Berte – Museum and 17th-Century Dispute

The village of Berte in the parish of Slöinge is best known for its milling industry—a miller tradition documented as far back as the 1500s. Berte Museum, which depicts “Life in the Countryside,” is a noteworthy attraction with many cultural and historical artifacts from the area.

But through the archives, we can also get acquainted with some of Berte’s residents in the 1600s. Easter 1657 had just concluded. As the people of Slöinge parish were meant to rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus, it instead became a time of sorrow for Anders Torsson in Berte. A voice had gone silent in the cottage; one of his sons had departed this life. Two of the guests at the customary funeral ale were Nils Degen (the sexton) from Eftra and Lars Andersson from Berte.

Nils and Lars couldn’t keep the peace during the mourning. Anders approached the sexton and said:

“Damn you if you won’t do as I say.” Nils replied:
“Go ahead, damn me.”
The exchange repeated once more before they shook hands and reconciled. The two went outside for a bit, then came back and sat across from each other. Lars then insulted the sexton:

“You’re a whore-chaser!”
The men rushed outside the cottage again, now resorting to fists. In the scuffle, the sexton’s hat fell off. Lars spotted it, grabbed the hat, and couldn’t resist the urge to toss it into the river. Jon from Slöinge was quick, however, and managed to retrieve it from the water before it floated too far away.

The brawl escalated, and soon knives were drawn. Lars was severely stabbed but survived, and it’s due to the knife fight and the subsequent trial that this episode has been preserved for posterity. It wasn’t just the attempted murder that was under scrutiny. One of the most common charges was defamation, and being accused of being a “whore-chaser” was, of course, a serious insult.

Through the court records, we see that neither Nils Degen nor Lars Andersson were always exemplary citizens. Shortly after this episode, the sexton became embroiled in a paternity dispute in which he was accused of fathering an illegitimate child. (Perhaps there was a logical reason why he was called a “whore-chaser.”)

Text: Andreas and Anna Karlsson