Tofta church, Gotland

Tofta (Vol. III) church about 15 km S of Visby. Its chancel and nave are built in gothic style. The roofs over chancel and nave have been raised in modern time, probably in the 20th century. The remains of lower roofs are not medieval. The belfry has five storeys. The room just above the vault has a height of about 1.5 m only (because of changing of level of floors). In that space wooden pieces which seem to be medieval are stored. Among these pieces samples no 8 and no 9 have been taken from two loose hand-hewn floor-boards with straight halved side edges. Sample no 8 is dated 1238 and sample no 9 is dated 1233 in their outermost annual rings which lack waney edge.

On level three in the belfry sample no 1 has been taken from a stump of timber fixed to the south wall. The timber has chamfered shape in two corners. On spot the surfaces of the two corners were perceived as waney edge but that could not be confirmed at closer look through microscope. Its outermost annual ring is dated 1228.

Sample no 7 from a stump of beam in high position in the wall at the bells is dated 1269 at its outermost annual ring which was judged to have waney edge.

The different dates of samples no 1 and no 7 should be noticed.