This is a great hall. It is the home of Thane (or Thegn) Cuthred. His friends call him Cutha. A thane had to own "five hides of land, a bell, a castle-gate, a seat" and have a "special office in the King's Hall". Cutha owns all the land in the village and the local area. He owns lands elsewhere too and sometimes lives on those instead. He is very powerful. Everyone in the village has to do what he says and come and work on his land for one or more days a week: ploughing, harrowing, weeding, harvesting, haymaking & ditching. He is very rich. He can afford to live in a great hall where he can feast and his minstrel can entertain his friends. This stands in a special enclosed area away from the rest of the village where there are also other buildings for the thane to use. He has made a promise to be loyal to the King and has a job as one of the Royal huntsman. He must join the the King's army in times of war, and bring men from the village with him. Cutha has a seal (for sealing letters and documents) to prove how important he is. Cutha pays for the repair roads and bridges for the villagers and makes sure everyone obeys the laws. When he is not there, his steward or 'village reeve' runs things for him.