Mjäldrunga

Mjäldrunga in the middle of Västergötland is a cavity-wall church with an apse and a broad chancel-arch. The building is in its main features unchanged since the middle ages. A bore-core from the south capping piece of the nave gave 225 annual rings, where the outermost measured ring was grown in 1192. It consists of heart-wood which means that the felling year of the oak is unknown. We can only know that it was after 1201. This is an example of the very limited conclusions that can be drawn from single results unless these can be supported with other evidence. Even though this timber could be dated it would not date the church because the wall plate differs from the type normally found in romanesque churches. It has a plain rectangular cross-section, while most romanesque wall plates have a more complex shape designed to provide additional support for tie-beams. The type of wall plate found in Mjäldrunga is also found in later buildings, for example the chancel of Forshem.