War. Several merchants of the ‘Staple of Calais’ resided in Stamford.
Toward the middle of the towne on Scotgate street stood the glazier’s shoppe. Inside a number of journeyman and apprentices worked under the direction of the Master Glazier Craftsman. Inside, Richard wore gloves that left his fingers exposed to increase his ability to work with glass, but the cold weather did make it rather miserable.
At 14, Richard was rather tall, he stood a head taller than most other boys his age. Because of his size he was often treated as more of a man than a boy. And he enjoyed the increased attention and freedom that such recognition afforded him.
Richard had begun his apprenticeship just over a year earlier. It was a great opportunity for him to learn a trade, even though for the first year his pay was next to nothing. Soon enough he would be out on his own and a trade would help to ensure that he and a future family would not starve.
Richard was from a village just two miles southwest of Stamford called Easton-on-the-hill. The village was on the road to London, but neither Richard nor anyone in his family had been to such a far away place. Richard's family had lived in Easton-on-the-hill for as long as anyone could remember. His father was born there and his father before him. All had been farmers. Richard's grandfather had been known as Ian of Easton-on-the-hill. Often that was too cumbersome. So, long before Richard was born, his grandfather had shortened the name to Easton.
Richard's apprenticeship would last for perhaps 4 years. For now at least, Richard was fortunate that he was so close to home so that he could save the expense of lodging and also help his father with the small farm when needed. Stamford didn't always maintain a glazier's shoppe. The glazier was only here because of a new priory that was being built nearby. It was quite possible though that the glazier may stay after the priory was finished. The wool trade had created new wealth in Stamford and those who had obtained wealth were often anxious to secure a place in heaven by beautifying a local church. What better way to gain confidence in the eternities than to commission a great window for the local priest.
The glazier shoppe that Richard was apprenticed to did not make the glass themselves, but received it packed in straw from places such as France. The glass was a very expensive commodity and for several weeks Richard was not even allowed to touch it. Instead he learned by watching and acted as more of a servant for the journeyman and craftsman. Finally, he had been allowed to start cutting the glass. To cut it in the proper shape he traced the glass with a very hot, pointed iron and then broke the glass along the heated mark.
Today he was busy cutting coloured glass that would be placed in the chapel of the priory. The piece of glass that he was currently working on would form the top of an angel’s wing in the centre window of three that depicted angelic visitors to the baby Jesus. Because of its many curves, the piece required careful precision and attention to detail.
Richard placed the artist’s pattern beneath the light-blue glass and heated the iron to a hot, red tip. He began to move the tip along the glass with precision equal someone more experienced than he. Nearing the end of the cut he was distracted by a movement across from the glazier’s shoppe. The movement was a flowing movement that would not otherwise be a distraction, except that he had hoped that she might be passing at about this time as she had been recently. Richard looked up just moments before he completed the cut. It was her. The most beautiful thing that he had ever laid his eyes upon. The moment of distraction, though, was going to cost Richard dearly. Richard’s movement caused him to slip and knock the glass onto the floor.
The shattering of the glass onto the floor riveted Richard’s attention back to the business at hand. He had done the unthinkable. He had broken a piece of light blue glass. Any other colour would have disappointing, but blue, why did it have to be blue! Blue was presently in short supply. True, some of the broken pieces could be used elsewhere and there may be little waste, but just the fact that he had been careless