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move on. The great concourse of people who had come to greet the King stripped the land about Winchester of its stores of grain and vegetables, of all game, and of cattle, sheep, pigs, and even goats. The garderobes were filled with waste, the rushes in the halls trodden to dust and filled with half-gnawed bones, old crusts, and swarms of flies. It was impossible to empty the sewage or clean the castle while it remained full of people, not to mention the problem of feeding them. Thus, pots, pans, dishes, and goblets were packed; beds were taken to pieces and loaded on wains with their mattresses and bedding; chairs, tables, trestles, stools, and cushions were fitted neatly with the skill of long practice into the carts that would carry them. |
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Winchester Keep was left bare of all but filth and those serfs who were tied to the demesne and whose duty it was to care for the castle. They would now empty the sewage, sweep out the rushes with the garbage and pests that infested them, clean the ashes from the fireplaces, polish the grates and cooking spits, and in general make everything fresh and new for when the Court should return. |
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Ordinarily a household could stay for several months at a keep. Sometimes if the family were small and not rich, it would remain permanently in residence, except for a few weeks in the spring and fall so that the place could be thoroughly cleaned. However, all great households moved regularly. It was far more economical to move the people to the source of supply than to transport tons of grain and vegetables and herds of food animalswhich would become lean and hard on the trailto the people. Moreover, it gave the possessors of the often far-flung estates an opportunity to examine their property, hunt in fresh territory, and, if they were good and conscientious lords, to listen to complaints and do justice. |
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The Court moved more often than any other house- |
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