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The Fjære Kirke, the stone knave of which was built in
around 1150 by local farmers replaced a wooden church
that had stood there from before 995, on an old pagan
site, and was the church of the home farm at Bringsværd
of Kale Kolssøn who was born there in the year 1100.
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Fjære Kirke |
Old
Main Entrance |
Interior |
Replica of St Magnus
Anniversary Plaque |
He is better known as Jarl Ragnvald
of Orkney and held the title from 1129 until his death
in 1158. According to local historian, Kjetil Frogner,
Jarl Ragnvald was a direct descendant of
Ragnvald Møre
Jarl
and Romsdal, known to us as
Rogenvald the
Mighty of Møre (pronounced "Murrah") and Romsdal, and is therefore related to the Sinclairs.
Ragnvald's grandfather, Kale Sbjornssønn died of wounds
received in fighting on the Isle of Skye for King Magnus
"Barefoot". His father, Kol Kalessøn, (born 1070) was
made the King's representative at Bringsværd in reward
for his father's service, and in further recognition
married to Gunnhild, daughter of Erlend and sister of
Magnus (St Magnus), joint Jarl of Orkney from 1103 until
his murder in 1115. He was married to the daughter of a
Scots Jarl, neither of whose names is recorded. Jarl
Ragnvald began the construction of
St Magnus Cathedral
in Kirkwall, Orkney in 1137. Jarl Ragnvald was killed by
an outlaw in 1158, and the place is given as
Calder Dale
in Caithness. He was later canonised. On the 850th
anniversary of the founding of St Magnus Cathedral, the
Fjære Kirke, its distant cousin,
sent a memorial plaque
on St Ragnvald's day, 20th August 1987. A copy of the
plaque is on display in the church. They also began
sending a Christmas Tree, cut from the site of Jarl Ragnvald's home farm at the modern "Bringsværd" to St
Magnus Cathedral. Fjære is the old name of the borough
that now forms part of Grimstad Kommune. Kjetil Frogner
says that Fjære was an old name for fjord, and that
longboats were built at Bringsværd and dragged down to
the fjord near the site of modern
Grimstad in the
Aust-Agder, and will
have sailed from there to Caithness. On a mound which
overlooks the fjord, near to the modern church in
Grimstad, they have uncovered a grave, dated to the year
950. They do not know its occupant, simply described as
"Hersen på Bringsværd": King of Bringsværd. Perhaps an
even closer relative of Jarl Ragnvald of Møre and
Romsdal, our Rogenvald the Mighty? So, even in Southern
Norway, we can find Sinclair connections.
We are grateful to Kjetil Frogner, Bringsværd historian
and Gunnar Topland, a local farmer, and Alf-Martin
Sandberg, also a local historian from Tromoy for this
information. Both Gunnar and Alf-Martin are colleagues
at my work place,
Gard A. S.
Gravkammer Grimstad
On a mound which overlooks the fjord, near to the modern
church in Grimstad, they have uncovered a grave, dated
to the year 950. They do not know the name of its occupant,
who is simply
described as "Hersen på Bringsværd":
King
of Bringsværd.
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