Year 1 - Spring - Dowrick (Peasant Fishermen)
A small hut for the Dowricks, a family of fishers. I built this one before I realised there were rules about what furniture you were supossed to start out with, but I didn’t have the heart to take away the extra beds - they are a large family and really need them!
The Dowricks are one of the largest families in Driftwood. And with three daughters, family-man Thomas is sweating a little thinking about the dowries they’ll need…
His teenage girls, Margery and Helen, seem to be competing for the affections of Alexander Harwood, the orphaned woodcutter boy. Helen’s the smart one in the family, loves observing the tidepools, and is great at chatting up customers at their shop. Margery is the elder of the two and doesn’t care much for fishing (too lazy & clumsy) but she’s got a part-time job as a servant over at Mondegreen manor. She can be a little boisterous (and definitely gets over-competitiive when it comes to her sister) - one noogie too many and Alexander was quick to lose his crush on her!
His wife Jillian isn’t much of a fisher either, but makes some money on the side collecting reeds and weaving baskets. She sometimes fantasises about being a minstrel or actress, but she’s terribly shy so being a fisherman’s wife suits her fine. Thomas and Jillian don’t really have the best chemistry, but they make a good team.
Thomas’ aging father, Daveth, lives with them. He might not like the outdoors much, but he’s very dedicated to his work and holds both himself and the rest of the family to high standards. Their youngest, Annie, can almost always be found fishing next to her grandad. Annie’s patient and disciplined, not at all like the rest of her family, and might just be the best fisher of the lot.
Meanwhile Finley, the family’s heir, is due to age up soon. He’s not found a sweetheart to marry just yet (too busy horsing around with that Nigel Bouldre), but there’s no rush. He’s been a very active fisherman and helping out with the business too!
The fish are always bountiful in the spring time, and with so many hands on deck the family had no trouble meeting their tax oblgations. It could be a lot more difficult when the girls are all grown up and moved out with husbands of their own…
