At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the 770-square-kilometre (300 sq mi) municipality was the 144th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Namdalseid was the 348th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,576. The municipality's population density was 2.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (5.7/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 8.4% over the previous decade.[5][6]
General information
The parish of Namdalseid was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law), but it was short-lived. On 1 January 1846, it was merged into the neighboring Beitstad Municipality. On 1 January 1904, the Namdalseid district (population: 1,368) was separated from Beitstad Municipality to form a municipality of its own (once again). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the parts of the neighboring Otterøy Municipality that were located south of the Namsenfjorden (population: 571) were transferred to Namdalseid Municipality.[7]
On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county. On 1 January 2020, the neighboring Fosnes Municipality, Namsos Municipality, and Namdalseid Municipality were merged to form a new, larger Namsos Municipality. This occurred because on 16 June 2016, the three municipalities voted to merge as part of a large municipal reform across Norway.[8]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named Namdalseid. This name originally comes from the old Elda farm (Old Norse: Eldueið or commonly shortened to Eið) since the first Eid Stave Church was built there. The first element is eldu which is the name of the local river. The last element is eið which means "path/road between two waters" (here the Beitstadfjorden and Namsenfjorden)". The Vikings used to drag boats across Namdalseid using the rivers and waterways in the area, to get from one fjord to another without having to risk crossing the treacherous Folda fjord by travelling up the sheltered Trondheimsfjord and continuing north along the coast. The passage was much easier in olden times as the sea level was higher and the waterways more numerous, but as recently as 2004 a boatdrag was done to commemorate the old traditions. Nowadays, however, one has to transport the boats by road for a fairly long stretch. Around the year 1550, the prefix Namdals- was added to the name to distinguish it from other places using the common name Eid. The prefix is the genitive case of the old region name Namdalen.[9][10] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Namdalseidet. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Namdalseid, removing the definite form ending -et.[11]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 8 December 1989 and they were in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Per paletrefly-counter-treflyargent and vert" (Norwegian: Kløvd av sølv og grønt ved kløverbladsnitt). This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided vertically by a line that follows a trefoil/clover design that alternates on either side of the line. The background on the left side of the line has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The background on the right side has a tincture of green. The clover leaf shapes and the colors were chosen to symbolize the agriculture, landscapes, and nature within the municipality. Namdalseid was a farming municipality with mainly grass production. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][12][13][14]
The municipal council(Herredsstyre) of Namdalseid was made up of 19 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Namdalseid was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:[33][34]
1838–1839: Erich Helbostad
1840–1841: Christian Gotfred Vogelsang
1842–1845: Morten Elden
(1846-1904: Namdalseid Municipality did not exist)
Being mainly an agricultural municipality, Namdalseid struggled with a decline in population, as fewer and fewer people find they can make a living growing crops and raising cattle. Other areas of interest for business were fishing, hunting, and nature. Having one of the best small-salmon (grisle) rivers in Trøndelag, Namdalseid is a haven for fly fishing and attracts many fishermen every year. In addition to fishing many visit Namdalseid to experience the beautiful mountain scenery and to do some hunting.
Namdalseid also had some industry. Hundseth Mølle is one of the largest mills in Norway, Namdal Plast AS is a factory manufacturing fiberglass products, and Pelsberederiet AS is a manufacturer of furs from moose, deer, and other wild animals.
