Dansfield
Dansfield - Veiled Farm Village
From the notes of Edwin Pilori, auditor and scribe in service to the Earl of Durham, concerning his visit to the town of Dansfield in the summer of 1210
While I have done an official and thorough accounting of all of my lord’s investments and assets in the rebuilt town of Dansfield, I felt a more descriptive touch was needed. Herein you will find a basic description of the newly rebuilt town of Dansfield and some of its more interesting landmarks and inhabitants.
Basic Description: Traveling by cart, Dansfield can be found roughly four hours travel north of Durham, straddling a particularly narrow bend in the River Wear. The fens and marshes found in other areas along the river are absent – replaced by verdant fields well fed by years of diligent farming and irrigation. It is easy to see why our lord the Earl would choose to rebuild the small farming town. And rebuilt it they have! Under the supervision of that Houser fellow, the carpenters and masons have constructed a fine little town, and all under the budget I had originally anticipated.
A small stone bridge, barely one cart wide, connects the two banks of the River Wear and carries the main road of Dansfield through the center of town. Beyond the main town area, there are several farmsteads with newly rebuilt housing. Twenty-families work the land surrounding the small township, supplying our lord with much needed grains for the rest of the county.
Notable Structures
Oakfell Tavern - Theo has told me that a giant oak once stood where the Tavern now stands. It barely survived the savage attack that destroyed the town in October of 1208, and the old oak was beginning to dry and wither by the time he had returned. He and some of the men felled the tree and used the wood from its boughs and trunk to form most of the Tavern and surrounding buildings.
The tavern itself is moderately sized with homely feel. One small hearth heats the main room, which could seat fifty comfortably if needed. The tavern sports a modest kitchen and a sizeable root cellar. Most common sundry items can be bought by the townsfolk here for a reasonable price. The common rooms attached housed many of the laborers while they were here, and could easily accommodate twenty such peasants again if needed.
Burnbriar Church - The church of Dansfield was the only town left standing when my lord sent the peasants to rebuild, and only the carved stone of the foundation and the lower walls remained intact. Though the interdict stands, the Houser along with the other folk were adamant about rebuilding the structure and set to it shortly after the tavern and common house were up. There was some burnt vines and such on one wall of the building and one of the carpenters children named it burnbriar. The name stuck, and can even be found etched into the northeast cornerstone of the building, though a new thorny cropping has since grown over that edge of the building.
Notable Persons
Theo Houser - Though Dansfield has no official magistrate as of yet, Houser definitely has the respect of the people of the town. He has a genuine way with the people, and as one of the few surviving members of the original township, a connection to the land and its history that the others lack. He is also educated and scholarly – the records show that he is related to a noble line, though his grandfather lost their title over a dispute with an unnamed lord. Apparently his own father made sure that the lessons he learned were passed on to Theo.
A very likable fellow, I find that I must constantly remind myself that he has a somewhat sordid history. An emotionally charged attack on the Earl is still an act that would have been punishable by death if our lord so wished. However, the Earl in his benevolence and wisdom saw Theo’s worth and “punished him” with the task of rebuilding the town and making it even more productive than before.
I asked him about these unlawful actions once and he just shook his head, looking at the ground and said, “I was a fool of a boy, wrapped up in my loss, taking it out on the wrong man. I’m lucky he took pity on me.”
Gabrielle and Joseph Stinman – This jovial young couple runs the Oakfell Tavern and ensures that the town is well supplied with anything it may need. Both hail from modest merchant families in the city of Durham, and relocated to Dansfield with their wedding inheritance to start out on their own. With their family connections in Durham, the two have been able to get all but the most exotic items for sell or trade with others in the growing town, and because of this, have made fast friends with most of the other farmers and laborers. It should also be noted that Gabrielle’s mincemeat pie is divine!
Gregory Erholdt – Though obviously a foreigner, and quite an odd fellow, Erholdt has been an invaluable service to Dansfield. According to Theo, the feeble looking old man arrived in the first few weeks of rebuilding, offering his services as a physician and alchemist. Since then he has cured the townsfolk of many ails, large and small, and garnered their respect because of it. Though he speaks very little of his homeland, his contributions to the town and his timely tax payments keep him in good standing with our lord.
The heads of some of the larger farming families along with Theo and the Joseph Stinman have formed a kind of council for any issues that arise and seem to be doing a decent job of managing the growth of Dansfield, though I daresay they will need a proper government before too long. If the Earl wishes, I would like to return to this place in a years time to check on the growth of the town, the quality of the crops and appoint a magistrate if one hasn’t been found by then. I fully expect the area to be one of the top producers for the Earls granaries and a prime investment in the future of Durham.
