Söðulsholt, in the rural district of Eyja- og Miklaholt
Approximately 1118 ha of land belong to the homestead, which was considered very good farmland for a long time. In 1714, when Árni Magnússon and Páll Vídalin wrote the homestead book, the homestead was Danish royal property (since 1360) and represented by Arnarstapi. This great book found many a fault with the homestead as in fact with many other farms.
In an older source, „Landið og landnáma I“, it is said the settler Þórður lived at Stöðuholt and that the farmhouse was located on higher ground opposite Dalsmynni. In older sources the names Stöðuholt, Stöðulsholt and Söðulsholt are found, but they are all believed to refer to the same homestead.
Söðulsholt was considered a regular farm until the year 1936, at which time it was changed into a parsonage, but as far as is known there never was a church. The last conventional farmers to run the farm were Ólafur Ólafsson from 1910 until 1936 and his son, Hannes, from 1936 until 1938.
A parsonage has been located by the church of Miklaholt for as long as can be remembered and the minister there also served in the churches at Kolbeinsstaðir and Ytri-Rauðamel. In the year 1936, after many and long-standing disagreements within the parish, the church was moved from Miklaholt to Fáskrúðarbakki, located within the same district, as the majority of the parishioners preferred the church to be located in the latter location.
Relocating the parsonage from Miklaholt to Söðulsholt is due to minister Árni Þórarinsson, who served the parish of Miklaholt from 1986 until 1934 and who became famous in Iceland due to his much read 6 binder biography, exceptionally well written by master Þorbergur. He spent the first years in Miklaholt, but soon relocated to Syðra-Skógarnes, then to Ytri-Rauðamel and finally moved with his family to his own homestead, Stóra Hraun, where he lived until he retired due to age in 1934.
Due to minister Árni’s migrations, the parsonage Miklaholt was leased long term to farmers and was thus not available when the new minister, minister Þorsteinn Lúther Jónsson, was ordained to the rectoy in 1934. For the first two years, he was housed on the upper floor of the farmhouse at Kolbeinsstaðir or until the lease on the Söðulsholt homestead expired and the government purchased the homestead to use as parsonage in 1936. Minister Þorsteinn was at Söðulsholt until 1961, at which time Minister Árni Pálsson was ordained to the rectory. He was the son of minister Árni Þórarinsson’s daughter. Minister Árni Pálsson was at Söðulsholt until 1971. Minister Árni Pálsson was followed by minister Einar Jónsson, who remained until 1982, and finally by minister Hreinn S. Hákonarson. In the year 1994 the size of the rectory was increased, in accordance with the law, and the parsonage was moved to Staðarstað and has since been called the rectory of Staðarstaður.
The couple, Gústav Ívarsson and Herdís Gróa Tómasdóttir, leased the homestead from the government in the year 1985, where they ran a horse breeding and fox farm, but which they left in 1996 when they moved to Grundarfjörður. In 1998, the current owner, Einar Ólafsson, acquired the homestead where he runs a horse breeding and forestation farm and where he grows flax and lately barley.
The Horse Centre Söðulsholt is separate from the operation of the homestead Söðulsholt ehf, as the Horse Centre is managed by Halldór Sigurkarlsson and Iðunn Silja Svansdóttir, who live at Hrossholt.