Steward's Staff
Contents
The Steward
The Hold's Steward is in many ways the Lord Holder's second-in-command, and will take on many of the Lord's duties in the case of his absence or ill health. While the Lord Holder is responsible for deciding on the general direction of the Hold's transactions - what commodoties to sell or buy, what crops to plant, which craftsmen to hire and so on - it is the Steward who will see to it that his orders are carried out. Queries and disputes are generally brought to the Steward first, and he will decide which to deal with himself and which to take to the Lord. He sees that meticulous records are kept of all the Hold's business and that the Lord is kept informed of the state of the Hold, and will make his own recommendations as to the course that should be taken.
Assistant Steward
The Steward's second and usually his designated successor, he will take over the Steward's duties should the man be unable to carry them out. Since he is being groomed to take over once the Steward retires, he works closely with this man. Often he will be in charge of the outlying minor holds and cotholds while the Steward oversees the Hold proper, and will visit them regularly to make sure they are running efficiently and that the Lord Holder is not being cheated. The duties of the Assistant Steward may be shared by the Lord Holder's sons when they are old enough.
Understewards
The Steward's staff fill the roles of clerks in the Hold, assisting the Steward with record-keeping, correspondence, and supervising the workers of the hold. Understewards are recruited from young boys who show promise in their harper classes; desirable qualities include an aptitude with numbers and writing, good problem-solving and people skills. The boys live in a similar way to apprentices in a Craft, with a set schedule that incorporates learning their job and assisting the more experienced men with their work. As they learn, they may discover a particular area that they wish to specialise in and will spend more of their duty time working at that. Eventually, once their basic training is done, they will be assigned regular duties and allowed more free time and privileges, and will generally marry and start a family. Promotions to senior steward occur when one of the senior men retires or dies.
The most senior of these have specific responsibilities, while junior understewards will take on duties under these men on a rotating basis. These responsibilities include:
Record Keeping
The Chief Archivist is in charge of making sure the Hold's records and accounts are up to date, filing new reports, keeping track of any which may have been borrowed, and restoring those which are falling into disrepair. In smaller holds this duty often falls to the hold's harper, but in a Major Hold the archivist may or may not be harper-trained although he is likely to work closely with the Harper Hall. He is also responsible for a good deal of the classroom training of new understewards.
Stores
This man is responsible for the Hold's stored goods. His duties include making regular inspections and inventories of the storerooms both within the Hold and informing the Steward and the Lord Holder of any surpluses or deficiencies. He will also ensure that the storerooms are kept clean, neat and secure, and will work with the Headwoman to see that she has enough supplies for the women's work of the Hold.
Finance
The understeward in charge of the Hold's finances is, naturally, a man who has to be rigidly honest and trustworthy! He keeps track of the Hold's assets - land, goods and marks - and the fluctuating prices of such goods, and will make recommendations to the Lord Holder as to what transactions would be wise to make. He will need to approve any Hold expenditures, and will supervise the collection of tithes from the holds and tolls from riverboats using the Hold's docks and travellers seeking accommodation in the Hold.
Hold Buildings
Accommodation within the Hold is directly assigned by the Headwoman, but the buildings supervisor will keep track of who is living where and is responsible for assigning cotholds and working quarters to holders. He will work with the chief mason to be sure all buildings are in good condition and that any necessary repairs are carried out, and will investigate any plans to construct new buildings or demolish unused ones.
Production
Stewards will be assigned to take charge of the Hold's major activities - these can include lumbering and farming, in particular for those resources needed for local crafts.
Daily Schedule
- 7 c/m Wake up, wash, dress and eat breakfast in the Hold.
- 9 c/m Report for duty at the understewards' workroom. The Steward makes any announcements and reads out notices and assignments.
- 10 c/m Work begins. Junior stewards spend their morning studying under a more senior man or the Hold's archivist, learning mathematics, account-keeping, Hold economics and history, and law.
- 12 c/m Noon meal in the Hold
- 13 c/m Back to work. Junior stewards spend the afternoon at more practical work. Their duties include inspecting storerooms and making inventories, copying old Records, and acting as secretaries and messengers to the senior men and the Lord Holder.
- 17 c/m Finish for the day. Stewards are generally free until dinner-time.
- 19 c/m Dinner in the Hold.
- 20 c/m Free time. Junior stewards may use this time for private study.
- 23 c/m Junior stewards are expected to be in bed by this hour.
In the summer, when the weather becomes extremely hot, one or two candlemarks may be set aside for a "siesta" after lunch, particularly for stewards working out of doors. Work will then continue if necessary until later in the afternoon.
Stewards normally have restdays free, but if a Gather, Market Day or other hold event is taking place they may have a duty shift to carry out. Junior stewards are initially given a half-day holiday each month, which may be increased at the Steward's discretion for good work or for reasons such as visits to family outside the Hold itself, health, or special occasions.
