| In most of the fishing villages
in Lofoten, the ordinary fisherman was a tenant or a cotter. Neither of
these owned their own land, but had to rent a plot for their own
dwelling. The cotters also rented hayfields and pasture rights from the
squire. The rent was often paid in the form of labour and the squire
usually had a firm hold on his tennants and cotters. Some squires
managed their villages sensibly, whereas others misused their power. In Å, too, many fishermen were tennants
or cotters under the power of the squire. If you compare the cotter's
cottage here in Å with the manor house, you can see that there was a
considerable social and economic gap between the fishermen and the
squire. |
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