Seat farm

The seat farm Holsteinborg in Denmark.
Artist: Jens Peter Trap (ca. 1860)

In Scandinavia, a seat farm (Danish: sædegård; Norwegian: setegård/setegard; Swedish: sätesgård or säteri; Finnish: säteriratsutila) was a farm where a nobleman had his permanent residence. They were found in the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, and Finland, and enjoyed certain privileges.

Norway

Elingård Farm in Norway. The earliest known owner was Olav Torsteinsson (Gyldenhorn) in the 15th century

Interior of the manor at Sturehov in Sweden

The term was originally used for any farm where a nobleman chose to reside. In 1639 the status of seat farm was restricted to farms that for at least the previous forty years had enjoyed this status. After 1660, when absolute monarchy was introduced in Norway, non-noble persons could also achieve this status for their farm of residence.

Seat farms had, especially, freedom from taxes and tithes. After 1800 the tax exemption was modified, and under the 1821 Nobility Law the exemption ended upon the death of the person owning the farm at the time of the law's enactment.

• Approximate number of seat farms in 1639: 100
• Approximate number of seat farms in 1821: 25

List of Seat farms in Norway

Name	Place	Seat farm privileges	House		Ref.
Akselvoll	Nordhordland	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.	1648 Mowat 1661 Bildt
Ask	Askøy Municipality	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Austrått	Ørland Municipality
Berby	Halden Municipality
Bertnes	Bodø Municipality	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Biltsgård		Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.	1648 Mowat 1661 Bildt
Birkesvoll		Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Bjelland	Sunnhordland	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Bleken		Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Borregård	Sarpsborg Municipality	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Brandstorp	Sarpsborg Municipality	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Brunla	Larvik Municipality	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Disen	Hamar Municipality	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Dønnes	Dønna Municipality	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Eide	Sunnhordland	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Elingård	Fredrikstad Municipality	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Evje	Rygge Municipality
Falkensten	Horten Municipality
Finne	Voss Municipality
Folberg	Nes Municipality
Fossesholm	Øvre Eiker Municipality
Fosser	Rakkestad Municipality
Fossnes	Sandefjord Municipality
Fritzøe	Larvik Municipality	Before the introduction of the absolutism in 1660.
Førde	Volda Municipality	1599 Carsten (Karsten) Jonsson to Førde.
Giske	Giske Municipality
Gjemsø Abbey	Skien Municipality
Gjeresvik
Gloppe (Halsen)	Larvik Municipality
Grefsheim	Ringsaker Municipality
Hafslund	Sarpsborg Municipality
Halsnøy Abbey	Kvinnherad Municipality
Hananger	Farsund Municipality
Hatteberg later Rosendal	Kvinnherad Municipality
Helle
Herrebrøden	Halden Municipality
Herløy
Holla (Holden)	Hemne Municipality
Holleby
Horne	Stange Municipality
Hovinsholm	Ringsaker Municipality
Hovland	Tysnes Municipality
Hustad	Hustadvika Municipality
Håland	Sunnhordland
Inndyr	Gildeskål Municipality
Jarlsberg	Tønsberg Municipality
Jordanger	Luster Municipality
Kambo	Moss Municipality
Kanestraum	Tingvoll Municipality
Kaupanger	Sogndal Municipality
Kjølberg	Fredrikstad Municipality
Ytre Kroken	Luster Municipality
Kvåle	Sogndal Municipality
Kårhus	Vindafjord Municipality
Lade	Trondheim Municipality
Landvik	Grimstad Municipality
Laurvig	Larvik Municipality
Losna	Solund Municipality
Lunde
Lundestad	Halden Municipality
Lungegården	Bergen Municipality
Lyse Abbey	Bjørnafjorden Municipality
Malkenes	Tysnes Municipality
Manvik	Larvik Municipality
Mel	Kvinnherad Municipality
Mellø (Mela)
Melsom
Møhus/Mjøs	Alver Municipality
Mindnes	Alstahaug Municipality
Nes
Nesøya	Asker Municipality
Nordvi	Stange Municipality
Nygård	Fredrikstad Municipality
Nørholm	Grimstad Municipality
Os	Halden Municipality
Onarheim	Tysnes Municipality
Orningsgård	Stord Municipality
Rein Abbey	Indre Fosen Municipality
Sakslund	Stange Municipality
Samsal	Ringsaker Municipality
Sande	Sarpsborg Municipality
Sandviken	Sunnhordland
Sandviken	Nordhordland
Seim	Kvinnherad Municipality
Sem (Semb)	Øvre Eiker Municipality
Sem	Tønsberg Municipality
Skapal	Ringsaker Municipality
Skjelbred	Øvre Eiker Municipality
Herre-Skjelbred	Sandefjord Municipality
Skjersnes	Færder Municipality
Skredshol	Ringsaker Municipality
Stedje	Sogndal Municipality
Stend	Bergen Municipality
Storfosen	Ørland Municipality
Storhamar	Hamar Municipality
Strøm
Stumberg	Halden Municipality
Sørum	Sørum Municipality
Svanøya	Kinn Municipality
Sørum (Sørheim)	Luster Municipality
Tisle	Kongsberg Municipality
Tjerne	Ringsaker Municipality
Tomb (Tom)	Råde Municipality
Torsnes	Ullensvang Municipality
Tose (Thorsøe)	Fredrikstad Municipality
Tønnøl (Tøndel)	Ørland Municipality
Tøyen	Oslo Municipality
Ulefoss	Nome Municipality
Ulven	Ringsaker Municipality
Ulleland (Ulveland)	Øvre Eiker Municipality
Vatne	Sunnhordland
Veen (Veden)	Halden Municipality
Vestnes	Vestnes Municipality
Værne Abbey	Moss Municipality
Yttersø	Larvik Municipality
Åker	Hamar Municipality

See also

• Danish nobility
• Finnish nobility
• Norwegian nobility
• Swedish nobility

Literature

• Hvidtfeldt, Johan (editor): Håndbog for danske lokalhistorikere (in Danish)
• Vigerust, Tore H.: vigerust.net: Adelens setegårder, hovedgårder og jordegods i Norge til ca 1800 at vigerust.net (in Norwegian)
• Nationalencyklopedin: säteri at ne.se (in Swedish)
• Norsk historisk leksikon: Setegård at lokalhistoriewiki.no (in Norwegian)
• Store norske leksikon: setegård at snl.no (in Norwegian)