| Dønnes | |
| Herred: | yes |
| Former: | yes |
| Idnumber: | 1827 |
| County: | Nordland |
| District: | Helgeland |
| Capital: | Dønnes |
| Established: | 1 July 1888 |
| Preceded: | Nesna Municipality |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 1962 |
| Succeeded: | Dønna Municipality |
| Demonym: | Dønnværing |
| Language: | Bokmål[1] |
| Elevation Max M: | 818 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [2] |
| Area Rank: | 556 |
| Area Total Km2: | 88.3 |
| Population As Of: | 1961 |
| Population Rank: | 548 |
| Population Total: | 1542 |
| Population Density Km2: | 17.5 |
| Population Increase: | -5 |
| Coordinates: | 66.2036°N 12.5872°W |
Dønnes is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 88km2 municipality existed from 1888 until its dissolution in 1962. The area is now part of Dønna Municipality and Nesna Municipality in the traditional district of Helgeland. The administrative centre was the village of Dønnes.[3] [4]
Prior to its dissolution in 1962, the 88km2 municipality was the 556th largest by area out of the 731 municipalities in Norway. Dønnes Municipality was the 548th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,542. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 5% over the previous 10-year period.[5] [6]
Dønnes Church was probably built here at the request of Paul Vågaskalm who was governor of Alstahaug. It was built on the site of an older church sometime between 1200 and 1300. The characteristic onion dome was added in 1866. The church organ, built by Paul Christian Brantzeg, was installed in 1866.
Dønnes was established as a municipality on 1 July 1888 when the western part of the old Nesna Municipality was separated to form a new municipality. Initially, Dønnes Municipality had a population of 1,348. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, Dønnes Municipality ceased to exist. The part of Dønnes Municipality on the island of Tomma (population: 80) was merged into Nesna Municipality. The remainder of Dønnes Municipality (population: 1,348) was merged with the part of Herøy Municipality on the island of Dønna (population: 19), all of Nordvik Municipality (population: 1,293), and the part of Nesna Municipality on the island of Løkta (population: 80) to become the new Dønna Municipality.[7]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Dønnes farm (non|Dynjarnes) since the first Dønnes Church was built there. The first element is which is the genitive case of the old name of the island of Dønna. The island name means to "rumble" or "roar" (referring to the swell of the waves on the island). The last element is which means "headland".[8]
The Church of Norway had one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within Dønnes Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Nesna prestegjeld and the Nord-Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
| Dønnes | Dønnes Church | Dønnes | c. 1200 |
| Husby Chapel | Husby | 1905 | |
| Vandve Church | Vandve | 1956 |
While it existed, Dønnes 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 was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[9] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.
The mayor (no|ordfører) of Dønnes was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position (incomplete list):
The municipal council Norwegian: (Herredsstyre) of Dønnes was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
The highest point in the municipality was the 818m (2,684feet) tall mountain Tommtinden on the island of Tomma. The municipality encompassed the northern part of the island of Dønna, the western parts of the islands of Tomma and Løkta, and over 300 smaller surrounding islands, islets, and skerries.
Farm names were often used as part of Norwegian names, in addition to the person's given name and patronymic or inherited surname. Some families retained the farm name, or toponymic, as a surname when they emigrated, so in those cases tracing a surname may tell you specifically where in Norway the family was from. This tradition began to change in the mid to late 19th century, and inherited surnames were codified into law in 1923.
Coordinates are approximate. Note that each map has a maximum number of listings it can display, so the map has been divided into parts consistent with the enumeration districts (tellingskrets) in the 1920 census. This map will include one farm name per farm number; other farm names or subdivision numbers may exist.
Note that in 1920, the southern portion of today's Dønna Municipality was part of Nesna Municipality; the farms of that area are part of the Nesna farm map.