hæraþ (OSw) hæreth (ODan) herað (ON) noun

The highest judicial and administrative district in the Danish laws and the Göta laws. Each hæraþ had its own assembly, hæraþsþing (q.v.). In the Icelandic laws, a herað was a lower-level administrative district. In Norwegian laws, herað refers to the local court district and an administrative and ecclesiastical unit (a parish). It was to be distinguished from the town (kaupangr, see köpunger), which had a separate law.

{hæraþ} OSw ÖgL Jb, Kmb, Rb, Bb
commune OIce Grg Klþ 5
countryside ONorw FrL KrbA 45
district ODan ESjL 1−3
ODan JyL 1−3
ODan SkL 80, 145, 147, 225
ODan VSjL 82, 87
OIce Grg Klþ 2, 4 Þsþ 22, 58
OIce Jó Þfb 6, 9 Mah 6, 9 Kge 24 Lbb 6 Llb 47 Kab 2, 6 Þjb 5, 13
OIce Js Mah 13, 14 Lbb 11 Kab 2, 7 Þjb 4
OIce KRA 15
ONorw EidsL 33.1 45.3 47.1 passim
ONorw FrL Intr 20 Mhb 7, 30 Var 46 Rgb 31 Kvb 23 LlbA 10
ONorw MLL Þfb 7 Lvb 1, 7 Mah 11 Ert 15, 16 Llb Kab 24, 25
OSw ÄVgL Kkb, Md, Smb, Slb, Jb, Tb
OSw ÖgL Kkb, Eb, Db
OSw YVgL passim
home district ONorw GuL Krb, Arb, Tfb, Mhb, Leb
hundred OSw KrL Kgb Gb Jb Bb Kmb Rb Eb Hb DbI DbII SmbI SmbII Tb Add
OSw MEL Kgb Gb Jb Bb Rb Eb Hb DbI DbII SmbI SmbII Tb
OSw MESt Tb
Expressions:

hæræþs almænninger (OSw)

common land of the district OSw YVgL Föb

hæraþs asyn (OSw)

examination of the district OSw YVgL Jb

survey of the district OSw YVgL Kvab

Refs:

Andersson 1982a, 52–66; 1984, 90–100; Andersson 2014; Brink 1998; Dalberg and Kousgård Sørensen 1984, 76–89; Hagland and Sandnes 1997, 98 note 2; KLNM s.v. herred; Tamm and Vogt 2016, 5–7