[#37154] Forligelses-Commisionair?

[Gjest Ingrid Seim]

Please forgive me for posting in English but I can only read enough Norwegian to pick through civil records. I am tracing my ancestors from Vik in Sogn og Fjordane and I have come across a man whose death record (#20670) says he was a 'Forligelses-Commisionair.' I suspect that is a military rank, but I would be grateful if someone would explain the term. I can't seem to find a definition anywhere.

[Gjest Per B. Lilje]

It means that he was a member of the 'forlikskommisjon', today called 'forliksråd'. This is an arbitration court for civil lawsuits, the lowest court in the Norwegian legal system. This type of arbitration court has existed in Norway since about 1780. The members are lay people, today there are three members of the 'forliksråd' in each township/district.