I'm not sure how common fires and hearths were in Urban environments in the 12th century and the fuel to maintain that 24 hour a day pottage simmering (prevent spoilage) would be expensive compared to a rural manor but IMO not a given among the Urban Poor since it is a given that Millers and Bakers baked bread which can be a little labor intensive on small scale production for a home.

Good question, not sure of the answer. And I guess by urban poor, it depends how "poor" you mean by this definition. The other question is "how urban" is urban

Seriously though, many of those that live in Harnic Keeps or castles are defined as urban, meaning the various guildsmen and other professions listed as urban, such as a ratter for instance. Not that they live in the actual keep or castle, but that they are in the walled village if there is one, or on the immediate outskirts of it. And these type would have plenty access to the dead wood from the forest that contributed much to the rural household's fuel supply.

But the true Urban types with little access to any surrounding woods are those that may have the issue that you state. Firewood was certainly harvested when forest were cut back - actually in times of rough harvests you see more timber harvested from English manors.

But at what cost would this be to the poor urban household?

There was another thread some time back that talk about coppicing and such as a means of ensuring a constant supply of wood. In fact it was a regular part of woods management in medieval England and maybe even the continent since the lord's of England were also, in many cases, lords on the continent.

According to an excerpt from "Money, markets and trade in late medieval Europe: essays in honour of John H.A. Munro", currently available on Google Books. (Convenient because the full book is $224.00!), they have estimates of .35 and .5 hectare (.85-1.25 acre) of coppiced woodland per urban resident to generate the firewood (including industrial uses). For Tashal, then, we are looking at 5,000-ish acres - which doesn't seem like too much of a stretch. The Laranian manors across the river could supply that much, even without coppicing, I think.

Firewood is obviously an important item for sale in the city markets, but it isn't a game-changer. Harn's cities just aren't so big that they can't be supplied by local woods. I think there are woods enough near every city.

The Charcoaler's Guild has the monopoly to sell wood in a city.

5,000+ acres is 8 - 9 square miles at 640 acres to a square mile. Tashal has a Single Size 2 Charcoaler with none listed in Artoen or Lyryn Manor. His description mostly notes that he is greedy, has the sole Charcoal monopoly to the various Tashal smiths and that he hires a Bonded Master since he is a frequent traveller.

Possibly favors Cook shops (Innkeepers (lots) and the single Size 5 Miller noted for Baking Bread (IMO Kaldor's best Size 2 Millwright probably does not do any baking since it is not noted in his description) IMO for economies of efficiency. Could also favor some of the Serf households in the two outlying manors who could have wood for cooking supplied rather easily.

Is this cutting down living wood or the general maintenance that removes deadwood for fuel sources? (Maybe the term coppicing explains this, but I am not sure of it's meaning )



This is one guild monompoly (among others ) I have an issue with, at least if it is enforced. I would think you could have a few guildsmen employing a poor urbanite child to gather deadwood for them. And perhaps not for coin but for food, products, etc., etc.

Historically, the gathering of deadwood from the woods was often child's work. Though for through usage and to remove deadwood, cutting down dead trees was also practiced, but I think this would be beyond children's duties.

Tashal is a royal city with lots of Serfs in the city so could go either way depending on the P-Harn.

I mentioned it as a reminder based on the size of the franchise compared to the population of the city.

I think the immediate surrounding woods would be picked bare for several miles around the city based on the population although the children might enjoy that walking several miles looking for deadwood occasionally making a few minor discoveries like a few overlooked berries or the odd herbal treasure worth a few silver to the apothecary.

The manorial woodwards would probably zealously protect their manorial woods.

Well, actually the serfs had the right to gather deadwood from the forests as part of their feudal agreement, though cutting down live trees warranted a stiff fine.

Also when clearing woods, part of a srfs pay was the wood.

I would think Harn would be the same as firewood was a necessity for fuel.

From the City Serfs Not the Manorial Serfs.

I thought I had read somewhere that serfs could cut as high as they could reach, but a quick internet search shows that was reserved for freeman, in this example at least.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilwell_Park

The symbol of the axe in the log is associated with feudalism after the invasion and conquest of England by William the Conqueror. In that era, property, including forests, were owned by the landed barons and knights. Serfs, bound to the land in a form of modified slavery, were forbidden to cut wood from trees in the forest, and only permitted to gather downed wood. Freemen were given the right of loppage, or permission to cut limbs from the nobleman's trees as high as they could reach with an axe.[6] A freeman who carried an axe in a nobleman's forest demonstrated that he had earned the right by service. Symbolically, the grain of an axe handle must be straight and true and "set square in the eye of the head." The steel head must have the proper temper and be kept sharp. To be useful in the hands of a skilled freeman, an axe also needed to be well-balanced, otherwise the handle might break, endangering its user. The axe represented skilled laborers who had proven themselves through service. Lastly, the axe in the wood reminds those who have completed Wood Badge that they have committed themselves to be an example of service and fealty.[7]

I also stumbled on the study of the Village of Yalding, which I haven't had time to entirely look through but seems like a gold mine, though the date of 1336 seems to be past what most of the research here is geared towards. One section of the Manor Records is their Custumal, which states: " 8. All villagers have the right to fetch rotten wood. No one has permission to cut down any part of a tree." But it also goes over a few of the topics that's being discussed, including All pigs must have iron rings placed in their nose, and the serfs has to pay pannage rights to have their pigs use the lord's woods.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Yalding.htm

I see what you may be saying here.

The questions that are not answered - are the manorial woods "protected" from Urban gatherers - very possibly so. Perhaps one might need to pay for a license to do so? This was very common, licenses being issued at a cost, though it was an right of manorial serfs and did not require a license, though perhaps urban types would need a license if going on someone elses lands.

Does Tashal or any other city have an agreement in place with these surrounding manors? I would think that would not be unlikely.

How much woodland do the cities have around them that are not manorial pocessions?

Also, I would think and "unused" woods would be farmed out if possible by the owner, perhaps for a very small license fee for deadwood. Coppicing (I looked up the definition ) is a practice that is actually good for the woods - among other things, it reduces the chance of forest fires, and the spread of such fires. THis was probably known back then as well.

Just because the Tashal city module provides details on only one charcoaler, that doesn't mean he is the only one in the city. Hârn publications aren't meant to give every single detail about a place, only to provide GMs with examples. There are an unspecified number of charcoalers supplying the city. The one specified (Owain) is the guildmaster, but Tashal 69 mentions that there are others. Likewise, Owain may keep for himself the monopoly on supplying charcoal to the smithies and kilns, but other master charcoalers in Tashal may have franchises to provide lye to the perfumers, wood/charcoal to the bakers, etc.
As someone recently said, it is a bad idea to make calculations based on things not intended for that purpose.

Even though I dislike the idea of the charcoalers guild supplying ALL the firewood to a city, this could make more sense to me. They may even get licenses to cut X amount of wood from the owners forest.

Maybe the charcoalers provide the "industrial wood" for the city, and may cut live wood, but the idea of gathering deadwood for personal use is allowed, and having an urban poor gather wood from the forest in exchange for food is something many of the better households may do (the others gather it themselves).



That is true in this case - however, pricing of food and other items, cost of support and wages should be interrelated enough so that a direct comparison makes sense.

The purpose of the Guild is to protect the interests of the Guild Monopoly. IMO only if he was failing to to deliver adequate goods consistently could the Council sanction him since he has the only franchise listed for the Tashal market.

Could the Charcoaler's guild be another Harnic Exception or Oversight? Yes but interestingly enough the majority of those other Guild Masters without franchises get noted in the city even Mercantylers who spend most of their time away but are noted in the franchise size. Guild Masters make up a very small percentage of the population even when there are many in a city because of total population. Journeymen who are rarely identified individually and except for the GoAL they need to work for a Guild Master. His Tashal entry (most recent) contradicts the Cities of Harn Coranan Size 8 Charcoaler of being the only urban establishment of it's kind Aleath has no listed Charcoaler and neither does Cherafir. Tashal 69 specifically says a few of Kaldor's Guilded Charcoalers.......[Not Tashal's].

IMO they need to deal with him the only Franchised Charcoaler in Tashal who is also the Guild Master. There is only a single Miller/Baker based on his entry I do not see him being altruistic and sharing without receiving a share from anything involving his monopoly.

I'll let you Master X from Manor manage the tar monopoly in Tashal for a cut.

He is specifically noted as being greedy something found in few other entries of residents for the city.

Any other Charcoaler has to deal with him first regarding his guild monopoly which he can actively enforce because of his personal connections.

Plus he offers free lodging to visiting Charcoalers who help him with his business which is Size 2 so yes he has Charcoaler's from outside Tashal supplying him it is a large city but not worth noting like in every other guild franchise in the city or other Harnic product module is a bit of a stretch IMO. So they can easily be visiting Journeymen and Franchised or Free Masters suppliers from outside Tashal.

Kind of like the Council of The Mangai for Jedes plenty of Masters who do not live in Jedes reside in Asolade with Manorial Franchises or as Bonded or Itinerant Masters but also do business in Jedes.

Do you know if this means per adult resident, or per household, or total residences?

This is some good information though.

If this is one acre per adult, it's easy to factor the needs for a manor, though rural consumption maybe less.

A manor is on average 20% woods, correct? So for a 1200 acre manor, with 40 households, we have 240 woodland acres.

That COULD support 120 households by coppicing IF per adult.

Or 48 households if including children.

However, if rural consumption is less, the manor could support even more.

Anyway you look at it, Coppicing provides an excess of fire fuel without cutting down any acreage unless the emanor is very forest poor.

The mandatory cutting back of the forest every year results in even more wood, though it may well be sued for other purposes, and even if used for wood it would require seasoning.

Very interesting info either way though.

What do you think the man hours per acre per year to supply all that wood per person? Standard assarting costs by a timberwright or charcoaler at 30 days of labor and 80 d an acre in addition to his license fee for coppicing since the "stumps" are left behind and do not need to be removed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppice

Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level. In subsequent growth years, many new shoots will emerge, and, after a number of years the coppiced tree, or stool, is ready to be harvested, and the cycle begins again. (The noun "coppice" means a growth of small trees or a forest coming from shoots or suckers.)

In southern Britain, coppice was traditionally hazel, hornbeam, beech, ash or oak, grown amongst oak or sometimes ash or beech standards. In wet areas alder and willows were used. These coppices provided wood for many purposes, especially charcoal which before coal was economically significant in metal smelting. A minority of these woods are still operated for coppice today, often by conservation organisations, producing material for hurdle-making, thatching spars, local charcoal-burning or other crafts.

Typically a coppiced woodland is harvested in sections or coups[1] on a rotation. In this way, a crop is available each year somewhere in the woodland. Coppicing has the effect of providing a rich variety of habitats, as the woodland always has a range of different-aged coppice growing in it, which is beneficial for biodiversity. The cycle length depends upon the species cut, the local custom, and the use to which the product is put. Birch can be coppiced for faggots (bundles of brushwood) on a three or four year cycle, whereas oak can be coppiced over a fifty-year cycle for poles or firewood.

Coppicing maintains trees at a juvenile stage, and a regularly coppiced tree will never die of old age—some coppice stools may therefore reach immense ages. The age of a stool may be estimated from its diameter, and some are so large—perhaps as much as 5.4 metres (18 ft) across—that they are thought to have been continuously coppiced for centuries.[2]

The curve may allow the identification of coppice timber in archaeological sites—timber in the Sweet Track in Somerset (built in the winter of 3807 and 3806 BC) has been identified as coppiced lime.[3]


In the days of charcoal iron production in England, most woods in ironmaking regions were managed as coppices, usually being cut on a cycle of about 16 years. In this way, fuel could be provided for that industry, in principle, forever. This was regulated by a statute of Henry VIII, which required woods to be enclosed after cutting (to prevent browsing by animals) and 12 standels (standards or mature uncut trees) to be left in each acre, to be grown into timber.



In France, chestnut trees are coppiced for use as canes and bâtons for the martial art of the same name.

Most Lords probably reserve some percentage of their woodlands specifically for hunting IMO and don't want their horse tripping over one in the rush of the chase during some mounted hunts.

In addition to coppicing their woods, lords also managed their woods by pollarding the trees. This was similar to coppicing a tree, but instead of cutting the trunk near the ground it was cut higher up. This was done so that grazing animals and wild animals could not eat the young shoots.

As to the tenants foraging wood from the woods. A lot of what was allowed was based on common law for that manor. In most cases it was dead wood and such. However, the term by hook or crook also comes from the gather of wood. In this case, the tenant was allowed to acquire wood with the use of a hook or crook; meaning any branches or limbs they could pull down using these devices.

The use of coppices and pollards allowed a better management of the scare wood resources not just for construction and woodworking tasks but also for fires and charcoal.

What do you think the man hours per acre per year to supply all that wood per person? Standard assarting costs by a timberwright or charcoaler at 30 days of labor and 80 d an acre in addition to his license fee for coppicing since the "stumps" are left behind and do not need to be removed.

As to the tenants foraging wood from the woods. A lot of what was allowed was based on common law for that manor. In most cases it was dead wood and such.

However, the term by hook or crook also comes from the gather of wood. In this case, the tenant was allowed to acquire wood with the use of a hook or crook; meaning any branches or limbs they could pull down using these devices.

2) Coppicing - The cutting down of dead trees, probably dead limbs as well. More intensive work including proper tools. Serfs? Possibly. Freemen yes.

According to an excerpt from "Money, markets and trade in late medieval Europe: essays in honour of John H.A. Munro", currently available on Google Books. (Convenient because the full book is $224.00!), they have estimates of .35 and .5 hectare (.85-1.25 acre) of coppiced woodland per urban resident to generate the firewood (including industrial uses). For Tashal, then, we are looking at 5,000-ish acres - which doesn't seem like too much of a stretch. The Laranian manors across the river could supply that much, even without coppicing, I think.

Coppicing has nothing to do with dead trees, quite the opposite indeed, as it promotes healthy growth

Typically a coppiced woodland is harvested in sections or coups[1] on a rotation. In this way, a crop is available each year somewhere in the woodland. Coppicing has the effect of providing a rich variety of habitats, as the woodland always has a range of different-aged coppice growing in it, which is beneficial for biodiversity. The cycle length depends upon the species cut, the local custom, and the use to which the product is put. Birch can be coppiced for faggots (bundles of brushwood) on a three or four year cycle, whereas oak can be coppiced over a fifty-year cycle for poles or firewood.Coppicing maintains trees at a juvenile stage, and a regularly coppiced tree will never die of old age—some coppice stools may therefore reach immense ages. The age of a stool may be estimated from its diameter, and some are so large—perhaps as much as 5.4 metres (18 ft) across—that they are thought to have been continuously coppiced for centuries.[2]

In the days of charcoal iron production in England, most woods in ironmaking regions were managed as coppices, usually being cut on a cycle of about 16 years. In this way, fuel could be provided for that industry, in principle, forever. This was regulated by a statute of Henry VIII, which required woods to be enclosed after cutting (to prevent browsing by animals) and 12 standels (standards or mature uncut trees) to be left in each acre, to be grown into timber.

4) Clearing of all trees of the forest to either clear land for agricultural use or keep back the encroaching forest. I would think this would be ordered by the lord, though many would participate as part of their feudal labor obligations, or just to earn extra income.

Interesting stuff. It looks like the "woods" area of a manor not only need a fair amount of labor for proper harvests, they also are very productive.