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Pearsall Surname Project
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Surname
History and Genealogy
of the Pearsall Family in England
and America:
Volume I
Front Cover
Inside Front Cover
The Motive
Thanks
Illustrations
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Appendix I
Volume II
Volume III
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the Kings of
Norway, concerning his ten or twelve years of conquest and the epithet by
which he was afterwards known. King Harold sent his messengers to a
certain maiden called Gyda, the daughter of
King Eric of Hordaland, to ask her in marriage.
She replied to his messengers as follows: "Give this my word to King
Harold, that only so will I engage to being his sole and lawful wife if
he will first do so much for my sake as to lay under him all Norway, and
rule that realm as freely as King Eric rules the Swede realm, or King Gorm, Denmark, for only such an one may be called
aright a King of the People." Harold replied as follows: "This
oath I make, first and swear before the God who made me and rules over
all things, that never more will I cut my hair or comb it, till I have
gotten to me all Norway and the tithe thereof, and dues, and will rule thereover or else I will die rather," and
forthwith he devoted his life to this great aim. His object was not
gained without a struggle. The petty chieftains, united by their common
danger, fought desperately and long; but Harold, aided by his own
personal ability, and fortunately served by some of the best swords of
the day, defeated them in a succession of severe encounters. The fierce
fighting, crushing and expatriation of the Norwegian chieftains lasted
for 10 or 12 years, at the end of which time we are told King Harold had
got to him all the land, and thus fulfilling his vow, gained his kingdom
and his bride.
One of the
principal battles of the campaign was that of Solskiel,
which is thus described by Snorro Sturleson. King Harold moved out with his army from Druntheim, and went southwards to More. More or Maere appears to be derived from the old northern
word Mur, the sea; the same as the Latin
More, and retained by us in moor or morass. It is applied to a flat
bordering on the sea. Hunthiof was the name of
the King who ruled over the district of More. Solve Klofe
was the name of his son, and both were great warriors. King Nokve, who ruled over Raumsdal,
was the brother of Solve's mother. Those chiefs
gathered a great force when they heard of King Harold, and came against
him. They met at Solskeil, an island in the
parish of Aedo, in North More, and there was a
great battle, which was gained by King Harold. The two kings were slain,
but Solve escaped by flight; and King Harold laid both districts under
his power. He staid here long in summer to establish law and order for
the country people, and set men to rule them, and keep them faithful to
him; and in autumn he prepared to return northwards to Druntheim.
Rognvald, Earl of More,
a son of Eystein Glumera,
had the summer before become one of Harold's men; and the king set him as
the chief over these two districts, North More and Raumsdal;
strengthened him both with men of might and strength and gave him the
help of ships to defend the coast against enemies. He was called Rognvald the Mighty, or the Wise; and people say both
names suited well. King Harold came back to Druntheim
about winter. The following spring King Harold subdued South More; but Vernumd, King Audbierers'
brother, still had the Fiorde district. King
Harold had set Earl Rognvald over South and
North More and also Raumsdal. The same winter Rognvald went over the inner neck of land, and
southwards to the Fiorde district. There he
heard news of King Vernund, and came by night
to a place called Notsdal where King Vernund was living in guest-quarters. Earl Rognvald surrounded the
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