In Scandinavia, a seat farm or manor farm (; Norwegian /; or ; ) was a farm where a

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

had his permanent residence. They were found in the

Kingdom of Denmark The Danish Realm, officially the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply Denmark, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united by the Constitution of Denmark, Constitutional Act, which applies to the entire territor ...

, the Kingdom of Norway, the

Kingdom of Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic country by both area ...

, and

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, and enjoyed certain privileges.

Norway

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 Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, non-noble persons could also achieve this status for their farm of residence. Seat farms had, especially, freedom from

tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

es and

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s. 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

References

Literature

* Hvidtfeldt, Johan (editor): ''Håndbog for danske lokalhistorikere'' * Vigerust, Tore H.
vigerust.net: ''Adelens setegårder, hovedgårder og jordegods i Norge til ca 1800''
at ''vigerust.net'' * Nationalencyklopedin
säteri
at ''ne.se'' * Norsk historisk leksikon
Setegård
at ''lokalhistoriewiki.no'' * Store norske leksikon
setegård
at ''snl.no'' {{in lang, no Nobility Scandinavian culture

Norway

List of Seat farms in Norway

See also

References

Literature