Literacy brought perks and a natural raise in station. Being able to read and write meant that he was able to sign contracts that he actually could enforce. You could just rip off an illiterate peasant. They could not write their own names, so they just made a signature mark on a page. They had no clue what they were signing, so any shitty clause could be in there. Even the good ones that were in the peasants favor could be forgotten with time. It was not like they could point out the breech in contract. Even if they were bold enough and clever enough to remember it and state so, that meant nothing as the legal system was classist by nature. That person would have to be a real piece of work to lose in court to a random peasant. Alard and Yon were able to rise in the ranks of their guild almost immediately. It brought them in a lot more money for the jobs they were doing. When Yon got married, I made sure to remind him of the benefits of literacy. "Make sure you teach your kids. The younger the better. If they are more educated, the better jobs they can get in." I told him. Yon nodded his head.
4 years later, Mansfield Castle was finished construction. It was a simple stone castle with a motte and bailey. They even added a moat and drawbridge for it. It was not as glamorous as the castle in Hereford was, but this was a commissioned castle practically. I did not fault the king for focusing on efficiency over beauty. He would not be ruling from there. Like we had asked for, Mansfield Castle was a motte and bailey setup. A stone keep towered over the settlement on an artificial hill. That was the motte part. It was easy to defend. It was connected to the bailey by another bridge. The moat around the entire thing was 21 feet deep with the water being 10 feet deep. We did not want flooding. In the bailey, the people lived. There were plenty of houses and workshops. They were quickly and cheaply made. Nobles probably would not rush to live here. Commoners definitely would. Around them was a stone palisade. It was 20 feet tall, but only 3 feet thick. It would probably not survive any siege warfare. We would have to reinforce it on our own. All in all, it was a nice place to call our home.
Mansfield Castle
Hereford Castle
