Iain Campbell - Wolves in Armour

Evidently the day had proceeded well. William and a party of nobles had hunted with success in the forest to the north-west, near Kensington and Hanwell. Alan was ushered into a room of medium size where William lounged in a relaxed fashion in a chair, with two monks acting as scriveners sitting at small tables with pen, ink and parchment. By their appearance one was English and one French. After giving Alan a long look up and down, he waved at a chair nearby. “It appears that you have used well some of the money I gave you,” he said. Alan gave a respectful inclination of the head in reply. “I hear that a tall knight, dressed as you used to dress and with red hair, stopped the foot-soldiers of Eustace of Boulogne from burning down Westminster on Christmas Day.”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” replied Alan. “The fools seemed to think that there was a riot going on in the abbey and that setting fire to the forecourt was a suitable response. I had to chastise the sergeant in charge.”

“Yes, Eustace wasn’t happy about that, but I told him I wasn’t happy about the actions of his men either. It appears that here in England you are my good-luck charm popping up wherever and whenever needed. Now to business! I promised you a suitable reward when I was in a position to do so, as I now am. I have a busy few weeks ahead. I’m due to meet with Edwin and the thegns of Mercia, Morcar and at least some of his Northumbrians, and the thegns of Shropshire in a week, so I’d best get my other obligations out of the way.

“Aethelbald has been checking which thegns were killed at Hastings, Fulford and Stamford- and therefore whose land is vacant. At the moment he’s covered Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, Hertfordshire- and Essex. There was a King’s Thegn called Wulfwin who owned much land in Essex. I’m not feeling generous enough to give you all that land. That would make you a baron- which is an honour you have not yet earned. But he held three manors in Tendring Hundred. Another thegn, Alfred Kemp, held three and one called Estan another. They’ll make a reasonable and compact demesne. Aethelbald, how many hides of land? Thirty-six and a half? I’m introducing a standard quota of six hides per mounted man-at-arms, so your quota will be six.

“I understand that all the manors are what the English call ‘bokland’, or ‘landboc’, although two have been let out to other thegns under some system I find both unpronounceable and unintelligible. You’ll own the land on the same terms as the previous owners, and as tenant-in-chief from me. That will make you a barones regis , which I hope is an honour you will appreciate. I also grant you the right to hold the Hundred court and the one-third entitlement to the fines apparently known as ‘the third penny’. I appreciate your fresh thoughts and I think I would benefit from hearing points of view other than those of my barons and earls, so I also intend to make you a member of my Council, the Curia Regis, which will meet irregularly as I decide, but several times a year.

“As to the rest of England, and this includes Essex, I’m appointing earls to the various holdings of the English earls, particularly those formerly held by the Godwin family. The English will continue to hold their land, subject to paying me a ‘Redemption Relief’ for failing to support me in my taking the Crown, either as bokland or laenland, provided that they maintain their historical obligations, which I understand varies in virtually every case but has always included military service. Effectively they are paying what we Normans refer to as Relief, and the English refer to as a Heriot. It’s interesting how little practical difference there is in land holdings between the two systems. The earls will hold their lands as fiefs or honours at my pleasure and with a Relief payable on succession, not as alods. I expect most will grant at least some of their demesne land and some of the land which now, or in the future, has no holder, as fiefs for military service. You’ll hold your land in landboc and not able to be taken from you without proper cause.

“I’m also changing the administration of the shires. The sheriffs will have greater authority and duties. Officials such as those of the king’s household, the Stallers and the like, will be phased out. The new sheriff of Essex will be Robert fitzWymarc, a half-Breton who came to England in Edward’s time, in place of Leofstan the Reeve who was killed at Hastings. He’s raising a royal castle at Colchester, under my charter- at his expense.”

“Can I raise a castle?” asked Alan.

“If the situation warrants it and you can bear the cost of building one yourself,” William replied, waving his hand at the French clerk to include that in the document before him, before he continued his discussion of his Great Design. “The geld tax on land will be reintroduced, at the same rate as King Edward levied it prior to 1015. Two shillings per hide. Aethelbald, how much would Alan have to pay?”

“With ninety-six and a half hides, that is?9 12s a year, payable quarterly in arrears on the Feast of the Annunciation, Christmas, Midsummer Day and Michaelmas,” replied Aethelbald.

Alan was quick enough of wit to pick up the change. “So, unlike in Normandy, we are to provide both military service and taxes, which I understand were previously used to bribe the Danes to stay away, so military service was not needed. That’ll be a heavy impost. Men-at-arms are expensive to maintain. You mentioned that the English will have to pay a Redemption Relief. I presume that doesn’t apply to us Normans who came with you? How much would that be?” asked Alan.

“No it doesn’t apply to those who came with me, or after we landed- but it does include those Normans and any other foreigners who held land during Edward’s time, as well as the English. The general rate will be set by Commissioners I appoint, probably around?5 per manor, payable within a year of my Coronation, That will be by Christmas Day next year. If they don’t pay their lands will be forfeit.”

“Many of those who have to pay the Redemption Relief, as well as the taxes, will struggle to do so, particularly at those rates and in that time. Many will be forced to forfeit their land. Have you thought of a lesser tax rate or lesser Relief rate?” asked Alan.

“No,” replied William simply. “England is mine to do with as I wish and it’s a rich land. If some men forfeit their land for non-payment that simply means more land is available to myself or the Earls to give away as fiefs or to sell. I don’t see any difficulty caused to the English landholders as being a matter for concern to me. It’s their fault for supporting Harold instead of myself after Edward died a year ago. We Normans are all going to have to stand together and keep a wary eye on the English, or they’ll have us all out of the country in a trice. Anything that reduces the English nobility’s ability to raise and pay for an army is a good thing for us,” said William revealingly.

Seeing that the king’s mind was firmly decided and that any further argument would be useless, Alan desisted. William was used to the exercise of autocratic rule and, whilst he would always listen to advice, he would frequently reject it.

“So, do you accept?” asked William abruptly.

Alan blinked in surprise at the question, realizing after a few moments that it related to the offer of land to him. “Of course, the offer, and particularly the honour of the attached rights of tenant-in-chief, jurisdiction and member of your Council, is most generous,” he replied.

“Done!” said William, who gestured to the French scrivener, who completed a few more details on a parchment and poured heated red wax at the bottom, to which William affixed his seal and then opened his hands in a gesture indicating Alan should approach him.