One good bit of news emerged; as the water dissolved in the north, a modest deposit of salt had been found that exceeded the people’s needs. Salt was a valuable commodity in Holland which sent fleets of ships to Portugal each year to being home this needed commodity used to preserve fish. Any excess could be shipped to towns and cities along the coast and provide a new source of income. A smaller dyke built perpendicularly to the first, would easily protect this asset, allowing the uncovered deposit to be easily mined. The biggest problem Lord Derick faced would be to convince a weary population to labor for at least another two years with little immediate gratification in sight. The Lord would have to publicly answer the questions about re-distribution to his trodden but independent people if he wanted to revive spirits and again receive their enthusiastic support. He immediately ordered whatever surplus food stores were available at the castle to be distributed to the people to lessen the annual July shortages of food. He hoped this gift would rebuild the people’s physical strength and bolster their morale. He dispatched men to the coast to purchase Baltic grain and other food supplies to feed the people at a second wedding feast to be held locally in celebration of his son’s marriage. At the event he would talk with his people about the challenges they faced together. He also knew the population would want to know how and to whom the new land would be awarded. The agricultural system in the Droger Land was far different from the usual system of lords and serfs throughout medieval Europe. His farmers were free men and needed to be treated with respect. Most owned individual parcels of lands originally laid out in the Roman fashion of almost square shaped self contained plots. Each farm commonly consisted of a home, a stable, a vegetable garden and three easily identified fields, and over the centuries these proud farm families had built make-shift fences around the perimeter of their holdings defining ownership. A farm family would sow a wheat crop in one field in the winter. In springtime a second field would be sowed with another cereal crop, but recently this second crop too often failed in the heavy rains brought about by the unusual number of late summer storms. The third field would always lie crop-free for a year, allowing the soil to gather strength for the next planting as was the custom in the Middle Ages.
Farming itself was not as demanding as it is today and the yield from those parcels had been enough to provide for a smaller population. Because of inheritance, many of the farmer’s plots became smaller and families larger. The entire population of the Droger Land had grown during Europe’s warming period. The Black Plagues had only temporarily slowed that growth. On the Baron’s land, the physical layout of farms was similar but each was worked by a tenant farmer and his family. He was also a free man, who paid the Lord for the use of the land with a slightly higher percentage of its crops. Over time, these farms too became smaller as the size of the tenant families grew and the plots were divided among members who had gallantly served the van Weir family. These farmers were less independent than those who owned their own land. Prior to the formation of Jacobus’ cavalry unit, most of the realm’s archers and men-at-arms were the later born sons of these tenant farmers, whose families were rewarded for their services. The great lord knew his tenant farmers also must be included fairly in any distribution.
While Derick pondered the best way to re-energize his people, the most disheveled monk he had ever seen, appeared at his doorstep. The Regent’s gift had finally arrived after walking all the way from Brussels. His robe and skullcap were covered with every bit of dust he had encountered on his journey. The Monk also carried an open leather bag filled with samples of plants he collected along the way. The scruffy man tried to introduce himself as Monk Jarvis, the lord’s new gardener, but an agitated Lord Derick silenced him. “I don’t need a gardener; I need the mad monk I’ve heard about, the one who can teach my farmers to grow more food.” He quickly ordered one of his soldiers to see that the monk got a bath; some clean clothes and see to it personally that he arrived promptly for the mid-day meal.
Beer, the tea of those times was consumed at every meal and was much safer than water which sometimes came from tainted streams and wells and sometimes caused a host of illnesses. The brew of the Droger Land was notoriously bad because of the area’s lack of quality hops grown locally. The Monk’s first sip of beer at the Baron’s table, told him he could benefit his new lord by growing a better grade of hops for the brewing process. Almost audaciously, Jarvis told the Baron that he had just tasted the worst beer in the Low Countries but more important to Lord Derick, he was able to explain how the flavor of local brew could be improved. Monk Jarvis thought the best beer in the entire world was brewed in Amsterdam because the best hops on earth grew just outside the city. According to Jarvis, God had blessed that dark soil with the rich nutrients needed to sustain the hops through their growing cycles and fortified them with taste. He felt the warm sea breeze from the Zuider Zee, a shallow lake which now ran to the North Sea, nurtured each plant as the buds grew into maturity. He said it also helped that the city’s brewers kept their containers clean and used only water from the deepest wells to mix with high quality rye grain. The monk said he had heard of Polish mariners who decided to settle permanently in Amsterdam, knowing if they left; they would never again taste such a wondrous brew because of the impossibility of transporting beer the great distance to their homeland. Jarvis also told Derick that Hospitaller knights imported great quantities of the same brew from Amsterdam because they thought it added muscle rather than weight to their body frames, something Lucas had mentioned previously about his experiences at the warrior monks school. The Baron smiled knowing that the local beer was not as foul tasting as the Monk describe but was aware that it lacked the flavor of the delicious beer he had also tasted in Amsterdam. Derick would forever remain skeptical that any brew could add size to anything but a man’s stomach. Yet this conversation about beer opened the way for a day long dialogue that centered on the agrarian problems of the realm.
It soon became clear to Derick that the Monk believed that an industrious farmer and an appropriate use of the land were the key elements to agricultural success. As the conversation progress, Derick became convinced this monk was much more wise than crazy. That night, Derick, Kryk and the monk studied both maps of the domain. In the morning, escorted by two sheriffs, the monk began a week long journey that would take him to both sites of reclaimed land and to every existing farm. At each farm location he spoke with farmers and took scrupulous notes. Upon his return he spent days behind closed doors going over maps and measurements with the surveyor. He used his observations, the surveyor’s measurements and tax records to rate the productivity of every farm family. After studying the Monk’s findings, the Baron agreed that the chance to cultivate the new land must be given to the most productive farmers. It would prove to be a wise decision. Lord Jacobus’ arrival with his attractive new bride caused a pleasant stir among the people who were feeling more content since the Baron had supplemented their rations. Despite the couple’s fatigue from the journey, they were dispatched each day to visit different parts of the realm to introduce Lady Hester and mix with the population. Lord Jacobus used these daily trips as an opportunity to visit the men who rode with him at Vroonen. The couple was instructed to tell people that the Great Lord had finalized a plan for the new land and he would share it with them on the final day of their wedding celebration.
Lord Derick spared no expense to make those local festivities last forever in the memories of not only the couple, but in the hearts of the entire population. He not only provided a more than adequate amount of food for the people, but taking the Monk’s rant at face value, he ordered a barge load of beer from Amsterdam. For three days, his subjects appreciated the tasty beer from Amsterdam and the score of minstrels and jugglers Theodore also hired to entertain them. On the last day, in the crowded main room of the castle, he met with the patriarchs of every farm family and other prominent persons such as the magistrate and members of the town estate. The
festive occasion was about to turn very serious as the Baron began speaking.
The Baron Derick van Weir, Great Lord of the Droger Land, moved toward the center of his castle’s grand hall so all could hear and he said to the assembled multitude “I am your Lord, not a storyteller or a speechmaker.” He continued, “At the dawn of civilization, the very first Great Lord of this Land, my ancestor, took this land with his sword. At the time he made a pact with the original gods to become a good steward of the earth and those ancient gods promised our family, if we remained yeoman stewards, we would hold this place for eternity. At the same time a few handfuls of his brave Roman and Germanic soldiers and a few local women pledged fidelity to him as Lord and promised to share the task of stewardship so they too could reap the benefits of the soil. Every one of you in this room is a direct descendent of those brave men and women who settled here. Their children’s children, your forefathers and my bloodline have protected our sacred soil for nearly fifteen hundred years, always keeping our covenant with those ancient gods. Even after the first five hundred years, when Christianity came to this land, the lord and the people rejuvenated the same pledge to our Lord Jesus Christ, that we would continue to be master stewards of this land and the true God, Jesus Christ, allowed us to prosper for the another thousand years with prompting from our former deities.”
At this point, the Baron paused, smiled and said, “I don’t know if the early gods or even Jesus, the son of the living God, recognized how much you and your ancestors loved to make children.” Those assembled laughed and applauded and shouts of “Aye My Lord!” could be heard throughout the room. It was at this point that Derick pulled back a curtain to reveal the map of the Droger Land with each family’s plot of land clearly inscribed. The farmers were mesmerized, for many had never seen a map and certainly not a representation of their land holdings on paper. In twos and threes they filed to the front of the room for a closer look. Those who could make sense of the map helped others to distinguish their farms. Sometimes the surveyor, Hans Kryk, pointed out specific farms when an entire group had trouble recognizing their property. The Baron waited patiently for all to see their land depicted on the map and began again.
“As you can see we now have hundreds of farms where only a few dozen existed at the beginning of our time. Some yield great amounts of crops and some do not. Some are of adequate size and some are not. Some of our farmers work quite hard and some work less hard than others. Some of the larger farms produce small yields, while some of the smaller plots produce great harvests. I know that many of you have farms that are too small to have a bountiful harvest, despite the best effort of yourselves and your families. This is the dilemma I face, as your Lord, in distributing the new land. We need this land to grant a bounty of food for your families and the people in our town who provide vital services to all.”
The room was totally quiet as the Baron gestured for another curtain to open. It showed the new land divided in large plots for farms with an FF or VW identifying each new individual plot and even showing the fish hook shape strand of islands divided into sizable farm sites. Derick began again, “Those plots identified with an FF, which is three-fifths of the total, more than half, will be awarded to free farm families. Those plots with a VW, the remaining two-fifths, less than half, will be owned by my family but the right to till the land will be awarded to our existing tenant farmers.”
“As your Lord, I will see to it that on each of these new farms, a house will be framed and roofed at my expense. In the south where the land will be sowed with grain and other crops, a sizable shed will also be framed. In the north, it will be barns capable of storing fodder and protecting livestock from extreme weather. On the islands we will frame other appropriate structures. Those awarded farms will be expected to finish each framed structure. Once a family takes possession of their new farm, they would be expected to demolish their old farm and fences so the land could be divided among their most industrious neighbors making their farms larger and more productive.” He continued: “Monk Jarvis, who is new to the realm and has no favorites among any men, has prepared a list of our existing free and tenant farms, ranking farm productivity based on measurements, observations and taxes. It is but a preliminary document: farm production in the next two years will weigh heavily in my final decision on awarding new farms and additional land but this list is but a place to begin. Each of you may visit the good Monk who will share privately your present ranking and ways you may increase your standing and the opportunity to receive a new farm or increase your present holdings during the next two planting seasons.”
“One other most important change regarding land, from this day forward, a farm may never again be divided for any reason. One and only one member of your family may inherit the whole of your land, though all members of your family are still welcome to live and work and enjoy the bounty but only one family member may inherit ownership of the farm itself. We have learned the hard way that a true farm must have size to be productive.”
The Lord then directed his words to the representatives from the town. “The hard work in the north has allowed us to uncover deposits of salt which have commercial value. We will begin to ship salt, in excess of our own needs, to cities and towns for profit. Three-fifths of those profits, more than half, will be given directly to the town estate to spend in any way they see fit as a reward for the town’s labor. The occupants of the new land will also pay a small increase in the grain tax. That extra grain received will be delivered to the town, stored for a year against adversity, and then distributed free to the town’s people. All these things are to be done at my command and, will, effective today, become the law of our land. Our ancient gods and Jesus Christ demand we eliminate the strain of hunger from our beloved domain.”
The room remained silent as Sir Wind stepped forward and began to describe the need for the construction of a new canal and an additional dyke and explained how each would benefit the kingdom. He told them he was re-instituting the one day of labor per week rule following the next harvest. Sir Wind paused and for first time; to everyone’s surprise, heaped great acclaim upon the gathering for what the people had already accomplished. Wilhelm’s voice was almost gentle in praise and the stunned farmers and townsmen appreciated this new approach from the usually sharp tongued little man. Sir Wind also mentioned that by the Lord’s command, idle men lawbreakers, beggars and trespassers would each day work at the canal site to expedite the project and take some burden off the hard working men and women of the realm. Finally, with a bit of eloquence and warmth Brother Jarvis shared with the farmers the advances and experimentations in agriculture that he and Lord Jacobus had witnessed in Flanders. He told the farmers that no field ever needed to lay fallow and that Lord Derick now demanded all fields be planted each year with a new, second crop planted earlier than the usual final crop. The new crop must be beans, peas, turnips or clover, in any combination as long as clover leaf made up a substantial part of each seeding. He went on to explain that planting clover enhanced the yields of the grain crops which followed. He promised each farmer would be given new seeds to plant, but must return the seeds following the first harvest. The good brother also told the farmers that until distribution, anyone who wished to plow and sow an additional field in the south or on the new islands, would be given transportation and the opportunity. The yield of one’s labor on the new temporary land would be used to supplement their productivity for the upcoming year and increase one’s opportunity for an allocation of a new farm or additional land.
The very idea of judging productivity made some of the farmers angry-particularly those who habitually cheated on their taxes by hiding grain or put little effort into their farm work. Yet, a clear majority found the Lord’s plan equitable and fair. Every farmer welcomed the additional yield from the land usually left fallow as long as it did not deplete the soil. However all knew the Lord’s declaration on the issue of inheritance would cause turmoil
in their own large families, many of whom had many sons. None, after hearing the Lord’s tone at this meeting and the call to end hunger, dared to challenge his right to make these judgments. These men of the realm, like previous generations, trusted their Lord’s decisions. That night, Lady Hester approached the Baron and said: “Had my father made such a speech to his farmers, his worries would not have driven him to an early grave.”
Lord Derick, the mighty warrior, never again went to war. The lord used the land reclamation and his wound as an excuse to avoid the Regent’s ever-ongoing campaigns against the Frisians even as Albert learned to hold on to the land he captured. Derick laid his sword aside and with a pick in his hands, set an example for his subjects. Sir Wilhelm Wind, with Derick’s assistance, supervised the labor of farm families who began digging the canal from the north where the soil was becoming drier. The work was half completed when they found the way blocked by a layer of rocks which seemed impregnable to picks and bars. It was the Baron who suggested using a trick learned in siege warfare, literally burning through the stone. His workers would uncover each layer of stone and set a blazing fire on top. When the rock became really hot, cool water was poured on the stone which would crack allowing the top layer to be pried off. The process was repeated until the laborers reached the proper level for the bed of the canal.
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