# Helleland (municipality)

Helleland is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The 148-square-kilometre (57 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1965. The municipality is now located in the central part of the present-day municipality of Eigersund. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Helleland where the Helleland Church is located.

## History

The parish of Helleland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the municipality of Helleland (population: 851) was merged with the town of Egersund (population: 3,787), the municipality of Eigersund (population: 4,664), and the Gyadalen and Grøsfjell areas of the municipality of Heskestad (population: 114). The merger created a much larger municipality of Eigersund.

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Helleland farm (Old Norse: Helliland) since the first Helleland Church was built there. The first element comes from the dative case of hellir which means "cave" or "cavern". The last element is land which means "land" or "district".

## 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.

### Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Helleland:
* 1838-1847: Peder Jakobsen Fed
* 1848-1852: Tønnes Tønnesson Svalestad
* 1853-1853: Anders Torgersen Sleveland
* 1854-1859: Tønnes Tønnesson Svalestad
* 1860-1863: Peder Jakobsen Lien
* 1864-1865: Tønnes Tønnesson Svalestad
* 1866-1870: Jonas Thomassen Birkeland
* 1870-1877: Peder Jakobsen Lien
* 1878-1879: Helge Ommundsen Slettebø
* 1880-1881: Tønnes Jakobsen Gydal
* 1882-1885: Peder Jakobsen Lien
* 1886-1887: Jørgen Anton Meldal Pedersen Hogstad
* 1888-1891: Ommund Helgesen Slettebø
* 1892-1895: Peder Jakobsen Lien
* 1896-1907: Jonas Nilsen Svalestad
* 1908-1917: Theodor Torkellson Hovland (V)
* 1918-1925: Retsius Hansson Polden
* 1925-1925: Hans Rasmussen Kvassheim
* 1926-1928: Anton Emil Jonasson Birkeland
* 1929-1934: Nils Jonassen Svalestad
* 1935-1941: Retsius Hansson Polden
* 1942-1945: Tønnes Hetland (NS)
* 1945-1945: Jon Birkeland
* 1945-1965: John Munkejord

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Helleland was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
Helleland herredsstyre 1964–1965 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 2 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 11 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
Helleland herredsstyre 1960–1963 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 1 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 12 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
Helleland herredsstyre 1956–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 1 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 12 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
Helleland herredsstyre 1952–1955 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 2 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 10 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Helleland herredsstyre 1948–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 2 |
| | Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 4 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Helleland herredsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 2 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 10 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Helleland herredsstyre 1938–1941* :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 1 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 11 |
| 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. |||