# Buksnes Municipality

Buksnes is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 104-square-kilometre (40 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1963. It comprised the western part of the island of Vestvågøya in what is now Vestvågøy Municipality. The administrative centre was located in the village of Gravdal where the main church for the municipality, Buksnes Church, is located. Other villages in Buksnes included Ballstad and Leknes.
Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the 104-square-kilometre (40 sq mi) municipality was the 521st largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Buksnes Municipality was the 197th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 4,373. The municipality's population density was 42.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (109/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 5.5% over the previous 10-year period.

## General information

The municipality of Buksnes was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 July 1919, the southeastern district of Buksnes Municipality (population: 2,272) was separated from it to create the new Hol Municipality. The split left Buksnes Municipality with 3,188 inhabitants. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Buksnes Municipality (population: 4,416) was merged with the neighboring Borge Municipality (population: 4,056), Hol Municipality (population: 3,154), and Valberg Municipality (population: 662) to create the new Vestvågøy Municipality.

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Buksnes farm (historically: Buxnnæs) since the first Buksnes Church was built there. The meaning of the name is uncertain, but the first element may be derived from buks which means "sign" or "mark", possibly referring to a sea mark. The last element is nes which means "headland".

### Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Buksnes Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Buksnes prestegjeld and the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Churches in Buksnes :
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Buksnes | Buksnes Church | Gravdal | 1905 |

## Geography

The municipality was located on the western part of the large island of Vestvågøya. Borge Municipality was located to the northeast, Valberg Municipality was to the east, Hol Municipality was located to the south, and Flakstad Municipality was located to the west (on the island of Flakstadøya). The highest point in Buksnes Municipality is the 955.9-metre (3,136 ft) tall mountain Himmeltindan, which was located on the border with neighboring Borge Municipality.

## Government

While it existed, Buksnes Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

### Mayors

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Buksnes was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position (incomplete list):
* 1838-1839: Andreas Daae
* 1840-1843: Caspar Westerwaldt
* 1844-1844: Andreas Daae
* 1854-1854: Nils Andreas Schøning
* 1860-1860: Johan Dybfest Iversen
* 1861-1866: Johan Rist
* 1866-1870: Nils Andreas Schøning
* 1870-1871: Johan Rist
* 1871-1872: Kristian T. Stillesen
* 1873-1874: P.E. Jentoft
* 1876-1880: Jacob L. Jentoft
* 1881-1884: Johan Larsen Storfjord
* 1885-1886: Johan Rist
* 1886-1888: Petter L. Wulff
* 1889-1890: Mathias Salomonsen
* 1890-1890: Petter L. Wulff
* 1891-1892: Fredrik W. Wulff
* 1893-1894: Mathias Salomonsen Leknes
* 1895-1896: Fredrik W. Wulff
* 1896-1896: Jørgen Pedersen Ballstad
* 1897-1897: Mathias Salomonsen Leknes
* 1898-1900: Jørgen Pedersen Ballstad
* 1901-1904: Heitman Hansen
* 1905-1911: S.L. Aasen
* 1912-1914: Ingvald Johansen Myklevik
* 1915-1916: S.L. Aasen
* 1917-1919: Andreas Tetlie
* 1919-1919: Mathias Salomonsen Leknes
* 1926-1932: Oluf Svendsen Haug
* 1933-1934: P.A. Pedersen Ballstad
* 1935-1937: Jens Finstad
* 1938-1941: P.A. Pedersen Ballstad
* 1941-1941: B. Fiksdal
* 1942-1943: Harald Leknes
* 1943-1945: J. Seljeseth
* 1945-1945: Schj. Salomonsen
* 1945-1945: P.A. Pedersen Ballstad
* 1946-1951: Rolf Jentoft Ballstad (V)
* 1952-1955: Børge Fiksdal (Ap)
* 1956-1962: Alsing Wik (H)

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Buksnes was made up of 21 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Buksnes herredsstyre 1960–1963 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 5 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 21 |
| Note: On 1 January 1963, Buksnes Municipality became part of Vestvågøy Municipality. |||
Buksnes herredsstyre 1956–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 9 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 21 |
Buksnes herredsstyre 1952–1955 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 7 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 21 |
Buksnes herredsstyre 1948–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 9 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 21 |
Buksnes herredsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 |
| | Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 21 |
Buksnes herredsstyre 1938–1941* :
| 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 |
| 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. |||

## Notable people

* Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe (1802-1887), a Lutheran clergymen who was the vicar in Buksnes
* Arnold Carl Johansen (1898–1957), a member of the Norwegian Parliament from Nordland
* Gerhard Schøning (1722-1780), a historian
* Harald Sverdrup (1923–1992), a poet and children's writer