Bank Council · World of Aerth

The council of Sarrum's eleven banks, which lends against the wool clip, winter feed contracts and storage notes, holds the minerals of the coal fields and decides matters by what it will and will not insure or finance. It exists, in the text's words, because of the gap between the June clip and the following year.

The eleven banks of Sarrum — Ashdown's house bank, the Fleece Bank, the Wold Bank and eight lesser houses — meeting monthly to set the county's lending rate, agree classes of security and clear one another's paper. A bank whose paper the others will not clear is dead within a quarter. A Sarrum council to which mining companies render account and which would have to decide whether a title destroyed by investigation is a taking — a question it has arranged its existence to avoid.

Named with it

Grace Ashdown · chair
Grace Ashdown (member
the only woman at the table)
Bank Porter Nicholas Feaver · Bank Council yard

Ties

chaired by a member of House Ashdown
received the Ironmere mining company's account
presided over by Grace Ashdown while remaining distinct from House Ashdown
House Ashdown is one of its eleven banks
holds the Deepcut jointly with House Hartfell and the Enginewrights
co-funds the surgical houses with the Halls
signatory of the Bill of 4551
holds a controlling financial interest in the line
party to the seven-yearly line review

In the chronicle

At the table

Grace Ashdown's chair here makes outsiders mistake her for the head of House Ashdown; she controls one of the mechanisms by which House policy becomes money and has used it to disagree with Duke Stephen. A Sarrum credit stoppage reaches her. Patron of the Ironmere commission through two men acting 'privately' for twenty-four pounds, with a warning that it will deny the company. It accepted a four-sentence account of Ironmere's closure without question. Called in estate paper twice against Ashdown's wishes. Requested Crown troops in 4489 (granted) and 4551 (refused). Refused the Lords its minutes in 4598. Free halls heavily mortgaged to it are among the least predictable employers. Generous with Crown paper before the line licence review.