Palace Ward

Around two thirds of Palace Ward is taken up with the Duke's Palace. The current palace was build in the nineth century (following the expansion of its compound after the marking out of the current walls of the town), replacing an earlier building erected in sixth. The remainder of the ward is residence to a number of court staff and courtiers as well as some of the tradesmen who service the palace.

Demographics

Palace ward is a strange mix of the high and the low, often cheek by jowl in the same row of buildings. Most of the inhabitants are of Mor extraction though there are natives of most Tithings of the Duchy in residence.

Industry & Trade

There are a number of craft trades carried on within the ward, mainly serving the palace though significant business is done with other high status areas of town (and indeed export). It is these wider trading opportunities that result in the these specialists residing and working outside the palace compound for residence within the compound makes one part of the Ducal Household which imposes limits on such activities.

Infrastructure

The ward is well served by both the foul sewer and fresh water systems and has control of the ferry crossing to Outer Morton. Although the bank of the Storrow gives it potential for water transport use as this section is entirely part of the palace compound, no river trade is conducted in the ward, though landing stages are maintained both for goods coming to the palace and for the comings and goings of visitors.

Guilds and Factions

Whilst a number of the guilds are represented by the tradesmen resident, the only factions in Palace Ward relate to the court itself; of these the Dukes faction is usually the strongest but others can arise with the shifts of court politics. These generally relate either to the Duke's consort or heirs. At present the politics are quiet and no there is no significant factionalism but nobody expects this to last.

History

From the laying out of the third walls of Morton, a sector was set aside for the Palace - the old castle was becoming too crowded with functionaries and administrators for the Duchy's business and the incorporation of the Houghlands only made this worse. From its beginnings the whole ward was owned outright by the Duke and though most of it was walled in as the palace compound the remainder remained in Ducal possession to provide accommodation for courtiers, staff and tradesmen on whom the palace depended but who were not, for whatever reason, resident within the compound.
The erection of the fourth (and current) walls in the ninth century provided an opportunity to extend the place and so Palace ward was extended out to the new walls providing more space both in and out of the compound. It is thus (with the exception of Woodhouses )the only ward to straddle two phases of Morton's development.

Architecture

As befits the name of the ward, the architecture is palatial - built in the same style as the palace, though less grand, less decorated and with shorter storeys there is a clear distinction as you cross the boundaries from the surrounding wards.

Type

Ward

Alderman

Njorah Enna Cadman is currently the Alderman of Palace Ward. Unlike the other wards, the Alderman of Palace Ward is a Ducal appointment and is typically the head of a department of the palaces operations. Njoragh began her career some 20 years ago, in the palace's scullery and progressed into the laundry where she rose through her industrious nature and a series of improvements introduced into the laundry's organisation and processes.  These had failed to take account of some of the recent improvements developed by the town's artificers and alchemists and were introduced to good effect but with much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Though effective within the palace she is not popular, however the exposure to wider social issues and processes that the role of Alderman has given her has made her less "insufferable" to the laundry staff.