Some commonly used words are below. Replace th on end of words with ness and t with d or ed and most of the rest are obvious if sounded out aloud. Some words with n or en on the end can be easily understood if the n is replaced by a d. Only difficult words and words that do not exist in English are now referred to specifically at the end of the chapter. Appendix 1 Folk words and language usage, Appendix 2 Castle places, food, animals, plants and minerals, Appendix 3 a lexicon of Folk and Appendix 4 an explanation of the Folk calendar, time, weights and measures. All follow the story chapters.
18th of Faarl Day 227
Dinner was finished, and Judith’s children couldn’t clear the table and wash up fast enough. They enjoyed dancing, and for the first time they were going to a dance with out proper adult supervision. Barret, they knew was an adult, but only just, and he was one of them, and any way though older than her he was far less strict than Iola who wasn’t going with them. Judith and Briar had been right. Molly, Timothy, Iola and the three girls wished to mind the little ones. Nectar, Iola and Floatleaf felt grown up keeping company with the women. Cattail who was three and a half lunes pregnant was grateful for the peace away from her over concerned husband. They spake of all sorts of things, but Floatleaf and Nectar had a heartfriend and Iola an intendet, and all the conversation was of woman’s matters. Molly nursed her three, and the girls changed babes whilst discussing teething problems. Cattail didn’t touch alcohol, but the three other girls had been offered, and they’d tried, some of the whisky liqueur, and Floatleaf agreed with Nectar when she said, “I don’t understand why it’s so pleasant to start with and then goes horrible on you.”
“It smells awful,” Cattail said. “But then all alcohol does to me at the moment.”
Molly and Timothy laught, and Molly remarked, “Life can be like that, Nectar, but it’s like having an argument with your man, for eventually you like him again even if he has vext you to deadth.” All four of the girls had had involvement with their boy or young man long enough to have had dispute and all nodded in understanding with Molly.
Floatleaf asked, “Why are they so difficult sometimes yet so wonderful the rest of the time?”
Timothy replied, “I wish I knoewn, but they’re all the same.”
“Even when they’re trying to be nice they can be difficult, Floatleaf.” Floatleaf looked to her sister for explanation. “I’m pregnant, not ill, but Guy doesn’t seem to be able to recognise there’s a difference. He’d wrap me in fluff if he could. I feel hale and the only place where I can get away from him for some saught is Teal’s workshop to make beehive pieces for Jessica. Even Mum can’t make him believe his fussing over me drives me dementet. Dad does his best and takes him away as much as he can, but I’m really grateful we with live with Mum and Dad because I’d probably kill him if we had chambers of our own.”
Molly looked at her daughter with a smile and said, “I doet warn you, Love. Wait till you get bigger, then he’ll be completely impossible. It wasn’t till Iwœna your dad became reasonable. Iwœna was my third, Girls,” Molly explained.
Their main topic of conversation for the rest of the eve was men.
Judith produced her diagrams for the men to look, and Briar whistled under his breath. “I can see why you haven’t spaken of this yet, Judith. That is a massively bigger scheme than aught any of the Folk could ever envisage. A wheel twelve strides in diameter and ten in wiedth.” He whistled again. “I can also see it has to be sitet on the steep slope to provide the flow and to allow the water away. Just how powerful is it?”
Judith nodded in agreement with Briar and looked at Axel who answered Briar’s question, “It is very difficult to know how to answer that question to folk who do not have an appreciation of this sort of thing, Briar, but I can give you an equivalent. It would lift one hundred weights, to a highth of one hundred strides in a second and do so every second continuously. Which makes it at least twenty times more powerful than the biggest mill on Castle, and only a fraction of that would be necessary for grinding grain. The bulk of the power would be available for the smiths to crush ore and to power tools, most probably a drop forging hammer.”
Briar taekt a large mouthful of brandy and said, “Mercy!”
There was a silence that lasted a long time, and Briar asked, “The cost of doing this is going to be much higher than I admittet to the Council when I goent back for more funds. There is vastly more steel work requiert than the Council are aware of, they will have assuemt the mill wheel would be mostly wooden. How do you propose to manage the cost of that?”
“Mostly the same way as I have till now, by keeping my mouth shut. I told you the smiths and founders will do the steel work in return for what will be available to them subsequently. I have spoken to the Masters machiner who are prepared to help on that basis. George is happy with the concept and is doing the design work for me, which will be drawn by Terry. Oak tells me he and Jason already have the wheel spoke fastening mechanism work planned and he and Wolf are prepared to offer their services on the basis of future usage. Vinnek is willing to do the necessary woodwork now George has shewn him his design for a powered pit-saw. The only thing I have not yet managed to negotiate is stone mazuns(1) to build the channel, dam, leet,(2) wheel channel housing and the tail race.(3) We shall also need some housing for folk, a cook house with a cook, washing and bathing facilities.”
Briar taekt another large mouthful of brandy, and Storm compassionately refilled his glass first before topping up Axel’s and his own. “You’re a devious woman, Judith.”
“Isn’t she just. Even I was not aware of the full extent of the scheme, Briar.”
Briar nodded to Storm in understanding of his remark before continuing. “Assuming the bulk of the Collective funding is spent on stonework, though I can probably arrange some part time help that won’t press for payment for a good while, possibly even a year, how much of the stonework has to be doen before we can have the mill working sufficiently to pay off some of its debts?”
Judith looked at Axel and asked, “What do you need to know, Axel, in order to work that out?”
“Nothing else really. Let’s just assume for arguments sake that all we want to do this year is mill, shall we say, a million weights of grain, which is approximately thirty weights of flour for every member of the Folk.”
“All we wish to do this year! That’s a huge quantity, Axel, and how do we do it this year?” Briar was clearly perturbed by the scale of Axel’s assumptions.
“Not really. After all, we are not concerned with transporting grain to and flour from the mill, that’s someone else’s problem, and this mill will grind that amount easily. Let me explain. A simple mill with stones say four feet across and the same water flow as we shall have, without the dam and the leet, will easily grind between fifty and one hundred thousand weights in a tenner, say fifty thousand. Five thousand weights in a normal working day without working over hard. Yes?”
Briar agreed and Axel resumed, “We have two pairs of stones and they are what? Three times as big as that, Storm?”
“Nearer four times was what we plannen on, fiveteen feet.”
“Right then. At fifty thousand weights a tenner, it will take that simple mill nearly seven lunes to mill a million weights. I’ve already worked out without any dam and leet work to deliver more water to the wheel we have vastly more than enough power to rotate the two runners,(4) With two sets of bigger stones and the extra power I reckon we can do it in less than a lune, obviously twice that time if we only have one pair of stones ready. Less if we initially run the mill twenty four hours a day which we may chose to do to ease a bit of pressure, after all there’re three of you here can run a mill and Barret too.”
Briar was nodding his head and thoughtfully said, “Of course once we have any flour output at all doubts will recede and that will make life easier for us. What do we need in order to reach that stage, Judith?”
“The wheel itself which, will be mostly iron and steel. The stonework in the wheel channel with wheel bearing support pillars and stonework to divert enough water to the wheel and return it to the river, the wheel axle bearings which are to be ironwood, their housings which will be hard wood, at least to start with, the mill building itself, the vat(5) for the mill stones with associated gearing and chutes for grain and flour, again all wood to start with, and I shall craft those and finally the stones themselves which Storm is making. What I believe you wish to know is what are we going to have to pay for with Collective funds before we can start paying with funds generated by the mill. The answer to that is the ironwood axle bearings and the small amount of high quality hardwood needed for the mill wheel and its gearing, but straight grained oak heartwood is good enough. It doesn’t need to be ironwood. Vinnek is negotiating the rest of the woodwork. The bulk of the cost will be the digging of the wheel channel and the subsequent stonework and the small amount of stonework required for the river diversion and return. I’m told two crafters will be able to do it in less than a lune, though they will not dig the housing out. Obviously as I said we need some housing for folk and preferably a small refectory with a cook, washing and bathing facilities. Latrines can be dug and roofed over from the weather.”
Briar was now smiling and said, “A couple of well diggers would be best for the digging. I’ll deal with that for you and I’ll see if I can find the stone crafters too, for I suspect I know a couple of ingeniators who would do it for a reasonable consideration and as a change from working on the Keep. They do good work and quickly too. I know a retiren logger Graill, he is skillt at all sorts of things from having spent most of his life in the forest. He could make some cabins in no time if given a few youngsters to help. He could also build the ovens for cooking and providing hot water for showers and baths. I’ll ask Molly to find us a cook.” He thought a moment and added, “The steep sections of the trail to the mill will have to be improven eventually, but it would be a good idea to have a team of heavy horses stabelt there to help pull loadet waggons to the mill. Graill has workt with forestry horses. I’ll see what he bethinks him. I’ve just remembert his wife Joanna uest to craft in the Keep but I don’t know what as. I’ll ask Molly she’ll know.
This time Briar sipped his brandy in considerable satisfaction, and Storm asked him, “You happier with this now, Briar?”
“Indeed, and I now know what to say and what not to say, and more to the point when and when not to say it, and even more to the point who to say it to and who not to say it to. Though I do wish to point out, Judith, you initially spake of a wheel in the river with a housing on each side.” Briar looked at Judith with a quizzical look on his face.
Blandly, too blandly, Judith said, “That’s one way to do it.”
The four of them all laught. They continued spaeking of the mill details, mostly of the mill powered winch that would lift sacks of grain to the hoppers ready for milling and if necessary lift sacks of flour back again for storage. The exact details of the gearing were discussed, which Judith explained would be oak to start with, but Wolf was going to cast in iron for her later. The mechanisms for separation of the bran from the flour were discussed. They discussed makeshifts they could make do with till the mill was able to pay its own way. By half eleven they were just gossiping, Judith left the men to help Iola put hers to bed, and by the time she had finished Barret had brought the rather excited but tired older children back. The couples collected their respective children, and put coats on prior to going home. As they left Briar remarked, “I still bethink me you are a very devious young woman, Judith, and I suspect I’ll never again take aught you say at face value.”
They laught, but as Molly kissed Judith goodnight she added, “You’re just more honest than the rest of us, Dear. But imagine Briar being prepaert to take aught any woman says to any man at face value. I really doet believe he knoewn better than that.”
Amidst much laughter finally Judith and Storm were left on their own. Iola had already chased the others to bed and gone herself. “You happy with that, Love?” Storm asked her putting his hand on her bump and smiling as he felt the babe move.
“Yes. Very, and I’m glad Briar knows it all now. He will be a great help.” Judith taekt his other hand and pressed it to her bosom, “I feel tired and a little stretched, but I’m sure you know how to cure that.”
Storm laught, kissed her quickly and said, “I’m sure I do, Love,” before leading her by the hand to their bedchamber.
20th of Faarl Day 229
At four lunes pregnant, Cattail had slipped and fallen on some ice in one of the Keep walkways on her way back home from a visit to Beatrix, which may or may not had been responsible for her miscarriage later that eve. The midwifes said not. She and Guy had been thrilled to be prospective parents and their parents had been overjoyed to be telt she carried a babe neath her heart, but traumatised by the loss of her babe, which she blamed herself for, she also worried that Guy would no longer wish agreement.
Molly said to Guy, “It is far too early, Love, to tell her the grief will pass and that another babe will help her, but you need to know it to be so. She needs your love to convince her you do love her still, for it’s a natural and common reaction of women in her place to fear she will lose you too. She needs to be bedd oft to reassure her, leave it a tenner to let her recover then bedd her at every opportunity, for the sooner she has another neath her heart the better. If this sounds heartless, Son, it is neither meant to be nor is it, but reality is oft difficult to face.”
“If I tell her I still will our agreement she is belike to accuse me of only saying so as a gesture. It is not so. I will our agreement, Mum, for she is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life. How can I make her accept I mean it?”
Molly smiled and said, “Leave it to your mum and me.”
The two mums had spaech of the matter, and hatcht their plan. Beatrix spake with Cattail voicing her concerns that Cattail was not going to reach agreement with Guy who she telt her was desperate for agreement but was worried he would be rejected for not giving her a successful pregnancy and that she was herself seven and a half lunes and now obviously so seemed to upset Guy every time he saw her. Cattail reassured Beatrix that was not how she felt and said she would work on Guy. The couple were agreen within a tenner and Cattail only had one lunetime thereafter before announcing she was pregnant again.
26th of Faarl Day 235
Over the last tenner, the gourd had all been cooked with no wastage without recourse to freezing, though some was still in cool storage awaiting use. Only the outer fingernail’s thickth of the rind had not been uest, and that had gone into Ingot’s dog biscuits. The small, rubbery starchroots,(6) none lager than three wiedths across, which Iola had subsequently discovered had been returned as unfit for use to the stores by Siward who was the Master vegetable preparer, had been scrubbed, all bad portions removed, minced with the peels on, and uest, mostly in the keld broth, as thickener. Much to their surprise, Iola had telt her crafters, “They’re too small and difficult to waste time on by peeling, even with the new peelers.”
Coaltit had scathingly remarked of Siward, “He’s not man enough to have insistet his crafters dealt with them, nor to have askt you for permission to send them to the hens.” Iola, to Coaltit’s surprise, had been completely indifferent to her remark merely remarking the starchroots had not been wasted. Coaltit, like every one else, was coming to realise Iola had minimal interest in aught that didn’t affect the ability of herself and her crafters to fulfil the rôle of her office as given her by Milligan. The best gourd seed had been gratefully received by the growers, and what they didn’t wish had been flash fried at high heat before dusting with salt and powdered thyme. It was served with sipps(7) to accompany the Keld Broth,(8) and Squash Seed Sipps was a novel and much appreciated innovative variation of the sipps suggested by one of Iola’s mildly impaired crafters. Iola had had it written in her recently conceived soup kitchens’ accompaniments book, including a record of Cockle’s name as the creator and the date. It had been ceremoniously read aloud by Gibb before Iola’s entire staff, and she had provided a glass of sparkling rosé for them all to toast Cockle in celebration. Cockle had been embarrassed but proud, and he looked forward to the end of his crafting so he could tell Lune his wife of it. Iola’s other crafters redoubled their efforts to please the best Mistress cook they thought they could work for. Gibb later telt Milligan he’d had a number of enquiries from parents of children of a range of abilities and ages concerning the possibilities of apprenticeship and placement specifically with Iola. The two eldest, both girls and nearly fourteen, had already joined Iola’s crafters. Manchette as an apprentice cook and Gellica, who was as limited as Fledgeling but much more nervous, as a cooks’ assistant.
Provisioners’ Piquant Pantry, Storekeepers’ Smoking Stovie and Meatball Marrow Meld had been the names given to three different, but popular, soups which had been mongst the first to be served that had been based on the gourd. The Meatball Marrow Meld was a thick soup based on gourd, meatballs and starchroot, and Dabchick was amazed at how much tasty soup was maekt from materials none else than Iola would have uest. All three were to be maekt again, by which time Iola’s crafters would have uest all the gourd, the preserved meat oddments as well as large amounts of the difficult fresh material the butchers had sent to the provisioners.
Despite the Meatball Marrow Meld, by the time the stored oddments had been accounted for, Dabchick’s crafters had maekt and frozen a good supply of meatballs. Dabchick had asked Iola if she would prefer them to freeze things separately rather than just try to use it all immediately by making more meatballs. “The provisioners uest to do that with everything when the meat cooks regularly uest offal, but it must be thirty years since Crook taekt over the meat cooks, before I was birtht I do know, and he never uest offal. Ling, who was the Mistress provisioner before I taekt over nearly two years since, telt me we stopt separating it because it was pointless and easier not to bother as a lot was wastet and went to the kennels in the end. Bluesher opient it was outrageous, but she was overruelt by Ling who telt her that though she agreen with her she was not going to allow her to spend hours crafting at a furless(9) task just because her conscience telt her it was right and proper. It was Bluesher who telt me that. She also telt me she was glad in a way to have been overruelt, but I have no doubt she will be even more glad to be telt to do things tightly again.”
“Naught will be wastet now, Dabchick. If Bluesher freezes all separately, at least that way there will eventually be enough of each offal to be able to do something worthwhile with it, and there’re always the meatballs to use aught you consider has been freezen overlong. If you have more mincet meat than you wish to make meatballs with we could always ask Coriander to make Cottage Pie which is kine mince fryt with onions and redroot and whatever else you fancy, I like celery but freezen lovage leaf would possibly be more convenient. Once cookt tip the mix into an oven tray and cover with mashed starchroot. The dish was finisht in an oven. A similar dish callt Shepherds Pie was maekt using sheep mince, so I suppose you could use any mince you like or even mix meats as convenient. We could of course create names for each and every other meat as you mincet whatever was convenient, but I suggest Provisioner’s Pie for mixt meats and Storekeeper’s Pie for one with vegetables but no meat in which could have gratet cheese in the masht roots and also sprinkelt on top to melt. No doubt Coaltit would appreciate it being maekt when she has starchroots or waxroots in need of use. However, if you willen to produce more sausage you could always make caseless(10) sausage when you don’t have any casings and you could try Scotch Eggs.”
“How can you make sausage hold together without casings, Iola? And what are Scotch Eggs?”
“The same way as you bind the meatballs together. Bind the mix with a bit of flour and roll them in breadcrumb or even have them dipt in batter and deep fryt. Scotch eggs are just hard boilt eggs dryt off with a bit of flour and surroundet by sausage mix containing finely chopt herbs or sometimes green onion stems. It was usual to dip them in beaten egg and then breadcrumbs. They were cookt by deep frying or in an oven and eaten calt, so I suppose Saught would appreciate them. Again I suppose you could batter them, but the battert ones would have to be deep fryt.
“I like the ideas a lot, but I’m not sure Eudes would be willing to try any of them, Iola.”
Iola smiled and said mischievously, “If you like, I could have some of my crafters cook a small quantity of them as a soup accompaniment. Scotch Eggs look attractive when halft. We could put halft eggs and sausages on an ashet(11) next to the soup servers’ counters for folk to help themselfs. If they are enjoyt, and I don’t see why they shouldn’t be if we ask Spoonbill for help, Ashridge will be askt by many to have them cookt as a main meal, and then Eudes won’t have any choice will he?”
Dabchick’s expression turned from one of interest to one of amusement and finally to a mischievous smile that matched Iola’s. “You are a very guileful young woman, Iola. I’ll make enough for your accompaniments immediately. Let me know when you wish them delivert. What will you call them?”
“The crumbt sausages could be Caseless Crunch and the battert ones Toad in the Hole. The crumbt eggs remain Scotch Eggs and the battert ones Idle Eggs since they are even easier to make.”
“Scotch Eggs‽ Toad in the Hole‽ Where do you get your names from, Iola?”
“Scotch is a word uest to describe food and drink from Scotland which is whence I originated. On its own Scotch refers to whisky which is a spirit maekt from barley, like brandy is a spirit maekt from grapes, winefruit that is. Toad in the Hole is a traditional dish of meatcake batter pourt over sausages in very hot fat in a deep dish. The dish is returnt to the heat as quickly as possible. The batter rises berount the sausages as it cooks. It seemt appropriate.”
“How long bethink you it will be before Eudes is asking for them?
Iola didn’t answer the question but thoughtfully continued, “We could of course ask Coriander to cook Toad in the Hole in oven trays and serve it as a soup accompaniment or as a main meal with vegetables and gravy. It’s a similar idea to a pie or a pasty so it falls within the remit of her office. She could also bake sausages wrapt in pastry which is something callt a Sausage Roll, and traditionally caseless sausages were uest. Oft caseless sausages were difficult to obtain, so those cooking at home removed the cases from what they could obtain. They are good hot or calt, so again I suspect Saught would be interestet in them for packt meals. May hap we don’t need to involve Eudes at all, Dabchick, but I’d still like to use Caseless Crunch, Battert Bangers and the eggs as accompaniments.”
“What are Battert Bangers? You haven’t mentiont them thus far.”
“If Coriander is going to make Toad in the Hole I need another name for my battert accompaniment and bangers were another name for sausages. I read during a time of rationing extra water was addet to extend the mix and if you doetn’t pierce the casings they explodet with a bang when cookt in hot fat. But the whole idea of all these is none need casings. If you provide me with caseless sausage mix as it comes out of the sausage maker I could have them cutt into two or three wiedth pieces to batter and deep fry as accompaniments, and I can use some mince to make a Chile con Carne Soup. That’s a more liquid verson of a dish baest on meat and mercyfruit(12) which also contains onion, garlic, bellfruit,(13) loveapples(14) and beans along with herbs and spices. The beans were the staple though the thick dish was oft servt with something like white wheat callt rice, or even crisp salad leafs, but we could ask Coriander to make a small amount with a masht starchroot covering and use any left over as the basis for a soup.”
As she was shaking her head in wonder Dabchick said, “I’ll have spaech with Coriander and Spoonbill. Is there aught else, Iola?”
“Yes. I’d like to make a soup using kidney. There’s a dish callt Colcannon I’d like to use as the basis of an idea. It’s not a soup, and as far as I am aware nor does it have kidney in it, but I like the sound of Kidney Colcannon, and it could use the last of last year’s wilten and freezen nettles. I’m not bothert which animal the kidneys come from, but to make a three hundred gallon batch I’d probably need fifty weights of kidney to go with the starchroot and greenleaf(15) and at the moment that much is never available. I’ll have spaech with the forragers concerning collecting more nettles this year, for I can use whatever they can supply, and I know the storekeepers have only been willing to accept a limited quantity for none uses them in any amount. But nettles are nutritious and grow every where, so would be an extra source of easy to harvest good food. They freeze well and will be well come in spring and early summer when there’re few fresh vegetables available. I know a little imagination is required to use them, but I could use ten thousand weights or so a year easily. If she knows they will be uest Coaltit will be happy to process and store them in bulk and I imagine the growers and foragers would well come a crop that costs little effort to grow or to find.”
Dabchick smiled at Iola’s whimsical reasons for creating a new soup, “I suppose using the nettle is as good a reason for accumulating kidney as any. Coaltit will be happy with that, and it does sound interesting. Ten thousand weights of a vegetable that grows prolifically with no attention from any no matter what the weather does would be a significant and well come addition to the food supply. If we freeze lung separately you would have a ready supply of material for making stock with other than bones, Iola. There is always more liver, so we could separate and store it according to its strongth of flavour. If we do that, and you continue to use offcuts for stock and kine soup, all that is left, except most of the tripe, can easily go into the meatballs, which would then be mostly meat, meat and fat trimmings, brains, males,(16) longths,(17) wombs, ovaries, melt,(18) sweetbreads,(19) hearts and other offal, including a small amount of tripe. We use all intestines as sausage casings even from animals as small as coneys. As a result of your ideas concerning the meatballs, I’ve telt my crafters to include a small proportion of tripe in all the mince we provide Eudes with for main meals and the bakers with for pasties and pies. May hap one part in twenty, not enough to be noticeable, but it does use a reasonable amount and the meat goes further, so more meat is being accumulaett in the freeze chambers for times when the hunters can’t hunt. I’ll do the same with the sausage mix from now including liver sausage.”
“That seems sensible, Dabchick, but would you freeze the hearts separately too? So I can use them in a substantial barley baest soup, Heart of the Harvest Pottage. My idea is that most of the substance would be from the barley. It wouldn’t have to contain much heart, redroot(20) and dark kail to provide taste and appeal to the eye, and if need be I could add some meatballs. Lung I can always use first in a stock, and then finely mincet in a whole range of soups. You could do worse than try some in sausage of some kind. You could call it Lightwurst, lights were another name for lungs and wurst means sausage in a language different from mine. I think traditionally gris(21) meat and fat were mincet with an equal amount of lungs and then mixt with herbs and spices before being smokt, but I suppose you could try it with any meat. Liver will provide me with all sorts of possibilities if I have enough of it. I’ll try a Liver and Clansaver(22) Broth first. If you could freeze kine and aurochs trimmings separately too I can put together a substantial soup, a stew really, yclept Lancashire Lobby. If it’s a matter of using trimmings I suspect neither Eudes nor Fulbert will be upset if I cook it, but I’ll have spaech with them first. I’ve been intending to have spaech with Fulbert for a while concerning the use of ocean leafs,(23) for I’ve never uest them before, and what little I have uest here as a result of reading our receipt books has been successful. I’d like to be able to use them as major ingredients in some thing.”
“Fulbert certainly won’t be bothered, and Eudes has never uest trimmings from us of any sort other than in mincet meats which he rarely uses, so I suspect he won’t be either. What does the name mean, Iola? And how much trimmings would you need for three hundred gallons?”
“Lancashire is the name of an area a long way to the south of whence I came where the dish was a popular traditional one though it was maekt elsewhere too, but I don’t know what lobby means. I’m not sure how much meat to use because it was one of those dishes that came out of hardship, and as is usual the harder the times the less meat and other expensive items were uest. Thinking on it I suppose any red meat could be uest, so I’ll leave it to you, and I suppose fifty weights of mixt trimmings would do for a start. Though none of the ingredients are expensive and it was baest on starchroot, I’ve seen receipts that includet barley, onion, winteroot,(24) celery, and redroot, but I dare say a bit of aught in need of use could be uest. I’ll have spaech with Coaltit regards that.”
As the two women parted Dabchick couldn’t help but be amazed at the changes Iola was bringing, her creativity, the wealth of her ideas and the deceptivth of her childhood, for in achieving her ends she uest more guile than even Gibb who was known for it, but she considered Iola’s guile was far more effective than Gibb’s because it was expected of Gibb whereas few were even aware of Iola’s, and those few, like herself, said naught of it to those who hadn’t noticed it for themselves.
Iola had had no problems from any of the butchers’ staff after her conversation with Morris a tenner since, and had not been aware of the consequences of her conversation regards the bones. In the forenoon she went to take leaf with Morris and repeated the conversation she had had with Dabchick earlier explaining if there were any doubt as to whether the provisioners could use something or no to give them the option, since if no they would then send it to her any hap, or freeze it on her behalf. She also added it was no problem to her if his crafters sent her something she couldn’t use immediately as she would have the provisioners store it for her till she could use it. Morris telt her he had discovered his meat preparation staff had been difficult not so much to her as to her office, which had maekt their lifes difficult in the recent past. It was clear to her he had deliberately not referred to Eudes.
Morris also telt her he had been to see Dabchick regarding the frozen bones. “Dabchick taekt me to see for myself, and I was staggered at the quantity of bones. They must have been collected over many years, but what really shocked me was that she said a lot of bones, some with considerable quantities of meat still on, had been sent straight to the composters by my staff with the agreement of your predecessors in years when folk had died of hunger. I’ve told all my staff that anyone who disposes of anything without consulting Ivana or me and you as well will be looking for another job, so I can assure you that won’t be happening any more. I asked Ivana to organise the cutting and moving of the over-long bones when ever we had crafters available to do so. I didn’t consider it urgent, because there are mountains already small enough for you to be going on with. Ivana did as I asked, but two of the older crafters who had been difficult with you refused. I didn’t bother to ask for an explanation. I just told them I would tell Milligan they were no longer on my staff and their salary would cease as of that moment.”
“I doetn’t wish to cause you any trouble, Morris.”
“You didn’t. I told Milligan we were better off without them. And any way, it gave the other trouble makers an object lesson. I’m glad it happened. It’s nothing to cause you concern because it would have happened over something sooner or later.”
Iola found out later, the two crafters had started to shout their objections as Morris was turning to walk away to find Gibb or Milligan, and an hour later Morris had telt his assembled staff, “I have no more intention of repeating Ivana’s orders than I have of repeating mine to any one, and even less of replacing her. Any one who is unhappy with that needs to find another craft right now because as soon as you cause me any trouble at all I shall instantly dismiss you. I shall say this only once, Ivana’s orders are no different from mine. Now, to the matter at hand. It is outrageous that some of the bones in the freeze chambers which were supposedly cut small enough to go in a stock kettle have not been so cut. I want all the oversize bones in that second chamber cut small enough to go in a kettle in the next tenner. They can be moved, when cut, to the chamber that Dabchick’s crafters are currently storing bones in. Iola has said, as long as what we give her fits into one of her twenty-five gallon kettles there is no need for any further effort on our part because her crafters will cook the material apart. I suggest those who wish to continue crafting for me use any spare time they have cutting bones because if I find they have not done so they shall no longer be crafting for me.”
There had been a noticeable thaw in the butchers’ attitude towards the soup makers. It had not taken more than a few days before relationships between the two offices had become cordial if not friendly. Iola had repeated to the meat preparation staff there was no point in them going to any trouble to butcher meat off carcasses and bones. As long as they cut them small enough to fit in her stock kettles they could leave difficult meat on them and just put them into the freeze chambers ready for her and naught would be wasted. Somewhat shamefaced, they admitted they had been doing that for years even though they knew few of the bones had been uest. When she asked if they would cut long marrow bones with a saw rather than braek them with a cleaver so there would be no sharp bone shards in the marrow they had been happy to oblige as she only wished them cut to fit her kettles rather than having the bones braeken along their entire longth which was what they had been expected to do before.
When asked how she would extract the marrow Iola explained, “If we cook them long enough, we can just tap the cutt end of the bone on the inside of the kettle a few times and eventually the marrow drops out, on the rare occasion when it doesn’t we can always poke it out with a wire. After cooling a bit we run a hand over the outside of the bone and it’s clean of all useful material not just the meat. Then we boil the bones briefly in fresh water to extract the last trace of flavour and either provide them as dog food, or leave them to dry on the trays over the flues for the firekeepers to use as fuel.”
The meat preparation staff had been surprised at how easy it could be for Iola’s crafters as well as themselves and decided, unlike Eudes, she was someone who they now wished to coöperate with since she obviously wished to make every ones’ crafting easier as well as feed the Folk, and she was someone it was not wise to antagonise. Rather than irritate Morris, who they now knew would without hesitation tell them to find another craft, they decided to cut both ends off even the shorter marrow bones for Iola, for which she duly expressed her gratitude as her crafters had said it maekt life much easier for them. The older meat preparation staff, who had deposited the over-long bones in the freeze chambers which Morris had condemned as outrageous, had been relieved to hear Iola intended to clear the freeze chambers of the bones, the size of which had been embarrassing for them. Even though the quantity of bone in the chambers was neither their fault nor their responsibility, the amount of meat on, and the size of, the over-long bones were evidence of their malpractice.
Sycamore of the water vegetable growers came to see Iola concerning the tanks. “We have a large tank of watercress ready for harvest, but none in the kitchens will it now. Once mature the leafs yellow quickly so it needs to be harvested and uest. Raymond suggested may hap you could use it as you take all our duckweed.”
“How much is there, Sycamore?”
“It’s not easy to say, but may hap four of your twenty-five gallon kettles if packt down, but I suspect it will cook down to nigh on nothing.”
“I can use that. Have it delivered. I’ll make Cream of Watercress Soup, Salt Gris and Watercress Soup, Meatballs and Watercress Soup and Smokt Ide and Watercress Soup. They’ll all use the same base so I can put fifty gallons of each on at the same meal along with the three other soups.
The improvements in efficiency and goodwill generated by Iola’s simple seeming changes were profound. All the butchers now knew what ever it be they could give it to the cooks, Dabchick or Iola with no complaints from any. More significantly to them, it was now not just acceptable but desirable that they leave a reasonable amount of meat on the bones, which meant vertebrae were now as easy to deal with as long bones. They gave the meat cooks what they’d asked for and taekt the rest to Dabchick after informing Iola they were so doing. After Iola’s and Dabchick’s crafters removed what was required at the provisioners’ kitchens for processing, the butchers taekt the rest to Iola’s kitchens where Iola’s crafters removed what they wished and the butchers taekt what was left to the freeze chambers for Dabchick’s crafters under the eyes of Bluesher and her apprentice Greensward to organise.
There was no longer preservation of meat products taking place purely to avoid spoilage, and the saving in time meant the provisioners could make more of what was required, which would be quickly uest, mostly sausages and sayal,(25) of various kinds though minced meat flats, which were merely large meatballs pressed flat, were becoming increasingly popular. They were seen as a finely minced shallow fried version of rissoles. Rissoles were cooked in the oven and the flats directly on the top of a stove. When a boy, Russell had learnt how to link sausages in threes from his dad, and this unknown technique was much appreciated by the provisioners when he had shewn them how it was done, for it meant sausage could be hung from a hook in a cool chamber. The seamstresses had considered the crocheting of sausages, albeit using fingers rather than a hook, to be vastly amusing.
Spitt(26) sausage links and flaemt,(27) seasonen, mincet meat flats(28) became to be considered pleasing in soup rolls especially when cooked on the stoves in the Greathall at the dances. There was considerable speculation as to what they would be like cooked outside on the stalls’ open fires on Quarterday. It was not long before they were referred to as Spitt Link Rolls and Flaemt Flat Rolls. Eudes, to the surprise of all, had an open fire with a huge smoke canopy over it constructt in his kitchens in order to provide the Quarterday quality: slightly charred on the edges. Twice the size of a conventional kitchen stove, it burnt charcoal rather than wood, had a full size grill on the top that Knapps had maekt with bars of adjustable spacings and a removable wiedth thick steel plate to provide any desired degree of char. It also had a huge spit roasting capability and could so cook an entire aurochs carcass. It was not a new idea, the kitchens at the Huntsman’s Commons had had eight for centuries, but it was new in the refectory kitchens. It rapidly became accepted that a proper spitt link roll had to have three sausages, a link, in it. A normal siezt soup roll couldn’t accommodate a standard link, and a larger roll would be more than most could eat, so the provisioners maekt thin sausages, Roll Links for the purpose.
Hearing that Eudes was becoming creative, more coöperative and treating his crafters better, Adela said that he was growing up at last, Iola went to have spaech with him concerning the freezing of different offals separately and her cooking of the Lancashire Lobby. She’d asked if there were any offal he could use, be it however infrequently. Not wishing to offend someone he now knew all the managers thought highly of, and who had enforced coöperation from the butchers, some of who had been vociferously antagonistic to her office before being subsequently disciplined by Morris, he had explained, “I honestly don’t know, Iola. I have never cookt offal of any kind, though I have enjoyt it in pies and pasties buyt on Quarterday from the stalls. Do you have any suggestions for dishes we could start with on a small scale, so we can become uest to it before cooking a main meal for thousands? Regards the stew, I consider stews to be the concern of a number of offices including yours.”
Iola nodded at his remarks on stew and said, “You could offer grillt(29) small kidneys with the sausage and saltt gris when they’re servt at braekfast with eggs, there’s naught to become uest to, and there won’t be a large quantity available, but it will help. Slice the kidneys in half and grill or fry them or better yet put them in the oven with the other meat. They’d be good with slightly staelt bread slices fryt till crisp and lightly brownt with the gris fat too, which would help all go further and save crumbing the bread. I use large kidneys in soup, but I suspect they would not be as good to eat at braekfast as small ones, and they wouldn’t look as good on the plate. They have more core and take a bit more cooking, but try some by all means. Some kidneys can be a little strong, but I’ve read, after slicing, soaking in a little milk will solve that. I can use the milk afterwards in soup if you will.
“Fryt liver and onions, are easy. Slice the liver and the onions, how finely you have that done is a matter of taste, you’ll may hap have to discover what is liekt best, and fry the onions till just softent. Sear the liver in hot fat to seal it before cooking it through. I’ve never cookt liver other than in soup where I wish the flavour in the liquid, so I have it finely chopt, but I’ve read if you cook it slicet and don’t seal it the juices escape, and it can become tough and dry. Combine the cookt liver and onions with stock, you could use any kidney milk in that, heat through and thicken the stock with flour to a gravy. I suppose you would season to taste at that point. I’d have spaech with Spoonbill concerning the seasoning. Serve with masht starchroots or what ever is convenient. I’ve only ever read of it being done for four or six person, but it doesn’t seem difficult to scale for a few thousand.”
“The kidneys will indeed be easy to do, there’s no extra work involvt at all. I’ll have them cookt on the same trays as the fattier saltt gris. I’ll try some next time we have a fryt braekfast on the menu and the Fryt Bread too. I’ll just use small ones to start with and if they are appreciatet try some large ones in the future. The liver sounds good to me because I can’t see it taking more than half an hour to cook, which when we’re presst could ease things a bit. I’ll have to have spaech with Fulbert regards cooking the onions though. Gratitude for the ideas.”
The sorting and freezing of offal by type maekt life easer for the provisioners because as soon as there was an adequate quantity of something it left their charge to be cookt. Either, Iola taekt it for soup, or Eudes for liver and onions, which he served with mashed winteroot and kail for the eve meal, though many enjoyed mashed starchroot with the dish. Kidneys proven to be so popular at braekfast Dabchick sent the small ones straight to Eudes, they never went near the freeze chambers. It was only folk who were in the Refectory early for braekfast who had the opportunity to eat them. Wishing more kidney than was available from the small ones, Eudes sliced some large kidneys one forenoon to see how they were received. On being telt they were not as good he left them for Iola, and tried liver in their stead. Later on Iola’s suggestion, he sliced the outsides off the large kidneys, leaving the bulk with the cores for her to mince into soup, and none said aught. Seared in hot gris fat before cooking with the other meat, liver proven to be as successful at braekfast as the kidneys, Liver and Onions was nowhere near as popular a dish as Grillt Kidneys, Liver and Fryt Bread, but it was enjoyed by a significant minority of the Folk, and Eudes had been right, it did ease things for his pressed crafters.
Fulbert had been happy for Iola’s office to cook the Lancashire Lobby because it eased the pressure on his crafters being a complete main meal rather than a soup, and Iola’s suggestion of serving it with blötroot and redleaf30 that had been preserved in sourt wine had proven popular. Fulbert, who cooked and mashed the winteroot and cooked the kail, sent a pair of crafters to Eudes to help cook the onions when he hearet the liver and onions was an idea of Iola’s. Chile con Carne proved to be a popular dish, particularly with the ingeniators who crafted outside, and Iola had to have some specially maekt for her soup which was an instant success in mugs with the outside crafters who preferred drinking soup when outside rather than leaf.
Over all, meat was being dealt with better, naught was now going into store indefinitely. Coaltit’s crafters were pickling a wider variety and lager quantities of vegetables in sourt wine now because the Folk were requesting more, usually to accompany main meals oft at Iola’s suggestion. The provisioners had always produced Sourleaf(31) and a small number of other salt fermented pickles which were maekt with concentrated ocean brine. They had never been popular and had always been regarded by most as a food of the last resort when rationing and near starvation faced the Folk.
However, Iola’s suggestions had created an interest in pickles as accompaniments rather than main meal vegetables, and when Beatrix had casually askt Coaltit regarding dill pickles, which she had had to explain how to make, Coaltit had said, “We understand the technique, but have never applyt it to cumbers.(32) What else can be ocean pickelt, Beatrix? The reason I ask is because Burnet uses the wind to pump air through the seawater to produce the strong brine. As long as there’s wind the pumps work day and night too. If the air is dry it’s astonishing how quickly it reduces the water level. Brine is more readily available and less costly than sourt wine. Burnet produces two brines for us, the first is sea water reducet to half its fillth and the second reducet to a third of its fillth. Vegetables pickelt in the latter keep longer without going soft but are a little saltier.”
“Any vegetable matter I imagine. Whether it tastes good or not you’ll probably have to find out by doing it, but if you produce something that’s not too tasty I don’t doubt Iola will use it in something. Ask her.”
The Spicet Green Bean Soup which was in the receipt book as being maekt using salted beans(33) and minced flank of kine,(34) aurochs(35) or elk(36) had been maekt with winter-elk,(37) but it was all the trimmings the butchers sent to the provisioners including throat tubes and skirt as well as some flank. Some of the meat taekt Dabchick’s crafters longer to prepare for the soup than the flank, for it taekt time to strip the linings out of throat tubes, but she was unperturbed as the provisioners were no longer having to deal with and store odd bits and pieces and much more time was being saved elsewhere. Spoonbill had said the taste was the same as the previous version.
Like her first offering, Iola’s Pea Soup had been maekt with saltt gris ribs, a lot of dried green peas and a lesser quantity of fresh redroots as in the receipt book, but Dabchick now provided the ribs sliced out of saltt gris flitches as sheets of ribs the way Iola had prepared them. The provisioners had previously boned the flitches, a tedious, and time consuming task that oft caust accidents to impaired assistants, and then provided the soup makers with some of the meat, all the meat trimmings and the bones. Iola had said to Dabchick, “Just have one of your more able crafters slice the bones out all together and leave the meat between them. Send the lot to me with any trimmings and aught else you wish uest. It doesn’t have to be all saltt gris as long as most of it is. We’ll cook the sheets of bones apart and put as much pea to it as it will stand regardless of how much it makes. It’s a popular soup so it doesn’t matter if it’s on the menu every day for half a tenner, though I doubt it will last two days.” Not having to bone the flitches saved a lot of time, and being able to include small quantities of other materials saved even more. As with the spiced green bean soup Spoonbill had pronounced it to taste the same as maekt by the previous method.
Iola had subsequently remarked, “I would like to try something similar to pea soup but using dryt white bean, for Coaltit has a huge quantity of it. So far I’ve only uest it as a minor addition in pea soup. Have you any thinkings as to what kind of meat would go best with it, Dabchick?”
Dabchick, like Coaltit, was still not uest to being asked for her opinions on cooking matters, but she replied, “The bean isn’t as tasty as the pea, which is probably why Coaltit has so much. I doubt it would take the salt that pea will, but you would need something with a lot of taste, but not dryt nor smokt fish. That probably leaves you with sheep, goat or venison of some kind, but which ever you chose, chose older animals with stronger flavour, and if you have time to let us know in advance we’ll set some aside in one of the warmer cool chambers to age for you. Currently we’ve a good supply of goat, a limitet supply of sheep and virtually no venison though within a few days we may have a huge amount to deal with if the hunters on the other side of the river are successful. There are still some sheep to cull so you should be considering what you could do with those. You may like to use a bit more fat with the beans than the peas, but we’ve aplenty. We’re able to see some mammoth bones in the freeze chamber we’re emptying for you now the butchers have cutt and removt most of the oversiezt bones. Yarrow says the vertebrae will be visible soon. They probably have a lot of meat on them, a lot of fat and flavour too. If you will, I’ll have some apprentices ratch some out for you?”
“No. Gratitude, but not yet, Dabchick, just keep uncovering them as the bones are uest. Bethink you they would be good for the stock base for a bean soup?”
“Yes, I opine so, but you’ll only fit one, possibly two, in a kettle.”
Iola nodded and said, “I’ll shall let you know when I’m ready to try the bean soup. Gratitude, Dabchick.”
Gourd had been a minor ingredient in over two dozen soups, but with the willing aid of Spoonbill, a dozen different soups based on the gourd had been produced, all had been tasty and enjoyed, and few of the Folk had realised at least two of the four soups on offer for nearly two tenners had been based on gourd, and oft all four had contained gourd. Few outside the kitchens had been aware of the potential loss of so much food, but none within the kitchens was unaware of it. Milligan was delighted and recognised it was Iola’s willingth to coöperate, which was unusual in the kitchens as most cooks tended to be somewhat egocentric, which was achieving her success. Her collaborations with the storekeepers, the provisioners, the bakers and the butchers, her willingth to seek Spoonbill’s advice and the management style she, Adela, Parsley and Harle uest with her crafters were all contributing to her expanding power base within the kitchens as well as elevating the status of her crafters.
To the amusement of the significant crafters the firekeepers at Iola’s request maekt sure all of her stoves not in use were fuelled and ready for lighting given no notice at all which irritated some senior cooks who had to wait possibly an hour for a stove to be fuelled and lit. It wasn’t long before other senior cooks followed her lead in having their unuest stoves ready fuelled. It rapidly became clear to all that the firekeepers considered her requirements to be a priority. Her power base and its influence were things many junior cooks considerably older than she were beginning to envy. That they didn’t understand how she was achieving it and why young adults older than she were seeking placements with her was an unfailing source of amusement to Milligan.
At a meeting of the managers, Abigail telt the others she had overheard a junior cook remark bitterly to another, ‘She’s far above herself that one. You’d believe she were a manager the way she puts herself forward. Milligan needs a group of managers to run the kitchens, so she has to do the same just to make soup. She’s completely cozent Adela, Parsley and Harle. Her deputies indeed! I telt one of her assistants to fetch something for me lastday and she telt me with a smirk to ask one of our own crafters as she was busy and Iola had telt them not to craft for any other offices without her permission! But don’t worry Milligan’s no member of the flaught,(38) he’ll soon have the measure of her and put her and her crafters back in their place.’
When they all stopped laughing, Milligan remarked, “She’s certainly managing to stir up more than soup. I’m delightet to hear the junior cooks have so much confidence in my intelligence and perception. Now you mention it, Abigail, it is pleasing that the way I manage the kitchens has been endorst by someone who is upsetting the malcontents so much.” All the managers smiled at Milligan’s rather acute, if justifiably unforgiving, summary of what was happening in the kitchens.
Abigail added, “Wels of the dyers telt me Iola sent all the onion skins from her kitchens to him, so he went to offer gratitude. I doetn’t know, but white, yellow and brown skins give a yellow colour and red ones a green or brown colour and Iola sent them to him all separately boxt. In the stead of his crafters taking the peels from the onions grown for them and giving the onions to the Keep poultry crafters, he’s sent all that’s left of last year’s crop to the storekeepers for Iola to use and her crafters will send him the peels of all her crafters handle including those from all other alliums. This year he’s already instructt the growers to send all his onions direct to Coaltit and Iola again will send all allium skins to him. Iola acquires free onions and his crafters are savt the peeling and in addition receive all other allium skins. As before the skins ultimately are sent to the composters. He askt her what her could do for her in return and she telt him she willen her crafters’ aprons to be identifyable as such to prevent some of our less pleasant crafters taking clean aprons from them and leaving them with dirty ones. His crafters dye them for her in uest blanket dye at no cost which gives them that pale blue colour, but you’ll be delightet to hear that those aprons have caust problems for some.
“Two days before lastdaysince Iola confrontet Glint and Laurel both junior butchers and telt them, ‘You have a decision to make, either you return those aprons to the crafters you taekt them off with a humble apology in the next half hour, and it had better be humble, or you are dismisst pending Gibb’s enquiry into your disciplinary punishment for vaucht which I shall institute.’ The two startet to shout at her and denyt taking the aprons as she walkt away. She turnt and sayt, ‘Liars! Only my kitchens’ crafters use blue aprons. I have them specially dyen for us so bullies like you can’t oppress my crafters with impunity. You now have twenty-eight minutes left.’ They went to return the aprons and apologiest, but she telt them, ‘Not humble enough to avoid discipline.’ She assembelt her entire staff to witness their apologies. Glint and Laurel choekt on them, but they apologiest. She telt them they were not plumb enough crafters to be acceptable to her and receive a blue apron.’ Apparently some of the firekeepers telt the pair if they doetn’t wish the matter to be at an end they were willing to continue it too.”
Milligan said, “Terrible! Absolutely reprehensible! She clearly must be reprimandet for inciting threatening behaviour, but I assume you, like myself, Gibb are far too busy to spare the time for the foreseeable future?” The managers positively smirked at Milligan and Gibb as the latter nodded in agreement with Milligan.
Abigail continued, “ Too, she’s telt the foragers she wills at lest ten thousand weights of nettles and will accept two or three times that. She uest the last five hundred weights in Coaltit’s stores in her recent Kidney Colcannon soup. That was a popular soup and some of the growers have sayt they intend to plant a large plot with nettles out side the fences at the Growers’ Grounds, for the deer and the coneys never touch them. They say nettles will grow in poor soil with no attention and they can harvest them rapidly with a scythe and they will grow again from the roots over and over again giving may crops in a year. Coaltit has sayt that they are easy to freeze, keep well and are inexpensive compared with most vegetables and the healers say they are highly nutritious and especially beneficial early in the year. Iola has sayt that she knows of several long establisht reciepts that use them and can think of a dozen more at least.”
The managers all looked amazed, but Milligan smiled and said, “She truly does know how to make good soup.” He shrugged and added, “From almost anything.”
As a result of Iola’s dealings with Glint and Laurel, all in the kitchens, including the butchers she had been willing to confront, considered that Iola had enforced the skinning of the offcuts. Morris was aware of that, but other than advising Milligan, who knew of the rôle he had played in the incident, that Iola had been quite prepared, and he considered able, to face his entire staff down, and that he considered it best if all bar the managers were allowed to continue to believe she had done so, because it would minimise the number of occasions when she would have to do so in future, he held his peace. Morris considered Iola’s clearing of the freeze chambers of bones was correcting the deficiencies of their predecessors and her insistence that all offcuts be skinned by his staff and uest by hers meant both sets of crafters were better thought of, and Qvuine had sayt that the food she’d recorded on her last inventory had lasted noticeably longer than could have been expected and the wastage had been nigh to naught.
When Ashridge telt Milligan at the managers’ meeting the amount of material leaving the kitchens for the hens was less than half of what it had been and was still decreasing he had groaned and said, “Complaints from the animal husbanders, that’s all I need.” He had then reached into a cupboard for glasses and brandy, poured five glasses, and proposed, “Let us drink to scrawny hens.” His managers laught at that, but they drank to scrawny hens.
Index of significant characters so far listed by Chapter
1 Introduction
2 Jacques de Saint d’Espéranche
3 The Folk and the Keep
4 Hwijje, Travisher, Will
5 Yew, Allan, Rowan,Siskin, Will, Thomas, Merle, Molly, Aaron, Gareth, Oak, Abigail, Milligan, Basil, Vinnek, Iris, Margæt, Gilla, Alsike, Alfalfa, Gibb, Happith, Kroïn, Mako, Pilot, Briar, Gosellyn, Gren, Hazel
6 Chaunter, Waxwing, Flame, João, Clansaver, Irune, Ceël, Barroo, Campion, Limpet, Vlæna, Xera, Rook, Falcon, Cwm, Sanderling, Aldeia, Catarina, Coast, Elixabete
7 Mercedes, Spoonbill
8 Lyllabette, Yoomarrianna
9 Helen, Duncan, Gosellyn, Eudes, Abigail
10 George/Gage, Iris, Waverley, Belinda
11 Marc/Marcy, Pol
12 George/Gage, Marcy, Freddy/Bittern, Weyland, Iris, Bling
13 Thomas, Will, Mercedes, Llyllabette, Yoomarrianna
14 Kyle, Thomas, Will, Angélique
15 Mercedes, Morgelle, Gorse, Thrift, George/Gage, Chris, Iris, Thrift, Campion
16 Bling
17 Waverley, Mr. E
18 George/Gage, Larch, Mari, Ford, Gorse, Morgelle, Luke, Erin
19 Will, Pilot, Yew, Geoge/Gage, Mari, Ford, Gosellyn, Cwm, Cerise, Filbert, Gareth, Duncan, Helen, Thomas, Iris, Plume, Campion, Pim, Rook, Falcon, João, Hare
20 Yew, Rowan, Will, Thomas, Siskin, Weir, Grayling, Willow
21 Brook, Harrier, Cherry, Abby, Selena, Borage, Sætwæn, Fiona, Fergal
22 Yew, Thomas, Hazel, Rowan, Gosellyn, Siskin, Will, Lianna, Duncan
23 Tench, Knawel, Claire, Oliver, Loosestrife, Bramling, George, Lyre, Janice, Kæn, Joan, Eric
24 Luke, Sanderling, Ursula, Gervaise, Mike, Spruce, Moss
25 Janet, Vincent, Douglas, Alec, Alice
26 Pearl, Merlin, Willow, Ella, Suki, Tull, Irena
27 Gina, Hardy, Lilac, Jessica, Teal, Anna
28 Bryony, Judith, Bronwen, Farsight
29 Muriel, Raquel, Grace
30 Catherine, Crane, Snipe, Winifred, Dominique, Ferdinand
31 Alma, Allan, Morris, Miranda
32 Dabchick, Nigel
33 Raquel, Thistle, Agrimony, Benjamin, Ian, Phœbe
34 Eleanor, Woad, Catherine, Crane
35 Muriel, Hail, Joan, Breve, Eric, Nell, Mayblossom, Judith, Storm
36 Selena,Sætwæn, Borage, Grace, Gatekeeper, Raquel, Thistle
37 Siân, Mackerel, Winifred, Obsidian
38 Carla, Petrel, Alkanet, Ferdinand
39 Dominique, Oxlip, Alma, Allan, Tress, Bryony
40 Agrimony, Benjamin, Ian, Ella, Kestrel, Judith, Storm
41 Ella, Kestrel, Tress, Bryony, Tunn, Whin, Plane
42 Weights & Measures and Sunrise & Sunset Times included in Ch 41
43 Ella, Kestrel, Serenity, Smile, Gwendoline, Rook, Tress, Bryony, Tunn, Whin, Plane, Sapphire, Mere
44 Pearl, Merlin, Rainbow, Perch, Joan, Breve, truth, Rachael, Hedger, Ruby, Deepwater
45 Janet, Blackdyke, Janice, Kæn, Ursula, Oyster
46 Janet, Gina, Alastair, Joan, Breve, Truth, Bræth, Mayblossom, Judith, Storm
47 The Squad, Mercedes, Fen, Judith, Storm, Iola, Alwydd, Heidi, Rock, Stephanie, Matthew
48 Bronwen, Forest, Opal, Spice, Vincent, Kathleen, Niall, Bluebell, Sophie
49 Janice, Kæn, Ursula, Oyster, Imogen, Wryneck, Phœbe, Knapps
50 Erin, Nightjar, Eleanor, Woad
51 Gina, Jonas, Janet, Gerald, Patrick, Tansy, Craig, Barret, Ryan
52 Constance, Rye, Bling, Bullace, Berry, Jimmy, Leveret, Rory, Shelagh, Silas
53 Rachael, Hedger, Eve, Gilla, Mallard, Fiona, Fergal, Tinder, Nightingale, Fran, Dyker
54 Pamela, Mullein, Patricia, Chestnut, Lavinia, Ophæn, Catherine, Crane
55 Susan, Kingfisher, Janet, Gina, Jonas, Ruth, Kilroy, Judith, Storm, Iola, Alwydd, Heidi, Rock, Stephanie, Matthew
56 Gina, Jonas, Patricia, Chestnut, The Squad, Hazel, Janet, Blackdyke, Swift, Clover, Vetch, Mangel, Clary, Brendan
57 Erin, Nightjar, Xera, Josephine, Wels, Michelle, Musk, Swansdown, Tenor
58 Timothy, Axel, Nectar, Waverley,Yvette, Whitebear, Firefly, Farsight, Janet, Blackdyke, Swift, Clover, Vetch
59 Lilac, Firefly, Farsight, Lucinda, Gimlet, Leech, Janet, Blackdyke
60 Douglas, Lunelight, Yvette, Whitebear, Thrift, Haw, Harebell, Goosander, Judith, Storm, Iola, Alwydd, Heidi, Rock, Stephanie, Matthew, Matilda, Evan, Heron
61 Brendan, Clary, Chloë, Apricot, Llyllabette, Yoomarrianna, Otis, Harry, Gimlet, Leech, Jodie
62 Gimlet, Leech, Lark, Seth, Charles, Bruana, Noah, Kirsty, Shirley, Mint, Kevin, Faith, Oak, Lilly, Jason, Gem, Ellen
63 Honesty, Peter, Bella, Abel, Kell, Deal, Siobhan, Scout, Jodie
64 Heather, Jon, Anise, Holly, Gift, Dirk, Lilac, Jasmine, Ash, Beech, Ivy, David
65 Sérent, Dace, Opal, Spice, Vincent, Clarissa, Gorse, Eagle, Frond, Diana, Gander, Gyre, Tania, Alice, Alec
66 Suki, Tull, Buzzard, Mint, Kevin, Harmony, Fran, Dyker, Joining the Clans, Pamela, Mullein, Mist, Francis, Kristiana, Cliff, Patricia, Chestnut, Timothy, Axel, Nectar, Waverly, Tarragon, Edrydd, Louise, Turnstone, Jane, Mase, Cynthia, Merle, Warbler, Spearmint, Stonecrop
67 Warbler, Jed, Fiona, Fergal, Marcy, Wayland, Otday, Xoë, Luval, Spearmint, Stonecrop, Merle, Cynthia, Eorle, Betony, Smile
68 Pansy, Pim,Phlox, Stuart, Marilyn, Goth, Lunelight, Douglas, Crystal, Godwit, Estelle, Slimlyspoon, Lyre, George, Damson, Lilac
69 Honesty, Peter, Abel, Bella, Judith, storm, Matilda, Evean, Iola, Heron, Mint, Kevin, Lilac, Happith, Gloria, Peregrine
70 Lillian, Tussock, Modesty, Thyme, Vivienne, Minyet, Ivy, David, Jasmine, Lilac, Ash, Beech
71 Quartet & Rebecca, Gimlet & Leech, The Squad, Lyre & George, Deadth, Gift
72 Gareth, Willow, Ivy, David, Kæna,Chive, Hyssop, Birch, Lucinda, Camomile, Meredith, Cormorant, Whisker, Florence, Murre, Iola, Milligan, Yarrow, Flagstaff, Swansdown, Tenor, Morgan, Yinjærik, Silvia, Harmaish, Billie, Jo, Stacey, Juniper
73 The Growers, The Reluctants, Miriam, Roger, Lauren, Dermot, Lindsay, Scott, Will, Chris, Plume, Stacey, Juniper
74 Warbler, Jed, Veronica, Campion, Mast, Lucinda, Cormorant, Camomile, Yellowstone
75 Katheen, Raymnd, Niall, Bluebe, Sophie, Hazel, Ivy, Shadow, Allison, Amber, Judith, Storm Alwydd, Matthew, Beatrix, Jackdaw, The Squad, Elders, Jennt, Bronze, Maeve, Wain, Monique, Piddock, Melissa, Roebuck, Aaron, Carley Jade, Zoë, Vikki, Bekka, Mint, Torrent
76 Gimlet, Leech, Gwendoline, Georgina, Quail. Birchbark, Hemlock, Peter, Honesty, Bella, Hannah, Aaron, Torrent, Zoë, Bekka, Vikki, Jade, Carley, Chough, Anvil, Clematis, Stonechat, Peace, Xanders, Gosellyn, Yew, Thomas, Campion, Will, Iris, Gareth
77 Zoë, Torrent, Chough, Stonechat, Veronica, Mast, Sledge, Cloudberry, Aconite, Cygnet, Smokt
78 Jed, Warbler, Luval, Glaze, Seriousth, Blackdyke, Happith, Camilla
79 Torrent, Zoë, Stonechat, Clematis, Aaron, Maeve, Gina, Bracken, Gosellyn, Paene, Veronica, Mast, Fracha, Squid, Silverherb
80 George/Gage, Niall, Alwydd, Marcy/Beth, Freddy/Bittern, Wayland, Chris, Manic/Glen, Guy, Liam, Jed, Fergal, Sharky
81 The Squad, Manic/Glen, Jackdaw, Beatrix, Freddy/Bittern, Fiona, Fergal, Wayland, Jade, Stonechat, Beauty, Mast, Veronica, Raven, Tyelt, Fid
82 Gimlet, Leech, Scentleaf, Ramsom, Grouse, Aspen, Stonechat, Bekka, Carley, Vikki, Morgelle, Bistort, Fritillary, Jed, Warbler, Spearmint, Alwydd, Billie, Diver, Seal, Whitethorn
83 Alastair, Carrom, Céline, Quickthorn, Coral, Morgelle, Fritillary, Bistort, Walnut, Tarragon, Edrydd, Octopus, Sweetbean, Shrike, Zoë, Torrent, Aaron, Vinnek, Zephyr, Eleanor, Woad, George/Gage, The Squad, Ingot, Yellowstone, Phthalen, Will
84 Morgelle, Bistort, Fritillary, Alsike, Campion, Siskin, Gosellyn, Yew, Rowan, Thomas, Will, Aaron, Dabchick, Nigel, Tuyere
85 Jo, Knott, Sallow, Margæt, Irena, Tabby, Jade, Phthalen, Yumalle, Stonechat, Spearmint, Alwydd, Seriousth, Warbler, Jed, Brett, Russel, Barleycorn, Crossbill, Lizo, Hendrix, Monkshood, Eyrie, Whelk, Gove, Gilla, Faarl, Eyebright, Alma, axx, Allan, daisy, Suki, Tull
86 Cherville, Nightshade, Rowan, Milligan, Wayland, Beth, Liam, Chris, Gage
87 Reedmace, Ganger, Jodie, Blade, Frœp, Mica, Eddique, Njacek, Whiteout, Sandpiper, Serin, Cherville, Nightshade, peregrine, Eleanor, Woad, Buzzard, Silas, Oak, Wolf, Kathleen, Reef, Raymond, Sophie, Niall, Bluebell
88 Cloud, Sven, Claudia, Stoat, Thomas, Aaron, Nigel, Yew, Milligan, Gareth, Campion, Will, Basil, Gosellyn, Vinnek, Plume
89 Llyllabette, Yoomarrianna, Silverherb, Cloudberry, Smokt, Skylark, Beatrix, Beth, Amethyst, Mint, Wayland, Bittern, Fiona, Fergal, Joan, Bræth, Nell, Milligan, Iola, Ashdell, Alice, Molly, Rill, Briar
90 Morgelle, Tuyere, Bistort, Beth, Beatrix, Sanderling, Falcon, Gosellyn, Gage, Will, Fiona, Jackdaw, Wayland, Merle, Cynthia, Jed, Warbler
91 Morgelle, Tuyere, Fritillary, Bistort, Jed, Otday, The Squad, Turner, Gudrun, Ptarmigan, Swegn, Campion, Otis, Asphodel, Jana, Treen, Xeffer, Stonechat, Bekka, Vikki, Carley, Beatrix, Jackdaw
92 Turner, Otday, Mackerel, Eorl, Betony, The Council, Will, Yew, Basil, Gerald, Oier, Patrick, Happith, Angélique, Kroïn, Mako
93 Beth, Greensward, Beatrix, Odo, Morgelle, Tuyere, Bistort, Otday, Turner, Gace, Rachael, Groundsel, Irena, Warbler, Jed, Mayblossom, Mazun, Will, The Squad
94 Bistort, Honey, Morgelle, Basil, Willow, Happith, Mako, Kroïn, Diana, Coaltit, Gær, Lavinia, Joseph (son), Ruby, Deepwater, Gudrun, Vinnek, Tuyere, Otday, Turner
95 Turner, Otday, Waverly, Jed, Tarse, Zoë, Zephyr, Agrimony, Torrent, Columbine, Stonechat, Bekka, Vikki, Carley, The Council, Gage, Lilly
96 Faith, Oak, Lilly, Fran, Suki, Dyker, Verbena, Jenny, Bronze, Quietth, Alwydd, Evan, Gage, Will, Woad, Bluebell, Niall, Sophie, Wayland, Kathleen, Raymond, Bling, Bittern
97 Jade, Phthalen, Yumalle, Margæt, Tabby, Larov, Morgelle, Tuyere, Bistort, Fritillary, Brmling, Tench, Knawel, Loosestrife, Agrimony, Jana, Will, Gale, Linden, Thomas, Guelder, Jodie, Peach, Peregrine, Reedmace, Ganger, The Council, Faith, Oak, Lilly, Ellen, Gem, Beth, Geän
98 Turner, Otday, Anbar, Bernice, Silverherb, Havern, Annalen
99 Kæna, Chive, Ivy, David, Birch, Suki, Hyssop, Whitebeam, Jodie, Ganger, Reedmace, Whiteout, Sandpiper, Catherine, Braid, Maidenhair, Snowberry, Snipe, Lærie, Morgelle, Tuyere, Bistort, Fritillary, Ælfgyfu, Jennet, Cattail, Guy, Vikki, Buckwheat, Eddique, Annabelle, Fenda, Wheatear, Bram, Coolmint, Carley, Dunlin
100 Burdock, Bekka, Bram, Wheatear, Cranberry, Edrian, Gareth, George, Georgina, Quail, Birchbark, Hemlock, Bramling, Tench, Knawel, Turner, Otday, Ruby, Deepwater, Barleycorn, Russel, Gareth, Plantain, Gibb, Lizo, Thomas, Mere, Marten, Hendrix, Cuckoo, Campion, Gage, Lilly, Faith
101 Theresa, Therese, Zylanna, Zylenna, Cwm, Ivy, David, Greenshank, Buzzard, Zeeëend, Zrina, Zlovan, Torrent, Alastair, Céline, Meld, Frogbit, Midnight, Wildcat, Posy, Coral, Dandelion, Thomas, Lizo, Council
102 Beth, Beatrix, Falcon, Gosellyn, Neil, Maple, Mouse, Ember, Goose, Blackcap, Suede, Gareth, Robert, Madder, Eider, Campion, Crossbill, Barleycorn, George, Céline, Midnight, Alastair, Pamela, Mullein, Swager, Msrgæt, Sturgeon, Elliot, Jake, Paris, Rosebay, Sheridan, Gælle, Maybells, Emmer, Beauty, Patricia, Chestnut, Irena, Moor
103 Steve, Limpet, Vlæna, Qorice, Crossbow, Dayflower, Flagon, Gareth, Næna, Stargazer, Willow, Box, Jude, Nathan, Ryland, Eller, Wæn, Stert, Truedawn, Martin, Campion, Raspberry
104 Coolmint, Valerian, Vikki, Hawfinch, Corncrake, Speedwell, Cobb, Bill, Gary, Chalk, Norman, Hoopoe, Firkin, Gareth, Plover, Willow, Dewberry, Terry, Squill, Campion, Tracker, Oak, Vinnek,
105 Council, Thomas, Pilot, Vinnek, Dale, Luca, Almond, Macus, Skua, Cranesbill, Willow, Campion, Georgina, Osprey, Peter, Hotsprings, Fyre, Jimbo, Saxifrage, Toby, Bruana, Shirley, Kirsty, Noah, Frost, Gareth, Turner, Otday, Eorl, Axle, Ester, Spile, David, Betony
106 Jodie, Sunshine, Ganger, Peach, Spikenard, Scallop, Hobby, Pennyroyal, Smile, Otday, Turner, Janet, Astrid, Thistle, Shelagh, Silas, Basalt, Suki, Robert, Madder, Steve, Bekka, Cowslip, Swansdown, Susan, Aqualegia, Kingfisher, Carley, Syke, Margæt, Garnet, Catkin, Caltforce, Council, Thomas, Briar, Yew, Sagon, Joseph, Gareth, Gosellyn, Campion, Will, Qvuine, Aaron, Siskin, Jasmine, Tusk, Lilac, Ash, Beech, Rebecca, Fescue
107 Helen, Duncan, Irena, Scent, Silk, Loosestrife, Tench, Knawel, Bramling, Grebe, Madder, Robert, Otter, Luval, Honey, Beth, Beatrix, Falcon, Amethyst, Janet, Lilac, Jasmine, Ash, Beech, Fiona, Blackdyke, Bittern, George, Axel, Oak, Terry, Wolf, Vinnek, Dittander, Squill, Harmony, Jason, Lyre, Iola, Heron, Yew, Milligan, Alice, Crook, Eudes, Abigail, Gibb, Melanie, Storm, Annabelle, Eddique, Fenda, Lars, Reedmace, Jodie, Aaron, Nigel, Thomas Will
108 Aldeia, Coast, Chris, Wayland, Liam, Gage, Fiona, Fergal, Beth, Greensward, Jackdaw, Warbler, Jed, Guy, Bittern, Spearmint, Alwydd, Storm, Judith, Heidi, Iola, heron, Beatrix, Harle, Parsley, Fledgeling, Letta, Cockle, Puffin, Adela, Gibb, Coaltit, Dabchick, Morris, Lucimer, Sharky, Rampion, Siskin, Weir, Alsike, Milligan, Gosellyn, Wolf, campion, Gareth, Aaron, Nigel, Geoffrey, Will, Roebuck, Yew
109 George, Lyre, Iola, Milligan, Gibb, Adela, Wels, Francis, Weir, Cliff, Siward, Glæt, Judith, Madder, Briar, Axel, Molly, Coaltit, Dabchick, Bluesher, Qvuine, Spoonbill, Ashridge, Morris
110 Nectar, Cattail, Molly, Floatleaf, Timothy, Guy, Judith, Briar, Axel, Storm, Beatrix, Iola, Coaltit, Siward, Cockle, Gibb, Lune, Manchette, Gellica, Dabchick, Morris, Sycamore, Eudes, Fulbert, Abigail, Milligan, Ashridge
Word Usage Key
Some commonly used words are below. Replace th on end of words with ness and t with d or ed and most of the rest are obvious if sounded out aloud. Some words with n or en on the end can be easily understood if the n is replaced by a d. Only difficult words and words that do not exist in English are now referred to specifically.
Agreän(s), those person(s) one has marital agreement with, spouse(s).
Bethinkt, thought.
Braekt, broke.
Cousine, female cousin.
Doet, did. Pronounced dote.
Doetn’t, didn’t. Pronounced dough + ent.
Findt, found,
Goen, gone
Goent, went.
Grandparents. In Folk like in many Earth languages there are words for either grandmother and grandfather like granddad, gran, granny. There are also words that are specific to maternal and paternal grandparents. Those are as follows. Maternal grand mother – granddam. Paternal grandmother – grandma. Maternal grandfather – grandfa. Paternal grandfather – grandda.
Heartfriend, a relationship of much more significance than being a girl- or boy-friend is on Earth. Oft such relationships are formed from as young as four and they are taken seriously by both children and adults. A child’s heartfriend is automatically one of their heartfriend’s parents’ children too, and a sibling to their heartfriend’s siblings. Such relationships rarely fail and are seen as precursors to becoming intendet and having agreement.
Intendet, fiancée or fiancé.
Knoewn, knew.
Lastdaysince, the day before yesterday.
Loes, lost.
Maekt, made.
Nextdaynigh, the day after tomorrow.
Sayt, said.
Seeën, saw.
Taekt, took.
Telt, told.
Uest, used.
1 Mazuns, masons.
2 Leet, an artificial watercourse supplying water to a mill wheel from a mill pond or a mill dam.
3 Tail race, an oft artificial waterway that carries water away from the mill wheel, usually back to the river whence the water was diverted.
4 Runner, the rotating upper stone of a pair of millstones. The lower stone is the bedstone.
5 Vat, the housing in which mill stones run. The vat controls flour dust emission and guides the milled product to where it is required.
6 Starchroots, floury potatoes. Waxy potatoes are referred to as waxroots, though the distinction is neither absolute nor always adhered to.
7 Sipps, croûtons.
8 Keld, a seafish somewhat like the cod, Gadus morhua. Kels is much preserved by saltting as here and smoking.
9 Furless task, a futile task as is one for one wearing no furs crafting in the open in extreme calt. Equivalent to a fruitless or bootless task in English.
10 Caseless, skinless.
11 Ashet, a large oval serving plate.
12 Mercyfruit, Capsicum annuum, hot pepper or chile.
13 Bellfruit, Capsicum annuum, sweet pepper.
14 Loveapple, small hardy tomato.
15 Greenleaf, spring greens or collards. Many plants are so called only some of which are brassicas.
16 Males, testes.
17 Longths, penises. Unlike hardth which implies an erect penis the word longth carries no such implication.
18 Melt, spleen.
19 Sweetbreads, thymus glands and pancreas.
20 Redroot, carrot.
21 Gris, feral/wild swine.
22 Clansaver, a ubiquitous, nutritious and tender variety of ocean leaf [edible seaweed] with little taste of its own which readily absorbs other flavours, oft uest as a meat extender.
23 Ocean leaf, collective term for edible seaweeds.
24 Winteroot, swede, Swedish
25 Sayal, meatloaf, usually heavily herbed
26 Spitt, spitted, past tense of spit, as in spit roasted.
27 Flaemt, flamed, flame cooked, or barbecued.
28 Mincet meat flats, essentially burgers.
29 Grillt, grilled or broiled which would be broilt in Folk if they uest the verb to broil.
30 Redleaf, red cabbage.
31 Sourleaf, essentially sauerkraut, but maekt with a wide variety of leafy vegetables. The salt aids anaerobic bacteria to turn sugars to lactic acid which preserves the vegetables and denies spoilage bacteria the sugars.
32 Cumbers, cucumbers.
33 Green bean, Phaseolus coccineus, runner bean. Here preserved by salting.
34 Kine, cattle.
35 Aurochs, Bos primigenius. The ancestor of domestic cattle now extinct on Earth. The singular is aurochs with the terminal s. The plural is either the older aurochsen, or the more modern aurochs.
36 Elk, Alces alces, referred to as Moose in some parts of Earth.
37 Winter-elk, Megaloceros giganteus known variously on Earth as Irish elk, giant deer and Irish giant deer. Not a true elk and large Castle specimens can reach 1000 weights, [2000 pounds, 1000 Kg]. Some of the Folk refer to them as giant elk.
38 The flaught, the foolish.
