Kungsladugårdarna KungsladugårdarnaKungsgårdarna or Kungsladugårdarna are among the oldest of the states agricultural estates. Most of them are know since the Middle Age. These estates had an excessive farming, to which the peasants in the region had to contribute so called dagsverken (periods of labour on fields, in forests etc)
They also had to maintain and build so called Kungshus (Royal houses) Kungsladugårdarna were mainly built for cattle landing, on Öland keeping of sheep was the most important.
On Öland we have 3 kungsladugårdar , at the south end lies Ottenby, Borgholm is at the middle of the island and up north you find Horn.
From the end of the 17 th centaury these farms were leased, as a rule by members of the nobility.
Kungsgårdarna owned a number of torps (crofter holdings). At Horn, there your father´s father ……..Lars Bergström was born, the torps (crofter holdings) surrounded the main estate. The torps were mostly leased for a long period of time (49 years). The fee was paid in dagsverken . These dagsverken were very important to the person who had the contract for the Kungsgård, and were counted as an asset, when the fee for the Kungsgård was made up.
Of course the torpare (the crofter) wanted to perform as few dagsverken as possible, at least no more than he owned the contractor. This was the subject of many legal disputes. In 1937 the latest land-leaser left Horns Kungsgård and the estate was sold to a private person.
Today the State once again is its owner.
(source: Lasse Sjöberg, Öland)