With the wars in the west and the north over there were many spare men at arms who sought employment. We even found more Welsh archers. Sherwood had been quiet for some time and that source appeared to have dried up.
I gave Edward the manor of Thornaby. He was delighted. He had been a man at arms for years and suddenly he was a man of substance. He would now have to bear the expense of men at arms but he accepted that burden. Some of the other men at arms we had hired would be serving my other knights and I would need to find another two knights to serve with me. I was not looking forward to that. I had made a wise choice with Edward but Richard had almost done for me. I needed to use better judgement.
As we passed the tiny manor of Thornaby, Edward and I inspected it. Lying across the river from Stockton it had been just two farms and a few huts when we had arrived. The security we had brought meant it had prospered. The wolf winter had cost us one family but more had arrived to replace them.
