# Gjøvdal

Gjøvdal (historic: Gjevedal) is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1908 until its dissolution in 1960. It covered the Gjøv river valley and the surrounding moors. It is currently part of the municipality of Åmli in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Askland where Gjøvdal Church is located.

## History

The parish of Gjøvdal (originally spelled Gjevedal) was part of the municipality of Åmli since 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1908, the municipality of Åmli was split into three separate municipalities: Gjevedal (population: 590), Lille Topdal (population: 389), and Åmli (population: 2,024). In 1911, the name Gjevedal was changed to "Gjøvdal".
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, the municipality of Gjøvdal (population: 362) was reunited with Åmli (population: 1,947) to form a new, enlarged Åmli municipality. (The municipality of Tovdal was merged into Åmli in 1967.)

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Gjevedal valley (Old Norse: Gefardalr). The first element of the name comes from the name of the river Gjøv (Old Norse: Gef) which flows through the valley. That name comes from the verb gefa which means "to give someone something". The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". Thus, "the valley that gives" Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Gjevedal. On 18 September 1914, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Gjøvdal.

## 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 Gjøvdal was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Gjøvdal herredsstyre 1956–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 |
| | Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
Gjøvdal herredsstyre 1952–1955 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Gjøvdal herredsstyre 1948–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Gjøvdal 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) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Gjøvdal 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) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
| 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. |||