Sem is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1988. The area is now part of Tønsberg Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Semsbyen. Other villages in Sem included Barkåker, Eik, Husvik, Husøy, Ringshaug, and Tolvsrød.

General information

The parish of Sem was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1877, a small area of Sem (population: 61) was transferred into the growing city of Tønsberg. On 1 July 1915, an area of Nøtterøy Municipality (population: 12) was transferred to Sem Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the Stang area of northeastern Sem (population: 126) was transferred to Borre Municipality. On 1 January 1967, a minor boundary adjustment was made: an area of Stokke Municipality (population: 5) was transferred to Sem and a nearby area of Sem (population: 2) was transferred to Stokke Municipality. On 1 January 1988, all of Sem Municipality (population: 21,948) was merged with the city of Tønsberg (population: 8,896) to form a new, larger Tønsberg Municipality.

Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Sem farm (, a compressed form of ) since the first Sem Church was built there. The first element is which means "sea" or "ocean", likely referring to the local Tønsbergfjorden. The last element is which means "home" or "abode".

Churches The Church of Norway had three parishes () within the municipality of Sem. It was part of the Tønsberg domprosti (arch-deanery) in the Diocese of Tunsberg. The churches in the parish included Sem Church, Slagen Church, Vallø Church, Søndre Slagen Church, and Husøy Church.

History Originally the parish of Sem was named after the historic Sem Manor (). During the Middle Ages, Sem Manor was the residence of a royal and feudal overlord at the site where Jarlsberg Manor is located today. King Harald Fairhair chose to install his son Bjorn Farmann as the master of the estate. It was here that Bjorn Farmann was killed by Eric Bloodaxe in 927. In 1673, Peder Schumacher Griffenfeld took over the property which until then had belonged to the King of Denmark. Griffenfeldt named the farm Griffenfeldgård, but three years later it was renamed Jarlsberg Manor (). In 1682, the buildings on Jarlsberg burned and new buildings of stone were built by the new owner, the Danish-Norwegian Field Marshal Wilhelm Gustav Wedel.

Government While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this 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 Tønsberg District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Mayors The mayors () of Sem:

1838–1840: H.P. Holmboe 1840–1843: Peter Sverdrup 1843–1844: Jens Mørch 1844–1850: Jacob Jacobsen 1850–1852: Ole Helgesen Sande 1852–1854: Mathias Askehaug 1854–1858: O. von Munthe af Morgenstierne 1858–1860: Hans Olsen Røraas 1862–1866: H.C.P. Bakkeskaug 1866–1868: Carl Askeløf 1868–1870: J.L. Thams 1870–1874: P.A.O. Røsland 1876–1888: Nils Christian Larsen Ullenrød 1888–1899: H.C. Horgen 1899–1908: Kr. Løken 1908–1910: J. Haagenrud 1910–1911: A. Holth 1911–1914: Kr. Løken 1910–1911: A. Holth 1914–1917: Tank Frydenberg 1917–1920: Ole Olsen Nauen (H) 1920–1923: A. Monrad Rom 1923–1931: Chr. Auli 1932–1935: Th. Bostrøm Hansen 1935–1939: E. O. Bjønness 1938–1940: Nils Røraas 1945–1945: Harald Norheim 1946–1948: Morten Ilebrekke (H) 1948–1951: O. Olsen Nauen (H) 1952–1955: Asbjørn Døvle (H) 1956–1967: Alf Berg (Ap) 1967–1975: Gert Bjerløv (KrF) 1975–1988: Jacob Kirsebom (H)

Municipal council The municipal council of Sem was made up of 41 representatives that were elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

See also List of former municipalities of Norway

References

External links Jarlsberg Hovedgård Sem Church