Sem (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈsɛm]; locally [ˈsæm]) is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The 102.3-square-kilometre (39.5 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1988. The area is now part of Tønsberg Municipality in the traditional district of Jarlsberg. The administrative centre was the village of Semsbyen. Other villages in Sem Municipality included Barkåker, Eik, Husvik, Husøy, Ringshaug, and Tolvsrød.
Prior to its dissolution in 1988, the 102.3-square-kilometre (39.5 sq mi) municipality was the 387th largest by area out of the 454 municipalities in Norway. Sem Municipality was the 29th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 21,948. The municipality's population density was 214.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (556/sq mi) and its population had increased by 4.7% over the previous 10-year period.
Contents
General information
Administrative history
The formannskapsdistrikt law of 1837 created a system of local government in Norway by establishing each town (ladested or kjøpstad) and each Church of Norway prestegjeld as a civil municipality. On 1 January 1838, Sem prestegjeld was established as Sem Municipality. On 1 January 1877, a small area of Sem Municipality (population: 61) was transferred into Tønsberg Municipality. 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 Municipality (population: 126) was transferred to the neighboring Borre Municipality. On 1 January 1967, a minor boundary adjustment was made: an area of Stokke Municipality (population: 5) was transferred to Sem Municipality and a nearby area of Sem Municipality (population: 2) was transferred to Stokke Municipality.
On 1 January 1988, Sem Municipality (population: 21,948) was dissolved and merged with Tønsberg Municipality (population: 8,896) to form an enlarged Tønsberg Municipality.
Name
The municipality is named after the old Sem prestegjeld. The prestegjeld was named after the old Sem farm (Old Norse: Sæmr, a compressed form of Sæheimr) since the first Sem Church was built there. The first element is sær which means "sea" or "ocean", likely referring to the local Tønsbergfjorden. The last element is heimr which means "home" or "abode".
Churches
The Church of Norway had three parishes (sokn) within Sem Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, the municipality was divided between the Sem prestegjeld and the Søndre Slagen prestegjeld which were both located within the Tønsberg domprosti (arch-deanery) in the Diocese of Tunsberg.
Geography
The highest point in the municipality was the 145-metre (476 ft) tall mountain Undrumsåsen. The municipality almost completely encircled the city of Tønsberg. Borre Municipality was located to the north, Åsgårdstrand Municipality was located to the northeast, the Oslofjorden was located to the east, Tønsberg Municipality and Nøtterøy Municipality were located to the south, Stokke Municipality was located to the southwest, Ramnes Municipality was located to the west, and Våle Municipality was located to the northwest.
History
Originally, the old Sem prestegjeld was named after the historic Sem Manor (Sem hovedgård). 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 (Jarlsberg Hovedgård). 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, Sem 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 Tønsberg District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sem Municipality 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.
Mayors
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Sem Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position: