Finsland is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Finsland where Finsland Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 491st largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Finsland Municipality was the 635th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 9.7% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The parish of Finsland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law).
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Finsland Municipality was dissolved and its lands were split up between the new Marnardal Municipality and Songdalen Municipality.
The following areas were merged to form the new Marnardal Municipality on 1 January 1964: the Kleveland bru area of Finsland Municipality (population: ) all of Laudal Municipality (population: ) most of Bjelland Municipality (population: ), except for the Ågedal and Midtbø areas which became part of Audnedal Municipality most of Øyslebø Municipality (population: ), except for the Brunvatne area which became part of Søgne Municipality
The following areas were merged to form the new Songdalen Municipality on 1 January 1964: the rest of Finsland Municipality (population: ), except for the Kleveland bru area which became part of Marnardal Municipality all of Greipstad Municipality (population: ) the Eikeland area of Øvrebø Municipality (population: )
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Finsland farm () since the first Finsland Church was built there. The first element comes from the old name for the local river Finnså. The river name is likely a compound of the words and which means "river". The word could be referring specifically to the plant Nardus stricta or to "moorland" or "wilderness" in general. The farm is situated by the river Finnsåna, which flows into the river Mandalselva. There are also farms nearby called Finsdal and Finsådal, so the first element is a common local name. The last element is which means "land" or "district".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Finsland Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Bjelland prestegjeld and the Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Finsland MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtFinslandFinsland ChurchFinsland1803
Geography The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Rinnan in the northern part of the municipality. Bjelland Municipality was located to the north, Hægeland Municipality was located to the northeast, Øvrebø Municipality was located to the southeast, Øyslebø Municipality was located to the south, and Laudal Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, Finsland 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 Finsland Municipality was made up of 13 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 Finsland Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1838–1839: Lars Sørensen Mandflaae 1839–1841: Salve Andersen Frigstad 1842–1843: Gunder Andersen Watnelie 1844–1847: Lars Sørensen Mandflaae 1848–1855: Gunder Andersen Watnelie 1856–1859: Lars Nilsen Mæsel 1859–1867: Guttorm Olsen Øvland 1867–1871: Jens Olsen Slottet 1871–1880: Anders Salvesen Frigstad 1880–1884: Jens Olsen Slottet 1884–1889: Jens Olsen Eftestad 1889–1894: Jens Olsen Slottet 1894–1919: Ola Grindland 1919–1923: Salve P. Helland 1923–1935: Andreas Haugedal 1935–1942: Syvert Mæsel 1942–1945: Anders Finsland 1945–1946: Syvert Mæsel 1946–1948: Søren H. Åsland 1948–1952: Sigurd Follerås 1952–1956: Syvert Mæsel 1956–1960: Nils J. Kleveland 1960–1962: Sigurd Follerås 1962–1963: Ola J. Grindland
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links 1960 census and map of the municipality