Runestones 05

 The Runes.

Jane Scoggins

The year is 1645 and King Charles I is on the throne of England but heavily challenged by Oliver Cromwell and Parliament. It has been a hard few years, what with the civil war and men across the country being rallied, or pressed, into service, some straight from the alehouses. The country is divided in their loyalties. Some folk were loyal to the King and others supporting the parliamentarians. Some families are split in their loyalties, and the country is torn apart. Martha is one of the many wives who have been abandoned by their husbands leaving home to fight. Martha is non too sure if men like her husband John Stone are really wanting to be true to the cause, or just wanting to take the King’s shilling, with the thought of adventure away from near poverty. She knows her husband of 13 years has grown tired of her. On many occasions in recent years, he has sought his pleasures in the alehouses with the women who frequent them. But what could she do, what could she say? Nothing is the answer unless she wanted a bruised cheek or a cut lip. Part of her was glad to see him go, the other part worries deeply about how she will manage with no money coming in. She knows John will not send money home even if he said he would. He has left her the little fishing boat in which she can catch fish and crabs in the estuary nearby, and she has the hens that lay well. But it is still early September and the weather is mild and the fish quite plentiful. She saves what she can from the sale of eggs and fish, and salts the rest for the winter months when food is scarce. When it is cold, the hens do not lay well, fishing is limited and there are few garden vegetables. Last winter was a struggle. The cottage, not much more than a shack, will need more wood for burning in the hearth and keeping out the icy winds. Their two children Seth aged 12 and Mary 10 will need their boots repairing or renewing before long, and they will all need warmer clothes. Seth has shot up in height and his trousers are well above his ankles, and his jerkin is too tight. He makes no bones about it as he knows his mother does the best she can, but Martha knows he feels ashamed of their poverty. He helps her all he can, but although quite strong he is not yet an adult and can manage only so much. He is deft with the fishing boat but not strong enough to manage the boat if the tide changes or there is a riptide. If he was swept out to sea Martha knows she could lose her beloved son and the livelihood of her boat in the space of a few hours and shudders at the thought. Mary is slight and fair with a happy willingness to do whatever she is asked to do in the way of chores, but she has a weak chest and exertion makes her dizzy and short of breath. Martha notices a faint shadow of blue around her lips from time to time and knows this means she has a weak heart. They all know that Martha cannot afford medicines or a visit to the physician. John was always hard on the girl saying to Martha that she mollycoddled her. Martha and Seth knew better and did all they could to protect Mary from her harsh father. Over the years as all country-born girls do, Martha learnt about the plants and herbs in the garden, fields and hedgerows that could heal, cure or reduce pain or inflammation in the body. She always had an eye out for anything to be picked and brought home to dry or preserve in oil that she knew could be used for medication. On many occasions, she had reduced fever or cured a rattling cough in her children with a homemade tisane or poultice. Local similarly poor mothers sometimes called on her for advice or to make a specially brewed herb tea for an ailing child or husband. No money exchanged hands as there was non to spare, but thanks were given in small gifts of food like a quarter loaf of bread or a square of homemade cheese. Martha welcomed these gifts. Some days they were what kept the three of them from going to bed without supper that day. At this time there were still rumours about witchcraft, and Martha knew she must be very careful with her potions not to give some ne’er do well the opportunity to start a wicked rumour about her. She knew she was vulnerable with her husband away. She also knew that some local folk had heard him under the influence of too much ale, speak ill of her. Martha had never stood up to him, but her pride had stopped her from crying when he hit her, and he found this an insult to his manhood. He had been a bad husband and father almost from the start and Martha now felt relief at his absence despite the increased poverty. Martha’s mother had been known for her knowledge and use of the rune stones she kept by the fireside in a leather pouch. Friends would call and ask her to read them so that they could know what to expect from their future or to ward of bad things. Over time these predictions were associated with witchcraft too and the stones only used in secret. When her mother passed away Martha dug a hole in the garden and buried them deep. However, tradition and country folk superstitions lingered and she continued to follow many of the ways her mother had taught her. Living in a cottage mainly held together with wood and straw it was always vulnerable to fire. Each evening before bed the embers in the hearth must be raked, but maintain a glimmer of light and warmth overnight. Martha would take a twig of kindling and draw a V on its side in the ash, the runic symbol for fire prevention. Time passed and there had been no word or money received from John. Martha knew that he probably would not want to return to her anyway. She knew life could only get more difficult. Still in her twenties and with attractive youthful looks, there was no prospect of remarrying while she had a husband, however long he chose to stay away. One cold evening after the children were in bed Martha sat by the dying embers in the hearth and after drawing the usual symbol in the cooling ash, let her twig continue to doodle. She thought about her mother and wished she was still alive to comfort her. When she stopped she looked at the complicated pattern she had drawn in the grey dust. Without realising, she had drawn the runic symbol for the hand of God. She smiled to herself and felt her mother was close by after all. News travelled slowly so it wasn’t until 2 months later that Martha heard that John’s ship had gone down in a storm and he had been drowned. Martha wept, she knew not why but was relieved that uncertainty was over. She would receive a tiny widow’s pension of only a few pence, but enough for bread at least, and she was free. She thanked God every night in her prayers.

 

Copyright Jane Scoggins