Here's an even more straightforward translation of that
pesky phrase, from Young and Clewer:

"Many found it a great inconvenience, as indeed it was,
to stay on there after the market was over."

It seems to me that 'um' is used here in the meaning 'yfir'
("over/beyond"). The literal meaning of 'fram um �at' is close
to = 'fram yfir �at', i.e. "forwards (in time) over/beyond that
(point in time)".

Regards
Pelle

>From: "fjornir <haukurth@...>" <haukurth@...>
>Reply-To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
>To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [norse_course] Re: Week 6
>Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 23:58:43 -0000
>
> > �etta ��tti m�rgum manni vanhagr mikill, sem
> > var, at sitja um �at fram er marka�rinn st��.
>
>Powell translates:
>
>"And many thought this a great hinderance that they
>should be bound to stay there after the market was over."
>
>Kve�ja,
>Haukur
>

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