Willows for Weeping

by Felicity Pulman

  The earliest recorded version of the history of Stonehenge comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (written around 1136 and dedicated to Robert, Earl of Gloucestre, half-brother of the Empress Matilda). Geoffrey was also the first to write a coherent narrative of the reign of 'King Arthur', the wellspring for all subsequent versions of the legend. (These are the 'new stories' related by Faldo to Janna.) Geoffrey credits Merlin with moving the stones from Ireland to Salisbury Plain, the site of Stonehenge. He also refers to the healing properties of the stones: 'they washed the stones and poured the water into baths, whereby those who were sick were cured. Moreover, they mixed confections of herbs with the water, whereby those who were wounded were healed, for not a stone is there that is wanting in virtue or leechcraft.'

  Some of the most important accounts I have used in researching Willows for Weeping include Gesta Stephani (The Life of Stephen), William of Malmesbury's Historia Novella, The Empress Matilda by Marjorie Chibnall, and King Stephen by R.H.C. Davis.

  * * *

  As always, my thanks to Dr Gillian Polack for her advice and assistance with this manuscript. Thanks also to Linsay Knight and the team at Random House for their support of the Janna Mysteries, and to Zoe for her meticulous and skilful editing of the manuscript.

  GLOSSARY

  aelfshot: a belief that illness or a sudden pain (like rheumatism, arthritis or a 'stitch' in the side) was caused by elves who shot humans or livestock with darts

  alehouse: ale was a common drink in the middle ages. Housewives brewed their own for domestic use, while alewives brewed the ale served in alehouses and taverns. A bush tied to a pole was the recognised symbol of an alehouse, at a time when most of the population could not read.

  amor vincit omnia: love conquers all

  baron: a noble of high rank, a tenant-in-chief who holds his lands from the king

  breeches: trousers held up by a cord running through the hem at the waist

  chansons de geste: songs of heroic deeds

  cresset: a primitive light made from a wick floating in a bowl of oil or animal fat

  currency: while large sums of money could be reckoned in pounds or marks, the actual currency for trading was silver pennies. There were twelve to a shilling and twenty shillings to a pound. A penny could also be cut into half, called a 'ha'penny', or a quarter, called a 'farthing'.

  dorter: dormitory

  dowry: a sum of money paid for a woman, either as a marriage settlement or to secure her place in an abbey

  feudal system: a political, social and economic system based on the relationship of lord to vassal, in which land was held on condition of homage and service. Following the Norman conquest, William I distributed land once owned by Saxon 'ealdormen' (chief men) to his own barons, who in turn distributed land and manors to subtenants in return for fees, knight service and, in the case of the villeins, work in the fields. The Abbess of Wilton held an entire barony from the king and owed the service of five knights in return.

  gong-fermours: 'gong farmers', whose job it is to clean out cess pits and spread the 'mundungus' (toilet waste) over the fields

  Henricus dei gratia wintoniensis episcopus: Henry, by the Grace of God, Bishop of Winchester

  hue and cry: with no practising police force other than a town sergeant to enforce the law, anyone discovering a crime was expected to 'raise a hue and cry' – shouting aloud to alert the community to the fact that a crime had been committed, after which all those within earshot must commence the pursuit of the criminal

  infirmarian: takes care of the sick in the infirmary (abbey hospital)

  laisses: stanzas

  Mathildis dei gratia Romanorum regina: Matilda, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Romans

  moneyer: a moneyer (or coiner) was responsible for minting the coins of the realm

  motte and bailey castle: earth mound with wooden or stone keep (tower) on top, plus an enclosure or courtyard, all of it surrounded and protected by a ditch and palisade (fence)

  novice: after about a year serving as a postulant, and if your vocation remains firm, you become a novice until such time as you are deemed ready to take your final vows

  pilgrim: anyone who makes a journey to a sacred place

  postulant: anyone who enters the abbey with the intention of becoming a nun

  pottage: a vegetable soup or stew

  requiescat in pace: Latin for 'rest in peace'. The letters RIP are still engraved on headstones today.

  Rule of St Benedict: St Benedict lived circa 480–547 AD, and composed his Regula Monachorum (Rule for Monasteries) in 515 AD. This became the common Rule for all western monachism, directing monks to live in religious houses, observe all the usual religious exercises and employ themselves in manual labour, teaching, copying manuscripts, etc. Seventy-three 'chapters' of direction make up the Rule.

  sacristan: looks after the sacred relics and treasures of the abbey

  scrip: a small bag

  scriptorium: a room in a monastery where monks wrote, copied and illuminated manuscripts. In this case it serves as the 'office' of the estate.

  solar: a private room where the lord could retire with his family or entertain his friends

  steward: appointed by a baron to manage an estate

  theod herepath: the people's way

  tiring woman: a female attendant on a lady of high birth and importance

  villein: peasant or serf tied to a manor and to an overlord, and given land in return for labour and a fee – either money or produce

  wortwyf: a herb wife, a wise woman and healer

  Songs:

  Sumer is icumen in Summer is a-coming in

  Lhude sing cuccu! Loudly sing cuckoo,

  Groweth seed and bloweth mead Seed grows and meadows bloom

  And springs the wood anew. And springs the wood anew,

  Sing cuccu! Sing cuckoo!

  Stella maris, semper clara Star of the sea, ever bright

  Rosa munde, res Miranda Spotless rose, most admirable

  Misterium mirabile Wondrous mystery

  FELICITY PULMAN'S FIRST novel for Random House Australia, Shalott, won the Society of Women Writers Award in the Young Adult Reader category in 2001. Return to Shalott and Shalott: The Final Journey completed the story of five Australian teenagers zapped into the romance and intrigue of King Arthur's court at Camelot. Felicity has also published Ghost Boy, a time slip adventure for younger readers about the Sydney Quarantine Station. The first book in the Janna Mysteries, Rosemary for Remembrance, was a Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book for 2006, and the third book in the series, Lilies for Love, won the Society of Women Writers Award in the Children's category in 2007.

  Felicity is currently keeping busy researching the medieval world of The Janna Mysteries and the civil war between Stephen and Matilda in the 1140s. When she's not scribbling notes and soaking up the atmosphere in the English countryside where The Janna Mysteries are set, Felicity lives near the bush and the beach in Sydney, and enjoys swimming, surfing and snorkelling, bush walking and bush regeneration, and spending time with her family. Felicity is available for talks and workshops with schools and groups.

  You can contact Felicity through her website at: www.felicitypulman.com.au