Funtaliden – Disgraceful Behavior

In 1908, an unexpected discovery was made in the parish of Fagered. In the fields not far from the community of Fagered, a number of unfinished baptismal font blanks were found! These fonts, called the Fagered Fonts, are believed to date from the 13th century.

After the discovery, the fonts were taken to a museum in Lund, where they were stored for nearly 100 years. Now, two of the pieces have been returned to their original location, not far from Fagered. Funtaliden has become a peaceful open-air museum where you can view the unfinished font blanks. There is a short walking trail with signs illustrating the labor-intensive process of carving fonts. The placed benches make Funtaliden a perfect spot for a picnic.

But now let us tell you about events in the lands around Fagered over 300 years ago. Autumn 1722 was arriving. Two weeks before Michaelmas, Erik Svensson from Bösteshult was out in the fields when he saw his pastor, the colorful Nils Bagge. The priest was busy driving pigs out of his field. The animals seemed to belong to Per Nilsson of Tofta. The priest handled the pigs roughly, sending his bandog on them and striking them “cruelly” with a stick he held in his hand.

Two of the pigs managed to escape relatively unharmed, but the third fell into the grip of the priest’s dog. The bandog injured the pig so severely that it remained on the ground. The uninjured animals were driven toward the priest’s own stable.

Why did the pastor attack Per’s pigs? They had strayed into the priest’s field, and the pastor did not want them there. They could ruin his crops! According to witnesses, however, there was no reason for the priest to be so upset. He had harvested all his grain the day before, so the pigs likely posed no real threat. It was more about the principle of keeping the animals off his land.

On October 16, 1722, Per summoned his priest to the Faurås District Court. The pig had died, and he now accused Nils Bagge of killing the animal. He sought justice and compensation for what had happened.

At first, the priest denied all accusations, but Per had come prepared. He called Erik Svensson from Bösteshult as a witness. Erik recounted everything he had seen. The priest found it increasingly difficult to evade the claims. The court scribe noted in the protocol that Nils Bagge “finally” admitted that Erik’s testimony was accurate. However, he argued that Per’s pigs had been entering his field all summer, causing significant damage. The priest requested a delay until the next court session so he could call witnesses, claiming he had been summoned at such short notice that he hadn’t had time to prepare.

The court did not accept the priest’s excuses. Referring to Chapter 44 of the Criminal Code, they ruled that it was reasonable for Per Nilsson to receive full compensation for the pig that had been killed. The animal was valued at three silver dalers. Additionally, the priest was fined three marks for his violent behavior and was also required to cover Per’s court costs.

The priest of Fagered was a man who frequently found himself in the hot seat—sometimes as the accused, sometimes as the plaintiff!

Text: Andreas and Anna Karlsson