The Siege of Norwich Castle: A story of the last struggle against the Conqueror

by M. M. Blake

  CHAPTER IX.

  NORWICH.

  After the bride-ale the splendid company parted, mainly in three greatdivisions: Earl Waltheof and his following to the north; Earl Roger tothe west; Earl Ralph with his bride, his Norman knights, and Bretonvassals and mercenaries, his Anglo-Saxon vassals and sympathisers, tothe east; a few minor parties of independent barons, knights, andthegns going their several ways.

  The Earl of Norfolk and Suffolk and his train rode forth along the oldRoman Ikenield Street, which ran then an uninterrupted course fromwithin a few miles of Exning to Norwich.

  De Guader rode beside his young countess on a gentle _hacquenee_, whichpaced quietly beside her palfrey, and did not break in upon theirconverse by any pranks of his own, his squire leading the fiery Oliver,and an attendant following with a mule carrying his armour, lance, andspear.

  It may well be supposed that the noble bridegroom spared no pains tomake the time pass pleasantly for his young countess, which, under thecircumstances, was no difficult task, for the mid-May weather wasdelightful, and whether they rode over heaths or through the forests,which then spread over the greater part of the country, they weresurrounded with flowers and the song of birds. The yellow gorse wasgorgeous in the open, filling the air with its almond scent, and thewhin-chats fluttered from bush to bush, trying to lure them away fromthe spot that hid their nests. Overhead the larks carolled and thesparrow-hawks poised motionless, while round and about them darted thebusy swallows.

  Where they passed a homestead, fruit-trees were gay with blossom, appleand cherry and pear, and the sweet-breathed kine were standing in themeadows, knee-deep in the flower-jewelled grasses, for was it not_Tri-milki_, the month when cows are milked thrice in the day,according to the quaint old Anglo-Saxon calendar? Now and again theymet a shepherd with a flock of ewes and lambs, or, more often, theinevitable Saxon swineherd with his grunting pigs.

  But alas! they passed more often the blackened ruins where a homesteadhad once been, for the curse of war had desolated the land. Over thethatchless rafters hung the white branches of the flowering May, themore like snow, because no girlish fingers had stripped them to deckMaypoles.

  They journeyed also through many a mile of forest land, where the greattrees interlaced their boughs into the beautiful arches which theGothic architect imitated so well in stone, and the wild birds throngedin undisturbed security, countless in kind and number, and the antleredstags trotted nimbly down the glades.

  The greenwood in those days, however, had its dangers as well as itsdelights. Wolves and boars and wild cattle shared its shelter with thefeathered songsters; and more formidable still were the indomitableSaxons, who had sought refuge in the wilderness, and made war withoutmercy on such of the conquering race as trespassed on their domain.Many a Saxon thegn, who had lost house and land in the great struggleagainst the Norman invader, had retired into the woods, and there livedthe life of a freebooter, some taking with them not only theirfamilies, but their vassals and retainers. To be an outlaw wasaccounted an honour by these men, who would not acknowledge the rightof the law-makers to command. They swarmed even under the walls of theNorman castles, and harassed the conquerors continually. Retaliationwas sanguinary, and the unarmed peasants were punished under pretextthat they harboured the outlaws. In return, the kings of the forestattacked the English households who favoured the Normans, and everyhouse was fortified to resist a siege, and stores of arms and food werelaid in; at night the head of the family read aloud the form of prayerthen used at sea in a storm, praying 'The Lord bless and help us,' towhich all present answered 'Amen.'

  But the strong and well-armed retinue that accompanied the Earl of EastAnglia's party assured safety, and the most timid amongst the ladiescould fear no harm while surrounded by so many gallant knights in allthe pride and panoply of glorious war! They made a goodly sight as theymoved along, the sunshine flashing on their mail hauberks andhigh-peaked steel saddles, and the wind fluttering the gonfalons ontheir lances, their well-appointed horses snorting and curvetting, astrong body of men-at-arms, bowmen, and slingers following afoot.

  Doubtless many a Saxon serf and bordar cursed them as they passed, notknowing that the powerful earl who led them had avowed himself championof the Saxon cause, and meant once more to raise the standard ofrevolt.

  Doubtless many a stout forester peered at them from behind the shelterof green leaves, and raged with impotent anger at their strength.

  Perhaps others greeted them with courtesy and proffers of friendshipand offerings of game, for the outlaws contrived to be wonderfully wellinformed of the march of events, and De Guader was keenly alive to thedesirability of making all possible allies amongst the scatteredEnglish, and did not neglect the brave spirits who had taken to thewilds rather than submit, and who wielded so strong a weapon inpossessing the love of the common people.

  However that might have been, they journeyed safely through wood andwold, going slowly to suit the comfort of the ladies, and the capacityof the sumpter mules, and revelling in the bright spring weather.

  Amongst the knights who pressed round them Eadgyth looked in vain forthe figure of Sir Aimand de Sourdeval. Emma, happy with her bridegroom,took no notice of his absence, till, on the second day of theirjourney, the earl having left her side to give some necessary orders tohis train, she saw that Eadgyth was sad and silent, and remembered thatthe hero of the tourney had not appeared in the ranks of their escort.She surmised that it was likely he had purposely avoided companionshipwhich could only lead to pain, and had contrived to fulfil some otherduty; so, when the earl rode up to her side again, she put some lightquestion to him regarding the knight, and was surprised to see his facegrow dark as thunder. He answered briefly, however, that Sir Aimand wasdetained on business of weight, and Emma, rather perplexed, did notventure to question him further. At the moment the jester Grillonneambled up, mounted on a piebald nag with a chuckle-head and goose-rump,and cut capers which made both earl and countess laugh, so that thepoor Knight of Sourdeval was banished from Emma's thoughts.

  On the evening of the fourth day they came in sight of the churches andtrees of Norwich, with the newly-built Castle Blauncheflour rising instately strength above them (for no cathedral spire dwarfed it then),the brilliant beams of the setting sun gilding its snowy towers, andlighting the square mass of the lofty keep, which still, after eighthundred years of war and weather, stands firm and solid on its throneabove the city.[2]

  [2] See Appendix, Note B.

  Emma exclaimed in delight when she first came in sight of this goodlycastle, which brought home to her pleasantly the power and wealth ofher noble husband.

  'A garrison of five hundred might hold it for ever!' cried Ralphenthusiastically, 'if only manna would fall from the skies to feedthem, or that they might be fed by a San Graal. That reminds me, sweet,thou wilt like to hear my minstrel tell the story of Blauncheflour, whowas the betrothed of Percivale, the searcher for the Graal. The fairwhite walls, faced with goodly Caen stone, seemed to me in theirinvincible dignity to resemble a pure maiden, so I named them afterher.'

  Norwich in those days was surrounded by broad and deep streams, atleast five times as wide as its present modest rivers, and thechroniclers of Edward the Confessor's day record that the fisher-folksuffered terribly through the receding of the waters. A sandbank somedistance out at sea was just emerging where Yarmouth now stands, andsea-going vessels could make their way past the walls of Blauncheflour.

  The level of the water was many feet above its present mark, and thecastle was surrounded, and rendered very strong, by deep ditches ofearly British construction, on a similar scheme to those traced atRising, Castleacre, and many other places, where Norman architects hadavailed themselves of the earthworks constructed by earlier peoples.The castle was surrounded by the circular moat which still exists,while a large horseshoe fosse extended to the south, covering the greatgate of the castle, which was at the foot of the existing bridge, whichis of Saxon construction, and m
easures forty feet in the span, beingthe largest remaining arch raised by that people.

  The great gate was a strong and imposing structure, and had fourtowers, two at the base and two at the top of the bridge, and was theonly entrance to the upper ballium, which was guarded by eleven strongtowers, and contained various halls and lodgings, beside the greatkeep, which is all that remains to us.

  The fortress might well look imposing, with its moats and earthworks,strengthened by strong palisadings of wood, its formidable walls andgate-houses dominated by the great square tower, with many a pennonwaving from the topmost points, and warders marching to and fro on thebattlements, their glittering mail shining in the sun.

  Norwich was not a city then, the see of the Bishop of East Anglia beingat Elmham, but there was a monastic church called Christ's Church wherethe present cathedral stands, and the bishop had a palace on the siteof the well-known Maid's Head Inn of the present, the walls of whichwere lapped by the river.

  Herfast, who held the see from 1070 to 1076, had been chaplain toWilliam the Conqueror when he was Duke of Normandy. It may be that hesomewhat favoured Ralph de Guader, or chose to be blind to the doingsof the turbulent earl, for, though Norman of the Normans, he bitterlyhated Lanfranc, who had once exposed his ignorance to pitiless scorn,and who unsparingly denounced his vices, bidding him 'to give overdice-playing, not to speak of graver misconduct, in which you are saidto waste the whole day;' and bade him 'study theology and the decreesof the Roman Pontiffs, and to give especial attention to the sacredcanons.' Also to 'dismiss certain monks of evil reputation.' At allevents, he does not appear to have been an active opponent to the EastAnglian earl, and it may be that he was not sorry that the archbishophe so much disliked should have a little trouble during his time oftemporal power.

  In the Domesday survey, made eleven years later, 1086, fifty-fourchurches are recorded, and 1565 burgesses and 480 bordars were amongthe inhabitants. The town was probably larger in 1075, as it sufferedmuch during the subsequent siege, and many an entry of '_Wasta_,''_wasta_,' '_wasta_,' bears testimony to the sorrow Ralph de Guaderbrought upon the place.

  Where the busy market-place is now, spread broad meadows for the castleuse, called the Magna Crofta or castle fee, and through them ran astream, having its rise on All Saints' Green, and flowing across thepresent site of Davey Place to the river. The quiet Quaker burialground occupies the Jousting Acre, or Gilden Croft, where many a nobleknight gave or received a broken head in sheer good fellowship andamiable love of fighting; and many a fair lady encouraged the giverwith smiles, or wept for the receiver. So the lovers of peace sleepcalmly under the sod that once was trampled by the eager steeds of themen-at-arms.

  Such was the Norwich to which Ralph de Guader brought home his bride;and, as they entered it, the knights in their retinue pricked theirjaded steeds and stirred their mettle, that they might prancesufficiently gaily. The trumpeters flourished their trumpets, to givenotice to the good people that their earl and his bride wereapproaching, and, though travel-stained and weary, the cavalcade made abrave appearance.

  Rich and poor, Normans, Saxons, Danes, Flemings, and Jews, all of whichnations were represented in the town,--the last-named having made theirfirst appearance therein at the heels of the Norman invaders, and beinghated accordingly,--crowded into the streets to welcome and admire thebride and bridegroom, or, at the least, to render that homage whichcircumstances rendered politic.

  For it must be remembered that the dignity of the powerful Earl of EastAnglia was almost royal. The feudal king was 'first among peers,' andthe earls came next to him; even so late as the reign of QueenElizabeth the parliamentary formula of royal speeches was, 'My rightloving Lords, and you, my right faithful and obedient subjects.'

  The 'Ykenilde weie' entered Norwich where afterwards stood the BrazenDoors, passing by All Saints' Green to the Castle Hill; the cavalcadeso entering what was called the New Burg, consisting of Normandwellings erected since the Conquest, which, then as now, took its namefrom the Chapel in the Field, and included the parishes of St. Gilesand St. Stephen's. Here the enthusiasm was effusive, and a well-dressedpopulace waved caps of rich fur in the air, while silken hangings andgay banners waved from the windows.

  It was with mingled feelings that Eadgyth of Norwich re-entered herbirthplace in the train of the Norman lady. All her lovingrecollections were embittered by the sight of changes that reminded herof the sufferings of her people and the ruin of their cause, and thetears came into her eyes when she compared the welcoming crowd offoreigners that shouted around her with the scenes stamped on herchildish memory, when she had seen the stalwart Danes and Saxons gatherto greet Harold Godwinsson, and heard their loud 'Waes hael!'

  Storms of anger and jealous misery moved her as she passed through theNew Burg, for the smart dwellings on each side of the street had allbeen built since the Conquest, and showed the wealth of the invader. Asthey approached the castle, her heart sank more and more. It seemed toher as if its heavy foundations had been laid upon her breast, socruelly did it bring home to her the strength of the yoke which wasriveted upon the necks of her people. For in architecture more than inany art did the Normans excel the people they conquered, and though themoats had been there when Harold was earl, the fortress within them wasbut a rude structure.

  When they reached the castle gate, a lively scene was enacted. Thegarrison marched down to salute the earl and his bride, led by thecastellan on a prancing charger, and forming in glittering lines oneither side the Bale. There were companies of archers clad in mailcoats reaching halfway to the knee, over which they wore jerkins ofstout leather, their ell-long shafts stuck through their belts, andtheir bows of yew, ash, witch-hazel, or elm, held in their right hands,and capable of despatching the arrows to a distance of from 200 to 300yards, with little steel-caps on their heads shaped much like the primhead-coverings worn by the Puritan maidens of later times; andmen-at-arms, shining from head to foot in chain mail, or with littlesteel rings sewn thickly upon leather, armed with straight swords abouta yard in length, and wearing helms like upset saucers; others lessheavily armed, bearing oval shields and long lances, their shouldersand chests protected by glittering capes of scale armour; and othersagain, still more slightly armed, with lighter lances, and small roundshields not larger than dinner-plates, with which to baulk a lancethrust; slingers, with light tunics reaching to the knee, and little orno armour, their weapon a long pole provided with a loop, from whichthe practised hand could sling stones with great force and precision. Agood two-thirds of the archers and slingers were Bretons; for the menof Bretagne were famed bowmen, and furnished the chief contingent ofthe archers who did so much execution at Senlac.

  Besides these there were the engineers, who worked the mangonels andcatapults, and a large troop of smiths and armourers, whose duty it wasto repair with hammer and anvil the damage done by wear and war to theaccoutrements of these various gentry,--in all some two to threehundred men.

  They rent the air with a great cheer, as they formed in line before theearl and countess and their retinue; and the castellan, Sir Hoel de St.Brice, a knight who had grown grey in the service of the Lords ofGuader and Montfort, and who had fought under the father of Ralph'sBreton mother, gave the cue, with a compliment to the bride.

  'Long live the daughter of William Fitzosbern!' he cried, whereat thesoldiers cheered again.

  Emma smiled and bowed, and tried to pay them equal compliments inreturn.

  'With such a castle, and such gallant defenders,' she said, 'fear wouldbe impossible, even if the blood of the veriest coward ran in her veinsinstead of that of a hero.'

  Whereat they gave still louder cheers, and vowed that they would spendevery drop of their blood to defend her if need were.

  Then the earl treated them to a little harangue.

  'He knew they meant what they said,' he told them, 'for he had seenthem fight, not only from behind stone walls, but hand to hand on thefield of Hastings;' and added, 'that he was glad he knew t
heir metal,for perhaps it would be rung sooner than they looked for.' Anannouncement received with vociferous delight by the wild men of war,who scarce thought life worth living in time of peace, and looked tothe giving and taking of shrewd blows both for amusement and fortune,caring little in what cause they were bestowed.

  While this took place, Eadgyth had turned her eyes to the south-east,the old portion of the town looking over to the Thorpe marshes, wherethe bright Mary buds 'had oped their golden eyes,' and the willows werewhite with catkins, and the Thorpe woods were in their fresh verdure.An overwhelming sense of desolation came upon her as she marked the oldfamiliar objects among which her childhood had been passed--and moreforcibly as she noted the absence of others. She drew her veil acrossher face, lest it should be seen that she was weeping.

  The cavalcade moved on again, Sir Hoel riding by the earl's side. Theypassed into the northern end of King Street, and so to the ancientpalace of the East Anglian earls, which stood where the St. EthelbertGate is now, and had a chapel dedicated to that saint, who had been aking of the East Angles. He was murdered by Offa, King of Mercia, atthe instigation of his wife Quendrida. The head of the victimisedprince rolled down as his body was being carried away; a blind manstumbled over it, and, accidentally touching his eyeballs with theblood, received his sight again. A well sprang up where the head fell.So runs the legend.

  At the palace they were received by a gaily-clad host of servants andretainers. Brave squires and smart pages, portly bursar and anxioussteward, cellarers, cooks, and scullions; stately dames and prettybower-maidens, tirewomen, dairy and grinding-maids (for in those dayswindmills had not been invented, so 'woman's sphere' included thegrinding of flour in a hand-mill),--these, and many more, stood waitingin order of their rank, and dressed in their bravest apparel.

  Behind the earl's household was a still larger company of socmen andslaves from the nine manors which William of Normandy had bestowed onRalph de Guader when he gave him the East Anglian earldom, makingaltogether a goodly crowd of retainers; and we may guess how they allstrained forward to catch the first glimpse of the noble young bridetheir lord was bringing home, and how Emma, though well used to homage,was glad to bow her fair head under excuse of courtesy, and so hide herglowing face from so many curious eyes.

  On the plain before the palace, opposite St. Michael's Chapel(Tombland), six fine beeves were roasting whole for the entertainmentof the populace, and a tun of wine and several fat barrels of ale werebroached, wherewith throats that had grown hoarse with shouting welcomeshould be refreshed.

  So came Emma, Countess of Norfolk and Suffolk, to her new home inNorwich, where she was to spend but a few short months full of terror,suffering, and sorrow, and by her bearing under misfortune to proveherself the worthy daughter of her noble sire, and to be known in thepages of history as the heroine of the most romantic incident in theannals of Norwich Castle.