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The Ladies

Also called Ladies

The belt's country wise-women, roughly one to every four or five parishes, who keep the terms of a district's arrangements from memory and are paid only in kind. They hold no office, no licence and no doctrine; a Lady is made by recognition, most often fetched by an existing Lady.

Named with it

  • Mother Cecily of Barrow Ash

Ties

  • the Concord relies on them for information but cannot endorse them

At the table

In land matters a Lady outranks the incumbent in practice. Oxford sets them under tolerated custom and Cambridge scorns them. When a valley sours under a Lady there is no procedure to clear her. They decline curse-work and send it to the Concord.