Hopperstad stave church, part 3 - The carpenters and their marks

In two blogposts earlier this summer (here and here), I shared some details from the magnificent Hopperstad stave church in Vik in Sogn, Western Norway. In this blogpost, I am focussing on one of the most exciting details to be found in the twelfth-century timber of the church, namely the carpenter's marks. As with the mason's marks of the stone cathedrals, the carpenter's marks were carved into the timber to determine how much each carpenter was owed in payment. These marks could be simple, or they could be elaborate, and they provide our closest point of contact with the nameless individuals who were employed to erect these churches. In Hopperstad, several of these carpenter's marks can be found in the timber, and this is particularly exciting since quite a lot of the structure was restored in the nineteenth century. Moreover, in order to protect the timber from aging too rapidly, the outer walls are coated in tar, which makes it particularly wonderful when we nonetheless are able to make out these marks beneath the tar.

The most clearly visible of the marks are found within, where the logs have not been tarred and where the darkness of the church interior has protected it from overexposure to light. But some, as can be seen below, are notably visible even beneath the tar,

In some cases, several carpenters seem to have collaborated on one and the same board or log, and several marks appear together. If this interpretation is correct, it also provides an interesting glimpse of the work practices during the building of the stave church.