Paus

Paus (earlier spellings include Pauss and de Paus) is a Norwegian and Swedish family of clergymen, civil servants, merchants, industrialists and land-owners, among others, which can be traced to the second half of the 15th century and a man named Oluf. The oldest documented member of this family was canon at St Mary's Church in Oslo—the royal chapel and seat of the Chancellor of Norway—Hans Olufsson (1500–70), who was a priest in Norway both before and after the Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein. The clergy of St Mary's Church were part of the so-called royal clergy (kapellgeistlighet), subordinated only to the King and outside the jurisdiction of the bishops. The canons of St Mary's Church were ex officio members of the secular nobility as decreed by a 1300 royal proclamation and held the (non-hereditary) rank of knight. As a member of the high clergy in the 16th century, his prebend included the income of no less than 43 church estates, which after his death passed to Jens Nilssøn. His son Povel Hansson (born ca. 1545–50) was a burgher of Oslo, a merchant and a ship-owner. He was the father of two clergymen who became the patriarchs to two lineages of the family. They were Hans Povelsson Paus (b. 1587), who became parish priest in Fredrikstad, and Peder Povelsson Paus (b. 1590), who became provost in Øvre Telemark. According to genealogist Finne-Grønn, Hans was "most likely" married for the first time to a daughter of the burgomaster of Oslo, Anders Nilssøn (brother of Bishop Jens Nilssøn), and secondly to Ingeborg Lemmich. Peder was married to Johanne Madsdatter, who according to Finne-Grønn most likely came from a family "well above the ordinary burghers." Many of their descendants also were priests. According to a printed oration in Greek by Hans Povelsson Paus' son, Anders Hansson Paus (born 1622), published at the University of Franeker, Chancellor Jens Bjelke, Bjelke's son-in-law Sten Willumsen Rosenvinge, Daniel Bildt of Hafslund and Bishop Ole Boesen were benefactors of his father who paid for his education. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the family was one of the families known as patricians in Norway. The family is also known for its relation to playwright Henrik Ibsen.