Edmund of Penyngton

Edmund of Penyngton
Edmund was born in 1373 as the oldest son of a wealthy yeoman who had purchased a fair acreage from the Lord of Penyngton within the county of Lancashire. Growing up as a free yeoman, Edmund learned a great deal about life for those both above and below his station. As a young yeoman he was expected to learn the art of the bow well, and as he grew older he learned how to handle a sword.

As he came of age, Edmund began hiring himself out to the nobles who visited the lord of the manor, offering his services with the bow and blade for protection. It was through the connections he made in this manner that he came to know the Chief Forester to the Lord of Bowland and Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt.

The Chief Forester took a liking to Edmund and offered him the chance to become a forester under the duke’s employ. After accepting the offer, Edmund made a fair living upholding forest law and holding those who found themselves outside it responsible to appear before the forest court. It would have been a good life for a free yeoman, if all else had remained the same.

Unfortunately for Edmund though, the political squabbles of the royals soon hit very close to home. The Duke of Lancaster, his employer, suddenly passed away. When Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile to claim his title as duke, many rightfully feared he would soon make a claim to King Richard’s throne. Not wanting to be swept up in the political ambitions of his new employer, he made the decision to leave. He gathered his provisions and simply left, using his knowledge and skills as a forester to slip through the wild lands and avoid being seen.

Not wanting to simply live the life of the outlaws he had helped bring to justice, he fled Bowland and made his way to the coast. From there he made his way to one port and then the next, until he finally found himself in a strange land, far-removed from his homeland of England.

It was in this strange new land that he decided to settle. Many years have passed, but to this day he continues to learn their ways and their culture, to learn new skills, and to adjust to the new life he has made for himself in this new Society.