Eggert Hannesson (?1515-83) was a hirðstjóri (seniormost position under the king in the island) and lawspeaker and lived in Saurbæ, otherwise known as Bær á Rauðasandi, a major farm in Barðastrandarsýsla.
Eggert was the son of leading Westfjorders: Hannes Eggertsson, the hirðstjóri in Núpur in Dýrafjörður, who was apparently of Norwegian descent, and his wife Guðrún, a daughter of Björn Guðnason, a sýslumaður in Ögur.
Among his manuscripts was the celebrated Eggertsbók (Reykjavík, Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, AM 556a-b 4to), which contains the earliest surviving text of Gísla saga.
On one occasion while Eggert lived at Saurbær, he was seized by English pirates and held for a whole month on board their ship until a high ransom was paid.
His children were Björn, died accidentally from gunfire, Thorleif, lost at sea, & Jón murti, found guilty of murder or manslaying and fled the country to Hamborg where he spent his life and had descendants.