Battocks

Battocks is one of two parts of Morton that are clearly derived from villages once outside the town but since overwhelmed by it (the other was the village of Den (which was centered on Sixways, where Norden , Sudden and Esden meet. It is one of the poorer areas of town, particularly in the southern parts close to The Tanneries and, regrettably, these days best known for the activities of the Battocks Boys - a group of loan sharks.

Industry & Trade

Battocks has some workshops mainly dealing in leatherwork (benefiting from proximity to the Tanneries) and is home to many of the cobblers and shoe makers of the town. Most of the ward's inhabitants make their livings in other parts of town though. They have a reputation for lazy dishonesty that does them no ervice, but in truth (leaving aside the likes of the Battocks Boys they are no more dishonest than any other inhabitants of the town.

Infrastructure

Despite its relative poverty Battocks is well provided with connections to the water and foul sewer systems and the southern parts also have access to the trade sewer. It also has a better road system than many wards, with five routes from the edge of the ward running the the area in the centre commonly known as "The Green" - once the open space at the centre of the village but now home to the Wardhall, two taverns and as densely built as any other part of the ward.

Guilds and Factions

No guilds are based in Battocks. There are a number of street gangs that operate in the area but, with the exception of the Battocks Boys, they are generally pretty low key and harmless and more of a remnant of the village's independent existence.

History

As alluded to above, Battocks was once a village in its own right, and untiol the latest expansion of the town made its living in market gardening supporting the town. This began to change with the erection of the third wall in the sixth century which saw some it the agricultural land lost and was completed by the erection of the current walls in the early ninth century. That lead to the departure of most of the residents, to villages further out from Morton where they could continue their trade (and do so in prosperity owing to the increasing size of Morton and its purchasing power). Needless to say, this inconvenient point of fact is usually ignored by the residents, most of whom will claim to be pure bred from village stock.

Architecture

Although one of the later developed areas of town, the road network established in its days as a village has given it a very different appearance to the other wards developed at the same time - the streets are narrower (off the main routes), more curved and the regular designs of buildings seen elsewher in town are much more varied in Battocks. You will also find a few buildings left over from those earlier days, especially around The Green looking (architecturally) like a countryman dropped into the middle of a town. Some find this characterful and and a redeming feature for the area - others see it as just one more reason why it should be flattened and rebuilt as the Tanneries and Wharfare were.

Type

Ward

Alderman

Caddick Enna Hallack is the Alderman of Bottocks. By trade he is one of the town's Moneymakers and has lived and worked many years in Hammersward - but he was born and brought up in Bottocks and, having made good saw taking a turn as Alderman to be a good example to set. He has struggled with the role and whilst he would never admit regretting it, he is counting down the days to the end of his term of office. Nevertheless he has done some good for the ward and has been instrumental is setting up some basic schooling for its children, using the Wardhall as a schoolroom on Dundys and most evenings.