# Øyslebø (municipality)

Øyslebø is a former municipality that was located in the old Vest-Agder county in Norway. The 157-square-kilometre (61 sq mi) municipality existed from 1899 until its dissolution in 1964. The administrative centre was the village of Øyslebø where Øyslebø Church is located. Øyslebø municipality was located in part of the present-day municipality of Lindesnes in Agder county.

## History

The municipality of Øyslebø was established on 1 January 1899 when the old municipality of Øyslebø og Laudal was split into two separate municipalities: Laudal and Øyslebø (population: 991). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Brunvatne area of Øyslebø (population: 44) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Søgne. Also on that date, the rest of Øyslebø was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Laudal and Bjelland as well as a portion of Finsland to form the new municipality of Marnardal. Prior to the merger, Øyslebø had a population of 1,068.

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Øyslebø farm (Old Norse: Øyðslubœr) since the first Øyslebø Church was built there. The first element comes from the old name for the local river Øyðsla. The old river name was likely derived from the verb eyða which means "to destroy". The last element is bœr which means "farm" or "farmstead". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Øslebø or Øislebø. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Øyslebø.

## Government

While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Øyslebø was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Øyslebø herredsstyre 1960–1963 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Øyslebø herredsstyre 1956–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 |
| | Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 8 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Øyslebø herredsstyre 1952–1955 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 10 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
Øyslebø herredsstyre 1948–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 10 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
Øyslebø herredsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 9 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
Øyslebø herredsstyre 1938–1941* :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 |
| | Joint list of the Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) and the Liberal Party (Venstre) | 9 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
| Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. |||