Øyslebø is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1899 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Lindesnes Municipality in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Øyslebø where Øyslebø Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 429th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Øyslebø Municipality was the 596th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 5.5% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The municipality of Øyslebø was established on 1 January 1899 when the old Øyslebø og Laudal Municipality was divided into two: the southern district (population: ) became the new Øyslebø Municipality and the northern district (population: ) became the new Laudal Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Brunvatne area (population: ) was transferred to the neighboring Søgne Municipality. On the same date, the rest of Øyslebø Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form the new Marnardal Municipality: the remaining parts of Øyslebø Municipality (population: ) all of Laudal Municipality (population: ) most of Bjelland Municipality (population: ) the small Kleveland Bru area of Finsland Municipality (population: ), with the rest of Finsland becoming part of the new Songdalen Municipality
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Øyslebø farm () since the first Øyslebø Church was built there. The first element comes from the old name for the local river . The old river name was likely derived from the verb which means "to destroy". The last element is which means "farm" or "farmstead".
Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Øslebø or Øislebø. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Øyslebø, using a more modern Norwegian spelling.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Øyslebø Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Holum prestegjeld and the Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Øyslebø MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtØyslebøØyslebø ChurchØyslebø1797
Geography The municipality was located in the lower Mandalen valley, through which the river Mandalselva flows. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Drivåsen, on the border with Laudal Municipality. Finsland Municipality was located to the north, Øvrebø Municipality was located to the northeast, Greipstad Municipality was located to the east, Søgne Municipality was located to the southeast, Holum Municipality was located to the south, Sør-Audnedal Municipality was located to the southwest, Vigmostad Municipality was located to the west, and Laudal Municipality was located to the northwest.
Government While it existed, Øyslebø Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Mandal District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Øyslebø Municipality was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors The mayor () of Øyslebø Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1899–1901: Ole Glambeksen Fuglestveit 1902–1904: Christen Olsen Øislebø 1905–1916: Askjell Olsen Usland 1917–1922: Andreas Pettersen Nome 1923–1929: Syvert Stiansen Skjævesland 1929–1934: Asbjørn Olsen Øyslebø 1935–1941: Syvert Stiansen Skjævesland 1941–1945: Alfred Høye (NS) 1945–1945: Syvert Stiansen Skjævesland 1946–1963: Thore Andreassen Nome
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links 1960 census and map of the municipality