# Peder Hansson Paus

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Peder_Hansson_Paus
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Peder_Hansson_Paus.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peder_Hansson_Paus
> Source revision: 1334454728
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Norwegian lawyer and government official

**Peder Hansson Paus** (1691 – 1759) was a Norwegian lawyer and government official who served as governor and district judge—i.e. the region's foremost government official—of [Upper Telemark](/source/Upper_Telemark) from 1723 to 1751. He was also known for authoring a cultural and historical description of the district and a glossary of Telemark dialect in 1743. Besides his official duties, he engaged in personal business ventures, including interests in mining.

## Biography

He was born in [Kviteseid](/source/Kviteseid). He belonged to the [Paus family](/source/Paus_family) and was the son of the parish priest of Kviteseid, [Hans Povelsson Paus](/source/Hans_Povelsson_Paus). His great-grandfather [Peder Povelsson Paus](/source/Peder_Povelsson_Paus) came to Telemark in the early 17th century and became provost of Upper Telemark. His mother, Susanne Morland (1670–1747), was the daughter of provost Amund Morland and granddaughter of the estate owners Christen Andersen and Anne Gundersdatter of [Borgestad Manor](/source/Borgestad_Manor). Peder's father is also known for authoring the poem *[Stolt Anne](/source/Stolt_Anne)*.

On May 21, 1717, he was designated as the successor of his uncle [Cornelius Povelsson Paus](/source/Cornelius_Povelsson_Paus) (1662–1723) as governor and district judge of [Upper Telemark](/source/Upper_Telemark). The office included both judicial and administrative duties and was the foremost government official of Upper Telemark, a vast region. When his uncle died, Peder Paus assumed the office, which then included the parishes of [Fyresdal](/source/Fyresdal), [Lårdal](/source/L%C3%A5rdal), [Vinje](/source/Vinje), [Kviteseid](/source/Kviteseid) (with Brunkeberg, [Nissedal](/source/Nissedal), Treungen, and Vrådal), and [Seljord](/source/Seljord). However, he had no formal appointment from the king in Copenhagen, and thus took office on his own accord based on his 1717 "letter of expectation." It was only after several years that the king issued a formal letter of appointment. From the time he assumed office, he lived on the Midsund farm in Kviteseid, making Kviteseid the administrative seat of Upper Telemark, a tradition that has continued to this day. He belonged to "one of the most prominent judge dynasties" in Norway, with the office remaining in the family for 106 years.[1]

Peder Paus has been described as a diligent and righteous district judge who distinguished himself with good and independent legal judgments that emphasized common sense and knowledge of human nature.[2] He wrote a cultural-historical description of the district and a glossary of Telemark dialect in 1743. As district judge, Peder Paus also dealt extensively with the larger trading houses at Skiensfjorden, involving property registrations, fees, etc., as reflected in the main books of Herman Leopoldus Løvenskiold and Niels Aall the Elder.[3]

In 1745, a consortium including Peder Paus, Niels Aall, the mining secretary Wildhagen, Adam Adamsen Ziener (Peder Paus' later son-in-law), and several members of the von Koss family received permission for the copper deposits at Åmdal. Mining was carried out there by this consortium until shortly after 1758.[4]

Peder Paus was married first to Cathrine Medea Maj Hermansdatter (died 1736) from Denmark, daughter of the parish priest of Ølsted on Zealand, Herman Arentsen (1647–1698), and Gundel Sørensdatter May. Herman was the son of the well-known topographer, councilor in Copenhagen, and more, [Arent Berntsen](/source/Arent_Berntsen), while Gundel was the daughter of the provost in Holbæk, [Søren Nielsen May](/source/S%C3%B8ren_Nielsen_May), and Catharina Motzfeldt, who in turn was the daughter of the wine merchant and city captain in Copenhagen, Peter Motzfeldt (1584–1650). Mother-in-law Gundel May was also a cousin of statesman [Peder Griffenfeld](/source/Peder_Griffenfeld). In his second marriage, Peder Paus was married to his cousin Hedvig Coldevin Corneliusdatter Paus (1711–1771), daughter of his predecessor as district judge, Cornelius Paus, and Valborg Rafn.

Peder Paus had two children, both from his first marriage: Anna Susanna Paus (1720–1798), married to Adam Adamsen Ziener (born 1709), and his successor as district judge in Upper Telemark, Hans Paus (1721–1774). Son Hans Paus was married to the Danish-born Andrea Jaspara Nissen and has numerous descendants.

Peder Paus bore in his coat of arms a dove with an olive branch in its beak, sitting on a coiled snake.[5]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Hans Eyvind Næss (1991), "Fra tingskriver til dommer," in Hans Eyvind Næss (ed.), *For rett og rettferdighet i 400 år. Sorenskriverne i Norge 1591–1991*, p. 40. Oslo: Justis- og politidepartementet.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Aanund Olsnes (1987). *Kultursoga frå dei eldste tider til kring 1820* (pp. 675–676). Kviteseid bygdesoge, vol. 3

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "Peder Hansen Paus," in Andreas Blom, *[Efterladte historiske optegnelser : særlig vedkommende Skien, Laardal og Kviteseid](https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2011072520001)*, 1904, pp. 55–57

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** *Mo bygdebok: Kultursoga*, vol. 1, pp. 458–459

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Krag_5-0)** [Hans Krag](/source/Hans_Krag_(author)) (1955). *Norsk heraldisk mønstring 1699–1730*, vol. I.

v t e Paus family Early members Sir Hans Olufsson (ca. 1500), cleric Sir Hans Povelsson Paus the Elder (1587), cleric Sir Peder Povelsson Paus (1590), cleric Sir Povel Hansson Paus (1620), cleric Sir Povel Pedersson Paus (1625), cleric Sir Hans Povelsson Paus (1656), cleric Cornelius Povelsson Paus (1662), judge Peder Hansson Paus (1691), judge Hans Pedersson Paus (1721), judge Skien branch Cornelius Paus (1726), civil servant Hedevig Paus (1763) Ole Paus (1766), shipowner Henrik Johan Paus (1799), lawyer Christian Cornelius Paus (1800), governor Christopher Blom Paus (1810), shipowner Henrik Ibsen (1828), playwright Johan Altenborg Paus (1834), war commissioner Ole Paus (1846), industrialist Karl L. Paus (1856), industrialist Christopher Lintrup Paus CBE (1881), British diplomat Thorleif (von) Paus (1881), diplomat George Wegner Paus (1882), lawyer Hans Wangensten Paus (1891), engineer Robert Paus Platt OBE (1905), British diplomat Helvig (von) Paus (1909) Ole (von) Paus (1910), general Per Paus (1910), industrialist Thorleif Lintrup Paus (1912), diplomat Cecilie Paus (1943), shipping magnate Peder Paus (1945), businessman Ole Paus (1947), singer Pontine Paus (1973), shipping heir Olympia Paus (1976), shipping heir Marcus Paus (1979), composer of Herresta Count Christopher (de) Paus (1862), philanthropist Herman Paus (1897), skier, estate owner Countess Tatiana Tolstoy-Paus (1914) Henrik Ibsen Knud Ibsen Marichen Altenburg Sigurd Ibsen Altenburggården The Ibsen Family Paus family in fiction Peer Gynt Rosmersholm The Wild Duck Ghosts An Enemy of the People Hedda Gabler Drammen branch Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss (1839), theologian Henriette Pauss (1841), teacher Olav Pauss (1863), shipowner Nikolai Nissen Paus (1877), surgeon/humanitarian Augustin Paus (1881), industrialist Bernhard Paus (1910), surgeon/humanitarian Vilhelm Paus (1915), diplomat Brita Collett Paus (1917), humanitarian Nikolai Paus (1944), businessman Other Pauspur Paus collection (Paus Trajan) Herresta Kvesarum Castle Villa Paus Esviken Paus & Paus Ole Paus Company Wilh. Wilhelmsen

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Peder Hansson Paus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peder_Hansson_Paus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peder_Hansson_Paus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.