Bessastaðabók og varðveisla Viðeyjarklaustursskjala.

The present article describes the 16th-century manuscript AM 238 4to, known as Bessastaðabók from its place of origin (Bessastaðir in Álftanes, then the seat of the king's representative in Iceland) now in the Arnamagnæan Institute in Reykjavík. It contains, among other documents, most of what there has survived of the archives of the monastery on the island of Viðey, near Reykjavík, which was founded in 1226 and was by the Reformation one of the richest houses in Iceland. It has hitherto been assumed that all the documents in the MS pertaining to the monastery must have been preserved in Viðey prior to their move to Bessastaðir. This article tries to show that at least some of the documents may trace their existance back to lawman Þorvarður Erlendsson, who had both personal and professional interest in the property and rights of the monastery.