilsson. The walls of this stood right up to the 1950s. Today there is nothing left of the old estate.

Gaut på Ænes, som levde kring 1150, og sønene Jon og Munan var alle lendmenn. Gaut Jonsson på Mel (f.kr. 1190), son til Jon, er ofte omtala i Håkon Håkonssons saga. Han vart lendmann ved kongekroninga til Håkon i 1217, og ein av dei kongen leit mest på. Då Håkon tok ut på hærferda mot skottekongen i 1263, sette han Gaut til å vera rådgjevar for son sin, medan han sjølv var borte. Gaut Gautsson på Hatteberg, nemnd i 1287 då han fekk barontittel, var også lendmann. Eit diplom frå 1322 viser at Tore Gautsson og broren Sigurd Galte, sette namna sine under eit brev om nausttuftene på Sandvin. I islandske annalar frå 1367 ser vi at Ivar Galte, son til Tore, kom til Kolbeinsosen på Nord-Island frå Hardanger. Han har kome med eit skip med trelast, truleg til bispesetet på Holar.

Seinare veit vi at Gottskalk, bror til Peter Nilsson på Torsnes, var biskop i Holar 1500– 1520. Den tredje broren, Guttorm, var lagmann på Hjaltland før han sat som lagmann i Bergen fram til 1539. I byrjinga av 1600-talet overtok Lauritz Johannesson Galte garden, og han vart ein av dei største jordeigarane i Hardanger. Han åtte 53 gardar og gardpartar. Han var gift med Elisabeth Orning frå Stord, som dyrka lækjarurter i hagen sin. Sonen Lauritz (f.kr. 1610) vart landsforvist etter at han hadde drepe frenden sin Axel Mowat d.y. i ein duell. Eitt år etter kalla kongen han heim att. Lauritz Galtung vart admiral og fekk kongebrev på adelsskapet sitt i 1648. Då tok han namnet Galtung. Lars Hamre har peika på at Sigurd Galte og Sigurd på Torsnes må vera to ulike personar og at det knapt er nokon samanheng mellom lendmannsætta i Kvinnherad og mellomalderætta på Torsnes.