Winter was coming and the main effort of the Hundred was to ensure that there would be adequate food to see them through to the following harvest. Alan also had additional shelters built for the extra livestock he intended to retain over the winter.
Anne, with a free hand from Alan whose only instruction was ‘diversify’ based on the advice he had received from Orvin, bought ‘futures’ in wool and tin with part of the available funds, and a minority stake in a tin and copper mine in Cornwall. Alan couldn’t understand the concept of buying wool or tin that didn’t yet exist, but let Anne go ahead as she seemed to know what she was doing and was using only a small part of their available capital for this speculative venture.
September brought a shortening of the days. Sunrise was half past five in the morning and sunset at seven in the evening. With the pressure off and most men trained, and to not make an issue of the number of men he had under arms, he transferred ten huscarles to Ramsey, where Hugh was also training ten apprentice Wolves and ten of the sons of the local thegns in cavalry tactics. Ten Wolves and Warren went to Bradfield, and another ten to Brand at Great Oakley. This kept the former estates of the Kemp brothers well under control and didn’t tax the accommodation facilities of any manor.
Alan retained ten trainee Wolves and ten huscarles. Each manor also acted as a training site for its own fyrd members and those of other villages. The fifty longbowmen had completed their training and returned into the local communities, only reappearing two mornings a week for training and practice. Between his own eight manors Alan had 250 properly armed and reasonably trained fyrdmen and expected to be able to count on a further 200 from those villages that had fought at Wivenhoe earlier that year, and whose thegns had received weapons and armour as part of their booty.
With the slowing of the labours of the agricultural year and the completion of the traditional task of fruit-tree pruning, Alan had the geburs of Wivenhoe prepare a defensive bailey, or burgh, at the village against future attack by the Danes and all the peasants of Wivenhoe assisted.
They were reluctant to do this, but Alan pointed out their traditional labour obligations to build and maintain the burgh (fortified place) of the village and that the work was for their benefit as there would be no manor lord in residence. The work involved digging a six-foot deep ditch around an area at the edge of the village, about an acre in size, the spoil being used as breastworks with a palisade of wooden stakes mounted above, to give the peasants a place of retreat if unexpected attack came.
The village granary and armoury were relocated inside the fortification and Alan included six small towers, each with a ballista. At Thorrington several of the Wolves and huscarles had formed relationships either with local girls or the influx of women that had come to the Hundred after the Danish raid earlier in the year- either from the refugees that had been rescued or others who had come seeking a place of safety after word of the battle had circulated amongst the freemen and women of the shire.
Nobody believed that they had seen the last of the Danish raiders and both newcomers and locals, male and female, worked with on the fortifications that they knew could any day save their lives. Indeed, the Danish raid had proved something of a boon to Tendring Hundred, and particularly Alan’s lands, with the influx of people from outside villages. The additional labour was of course valuable, but with limited land available most of the newcomers became cottars holding little if any land, but with their own cottage and a place in the community into which they were welcomed.
Less welcome was what Alan saw as the response of Engelric, Bishop William, Earl Ralph and Robert fitzWymarc. Although the king’s imposition of quotas of men-at-arms to be provided from each manor probably provided the cause, in early September Robert fitzWymarc had appointed a young Angevin Frenchman Gerard de Cholet as tenant of his village of Elmstead. Bishop William of London created two manors at Clacton, each of ten hides, and one of seven hides at St Osyth. These were held by Normans Roger de Montivilliers, Geoffrey of Rouen and the Fleming Albyn of Bruges.
Only Engelric appointed an Englishman, named Leax, formerly of Hertfordshire, as thegn to the lands he held of St Paul’s of London at Birch Hall. Fortunately Earl Ralph’s parcel of land at Little Bentley was too small to support a military tenant and remained on laen to a local freeman. All the villages concerned were within five miles of Thorrington.
Equally fortunately, the holding at Wrabness of the Church of St Edmund’s, and St Paul’s holdings at The Naze, continued to be occupied and administered by their stewards, otherwise there could have been another six Frenchmen to deal with.
The Frenchman Gerard de Cholet at Elmstead caused little problem within the Hundred, perhaps because Gerard had a benign or slothful nature, or more likely the nearness of the manor to the town administered by his lord restrained his relations with his neighbours at Great Bromley, Derleigh and Ardleigh. Alan did, however, hear comments that the villagers were not impressed with his arrogant attitude towards them.
The villages of Great and Little Clacton, now held by Normans Roger de Montivilliers and Geoffrey of Rouen, and the holding of the Fleming Albyn of Bruges at St Osyth, all Bishop William’s men, were more of a problem. At least Roger and Geoffrey held their villages without direct contact with the other local thegns.
Albyn of Bruges at St Osyth was another matter, as the village held two manors, with the other held by the thegn Edward. Edward’s land included a substantial wooded area and meadowland. Within days of Albyn’s arrival, Edward had complained to Alan that Albyn and his men had been hunting in his forest, had instructed their villagers to herd the swine into his forest to feed off the acorns and pastured cattle in his meadow. Edward had sent his steward to complain to Albyn, but the man had been soundly thrashed and driven away.
Alan rode down to St Osyth with Osmund and six huscarles, armed but unarmoured and looking impressive with their size and striking appearance. All the men wore Alan’s uniform of green, although he himself wore his trademark black tunic and hose. Alan and his men were grudgingly admitted into the small Hall. The shutters were closed, the room was quite small and smelt foul from the old and soiled rushes on the floor. Three or four Normans or Frenchmen were in evidence, carrying swords. On that basis Alan did not instruct his huscarles to disarm as was the usual courtesy. No refreshment was offered and after about fifteen minutes Albyn appeared. He was a middle-aged rotund man with a sour face and a dirty tunic.
“I’m sorry to call unannounced, so that you were unable to greet me properly, de Bruges,” said Alan, looking in a bored manner at the fingernails of his right hand. “I’m sure that your welcome would have been much more proper if you had been advised I was calling.”
“What do you want, de Gauville?” demanded Albyn harshly.
“Firstly, some common courtesy. I’m not aware that an unknighted man-at-arms, who holds a single manor as a fief, is the social equal of a knight who holds eight manors directly from the king. You, de Bruges will refer to me as ‘Sir Alan’. Secondly, I assume that the lack of refreshment offered is not a deliberate insult, but a result of you having the lack of anything suitable, wine or ale, to offer your guests. After all, one must observe the usual standards of hospitality. To business! I’m the Chief Justice of the Hundred court. I’m informed that you and your men have been riding through the lands of the thegn who has the honour to share this village with you. Not only riding, but hawking and taking deer.”