How to print: Use A4 or letter. Each card is ~half the page width — print 2 per row. Cut and fold if desired. Left box = Cornell cue; right box = comic-panel flowchart; bottom = back/explanation. Read the lyrical legal cadence aloud to remember the rule.
Clause 21 — Keep and enlarge fishponds
Summary: Stewards shall keep fishponds where they have existed, enlarge them if possible, and establish them where practicable.
Cue (Question): You are a steward. You find an ancient, shallow fishpond that used to be full. What steps do you take?
Panel 1: 'Spot the old pond' — Inspect water, banks, sluice, fish left.
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Panel 2: 'Decide' — Repair banks? deepen? reroute water? If practicable → enlarge; if not, pick a new nearby site.
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Panel 3: 'Act & Note' — Repair or dig, restock fish, inform steward-superior and record for Clause 62 accounts.
In cadence: "O steward of water and sod, tend the pond as is the king's nod; if deepening grants more silver fin, then dig and let the waters in."
Step-by-step: inspect → choose repair or new pond → perform work → restock → record in estate notes. Why? Clause 21 commands availability of ponds for household use and future profit.
Clause 21 — New pond where practicable
Summary: If there was no pond before but it is practicable now, establish one.
Cue (Question): River runs by the manor. You may excavate and dam a hollow. What checks to do before building?
Panel 1: 'Survey' — Soil type, water source, flood risk, proximity to mills or fields.
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Panel 2: 'Plan' — Size, inlet/outlet sluice, fish escape prevention, food supply for fish (algae, insects).
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Panel 3: 'Build & Note' — Construct bank and sluice, stock fish, add to inventory for Clause 62 reporting.
"Where water will bide and banks hold their ground, so shall a pond in due time be found."
Teach: good ponds start with good planning (safety + sustainability). Record everything so the lord knows its value at year-end.
Clause 21 — Enlargement decision
Summary: Enlarge ponds where possible to increase yield for household or sale.
Cue (Question): Pond yields poorly. Enlargement is costly. How do you weigh household needs vs. labour and materials?
Panel 1: 'Count fish & use' — How many served the manor this season? Were shortages noted?
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Panel 2: 'Cost vs Benefit' — Labour days and materials vs expected extra fish and possible sale profits.
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Panel 3: 'Decide & Record' — If profit or household need justifies, enlarge; else improve management and report in Clause 62 statement.
"When profit or plate doth cry aloud, enlarge the pond and swell the crowd; if not, keep watch and make account, and to the ledger duly mount."
Tip: make a simple estimate: extra fish per year × value — compare to cost (workers × days). Put the result in the steward's annual return.
Clause 62 — Annual income statement includes fishponds
Summary: Stewards must report all income sources (including fishponds) under separate headings at Christmas.
Cue (Question): How do you record a pond's annual contribution: household use, fish sold, restocking cost?
Panel 1: 'Gather numbers' — fish eaten by household, fish sold, fees from fishermen, restocking costs.
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Panel 2: 'Separate headings' — income from sales; in-kind supplies (fish to household); costs (stock, repairs).
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Panel 3: 'Submit at Christmas' — include totals and notes so lord sees the pond's value clearly.
"List each fin and each fee, under headings clear for the king to see; debts and costs with honest hand, so the steward's truth may ever stand."
Practice: use a simple table: column A = fish sold (number × price), column B = fish used by household (valued), column C = pond repairs & restock. Sum and send in the Christmas report.
Clause 62 — Accounting for fishermen
Summary: Include fishermen and related payments (fishermen, nets, fishponds) in the income statement.
Cue (Question): A local fisherman pays dues and uses the pond to fatten fish—how do you report his payments and labour?
Panel 1: 'Record dues' — money or fish paid by fisherman to steward.
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Panel 2: 'Record services' — labour given, nets mended, or in-kind payments (eggs, grain) used to feed fish.
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Panel 3: 'Note in heading' — 'Fishermen and fishponds' as a separate heading in the Clause 62 return.
"Take every fee and barter tallied neat, for in the ledger all must meet; thus the crown shall know and see how ponds and fishermen agree."
Make a simple record slip every time a fisherman pays or the steward trades fish for services. At year-end, add slips under the fishpond/fisherman heading.
Clause 62 — Fishpond valuations at Christmas
Summary: The steward sends the full statement at Christmas so the lord knows the estate's income character and amount.
Cue (Question): You must prepare your Christmas report — what evidence and numbers do you collect in December for fish and ponds?
Panel 1: 'Collect receipts' — sales notes, payments from fishermen, invoices for restock, repair day counts.
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Panel 2: 'Tally totals' — fish sold, fish consumed, income from ponds, costs; make clear headings.
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Panel 3: 'Submit' — attach brief explanation: if ponds were enlarged, state reason and expected future yield.
"At Christmas to the throne we bring the story: fish by number, fish by glory; write it plain, line by line, so the steward's oath stands firm and fine."
Checklist: receipts, day-log of worker labour, count of fish sold, count reserved for household, repair receipts. Keep copies for audits.
Clause 45 — Keep good workmen, including fishermen
Summary: Every steward must have good workmen available — fishermen, net-makers, and others.
Cue (Question): Your resident net-maker fell ill. You need nets soon. How do you ensure fishing continues?
Panel 1: 'Check the roster' — other craftspeople: net-makers, fishers, repairers.
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Panel 2: 'Fill gap' — borrow a net-maker from a neighbouring manor, train a young villager, or buy pre-made nets if funds allow.
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Panel 3: 'Record change' — note the temporary solution in steward's log and Clause 62 returns (costs, wages).
"To keep nets neat and hooks in line, the steward must ensure good craft and fine; lest ponds run empty, call up the crew, for every skill must be in view."
Practical tip: keep contact names and a small emergency fund for replacing skilled workers — this follows Clause 45's requirement for good craftsmen available to the estate.
Clause 45 — Fishermen as essential workmen
Summary: Fishermen are named among the necessary craftsmen; ensure they are provided for and supervised.
Cue (Question): A fisherman wants to fish elsewhere on market day. What do you advise as steward?
Panel 1: 'Check duties' — is his work needed for household or for market dues today?
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Panel 2: 'Allow or deny' — allow if market profit covers dues and household needs; deny if it harms supply. Offer substitute worker if needed.
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Panel 3: 'Record decision' — note permission or denial and any payments in the steward's ledger (Clause 62).
"Let not the net lie idle nor the line go slack; set rules with mercy upon the tack; where duty calls, the man must stay, else send another to make the day."
Explain to the fisherman how his service and dues affect the manor. If he goes, record how the manor keeps supplied and who covered his duty.
Clause 65 — Sell pond fish and restock
Summary: Fish shall be sold and others put in their place so a constant supply exists; when the lord is absent, stewards may sell for profit.
Cue (Question): The lord hasn't visited for months. The pond is full. Do you sell fish and how do you restock and record profit?
Panel 1: 'Decide to sell' — if lord away authorities allow steward to sell for profit per Clause 65.
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Panel 2: 'Sell & replace' — sell surplus fish at market; buy juvenile fish or eggs to restock pond quickly.
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Panel 3: 'Profit & Report' — keep sales receipts, reinvest in restock, include profit and restock cost in Clause 62 return.
"When the master roams and leaves the gate, let steward sell and not abate; sell enough and plant anew — profit duly kept for crown and crew."
Key: always reinvest part of the sale into restocking and repairs. Keep receipts; the steward must show honest profit and reinvestment in the yearly statement.
Clause 65 — Rotation of stock to keep supply
Summary: Rotate fish stocks so ponds always have supply (sell some, replace some).
Cue (Question): How do you plan a yearly rotation so the pond supplies both manor use and market sales without collapsing the stock?
Panel 1: 'Estimate yearly demand' — manor consumption + typical sales amounts.
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Panel 2: 'Plan harvest months' — harvest surplus months, leave breeding seasons alone, restock after harvest.
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Panel 3: 'Monitor & report' — check growth, note mortalities, adjust next year's plan and include numbers in Clause 62 report.
"Rotate the catch with wisdom's pace; spare the young and take the grace; mark each year in ledger bright, and make the steward's duty right."
Simple calendar: mark breeding and feeding months, schedule two small harvests rather than one big one, and always restock juveniles to maintain population.
How to use these flashcards (step by step for a 13-year-old):
- Cut each card out. For each card, read the Cue aloud and try to answer before looking at the flowchart or answer-block.
- Use the flowchart panels like little comic scenes — they give the decision steps. Trace the arrows with your finger as you explain each step.
- Flip to the answer block to see the lyrical legalese explanation and the short practical steps. Repeat the legal-lyric a few times to make it stick.
- Make your own cards: write one new scenario about fish, fishermen, stewards or ponds and fill the cue + 3-panel flowchart + answer. Try to follow Clause 21, 62, 45 or 65 rules.
Summary of the four clauses in one breath: Clause 21 says keep and enlarge ponds; Clause 62 demands an annual, separate accounting (fish included); Clause 45 insists stewards keep skilled workmen such as fishermen and net-makers; Clause 65 allows sale and restocking so ponds always supply and can give profit to the steward for the lord when the lord does not visit.