by Griff Hosker
My table arrangement meant that the feast went off without a problem. Hugo de Ferrers and the knights who sat close to him had their heads together and were, no doubt, slandering me. So long as I could not hear then it did not matter. The earl, his squire and Simon de Lacy were accommodated in the main hall. The rest made their way at the end of the evening to the annex. I felt safer that way.
The earl bade good night and said, “We will rise and leave early. You did well tonight and I will make enquiries about the Sherriff. I have little enough power these days but what little I have will try to discover the truth of what you say. If it was not the Sherriff then there are other enemies and that is good to know eh?”
I liked the earl. He was a throwback to the time of the Warlord. I doubted that we would see the like again and I felt sad about that.
I, of course, as the host, made certain that I was up before my guests and that I saw that they had food for their journey. The lords from the annex arrived. “Were your chambers satisfactory?”
Sir Hugo said, “Adequate, baron.”
I smiled for it was grudging praise. Had he been able to find fault then he would have done so.
The earl arrived, “My lord, your squires have already eaten and are saddling your horses. The shortest way is through the north gate and across the Ox Bridge. You will soon find the Durham Road. It is the only remnant that we have of the Romans in the lower valley.”
“Thank you for your hospitality. Sir Hugo be so good as to go and rouse the main camp. They should be up and ready to move but chivvy them anyway.” He left. “Thank you, baron, I will see you at Norham.” I watched them leave by the north gate and then gave orders for the muster.
My knights were keen to get to their homes. They had their goodbyes to give and then bring their men and horses back to my castle. I thought it unlikely that we would get much further north than Durham. We would need tents, baggage and servants. I asked Father Abelard to come with us for we needed a healer. There would be some with the army but I wanted one for my men. This was the first time Alfred had followed us to war. He would never be in danger but I saw the tears in his mother’s eyes. Aunt Ruth was also fighting them too. He had his new helmet hanging from the saddle of his pony. I knew that he would be desperate to wear it but, in all likelihood, he would never have to.
I hugged my aunt and then Margaret, “We will be back. This is not like before. We go with the English army. I will not have the responsibility on my shoulders alone. I will just be part of the whole metal monster.”
She pushed me away, “I know you, Sir Thomas. You will find some excuse to do something heroic! Don’t! Come back safe with our son and your men. The Scots are not worth bleeding over.”
We made a grand sight as we headed north. With banners and standards flying we were a colourful and heroic looking group. The people lined the road to cheer us and I saw Alfred with eyes wide as he took it in. The veterans like Ridley and David of Wales took it in their stride but it affected the younger warriors. Fótr and Edward joined us at the Durham road. For once we would not need scouts. William Marshal had led ten times our number just hours before us. There would be no danger and we were able to appreciate the beauty of my land.
Conversation turned to the war. For all of us this was a novel experience. We were used to fighting to hold on to our land. Now we were heading for another country and intended to take it!
“If we are to gather at Norham then it is likely we will attack Berwick.” Sir William had jumped to a conclusion which was not necessarily the right one.
I said, “Norham is our northernmost castle. We could attack Berwick but it is a mighty castle. If I was asked what I thought then I would suggest Jedburgh. I have seen it and there is no castle, at least not one as big as Berwick. Then I would sweep towards Edinburgh from the south. The Scottish castles line the coast. There are fewer inland.”
Sir Edward asked the question which was on all of their minds. “And we fight for King John?”
I shook my head, “We fight for England. For once I agree with the King’s policy. King Henry had the right idea. He cowed the Scots and with the Treaty of Falaise which made their King bow his knee to England. King Richard sold the fealty back to King William. While the treaty was in operation we were not raided. So, to answer you, Edward, yes, we fight for King John but that still does not make me like him. Nor does it make me agree with him.” I laughed, “I find it amusing that he actually sent his Earl Marshal to ask me to join him.”
Fótr nodded, “I had not thought of that. He needs you, lord. You can ask for whatever you want.”
“Perhaps. One step at a time.”
Durham was heaving. The Bishop had summoned all of his knights. There were at least a hundred banners there. I turned to the men at arms and archers. “You had better find somewhere to camp. We may be joining you.”
“There is a moor north of here. We will camp there.”
Amazingly we were admitted straight away. Knights parted as the four of us strode through the castle. The Bishop was seated at a table. A cleric had a roll and they were checking off names. The Bishop looked relieved when he saw me. “Sir Thomas, the Earl Marshal said that you would be here. He was adamant that I needed all of my knights.”
“I think, Bishop, that when we attack the Scots there will be no one left to harm the Palatinate. Will you be riding with us?”
He looked almost afraid, “No, Sir Thomas. I have been ill recently and I will not be needed.”
I wondered which of his knights would lead. Whichever of them were chosen they would have little experience of war. Few had fought the Scots and even fewer had been on crusades.
“When will we be able to leave? Norham is many miles north.”
“Any knights who are not here by dawn will have to catch up for you leave tomorrow.”
A knight I did not recognise pushed himself forward. He was older than I. In fact, he looked to be of an age with Lady Ruth’s dead husband. “And who leads the knights of the Palatinate?”
The Bishop pointed a finger at me and said, “Why, Sir Thomas of Stockton of course. He is the best qualified knight here and besides the Earl Marshal suggested it. Who am I to argue?”
The older knight spluttered, “But he killed Hugh de Puiset.”
Sir Edward stepped threateningly close to the knight, “And paid penance. He was forgiven when we served in the Baltic Crusade. Have you been on crusade, my lord?”
The older knight stepped back. He regretted his words immediately.
I nodded, “Then you had better have a copy for me of the knights, men at arms and archers I will lead.”
“Do we need to call out the levy Sir Thomas?”
I laughed, “No Bishop; if we did then it would take six months for us to reach Norham! The knights and men at arms we have will have to do.”
I was glad that I had my household knights with me. While I sat with the Bishop and checked names, they helped to organize the knights so that they would fight in conroi. Few had ever fought together and, as we collated the names, the three of them divided them into manageable groups. It was late when we finished. I would lead one hundred and twenty knights. Less than half had seen combat in the last ten years. They had just two hundred men at arms between them. The situation with archers and crossbowmen was even worse. They had but thirty archers and twenty crossbow men.
There was just the Bishop and I left in the hall. The rest had retired for we had an early morning. “It is fortunate that King John has brought his army north, Bishop. This is a poor turn out for the Palatinate.”
He looked miserable, “You are right. I had thought Aimeric had ensured that my knights had maintained the men that they should. You are the only one who has fulfilled his oath. In fact, you have more than I expected.”
“Then you know what you must do while I lead your men. You must visit all the lords who have not fulfilled their oath and they must be punished.”
“How?”
I laughed. “That is simple, Bishop; you make them pay. They are not warriors they are merchants. They will soon realise that it is better to provide the men rather than to pay from their coffers.”
We spent some time going through the documents which the Bishop had. I needed to know as much about the border as I could. The Bishop held the castle at Norham and he knew much about the places we would be likely to have to attack. I wanted that knowledge in my head before we joined the King.
It was a long slow journey to Norham. Had I just had my knights and men I would have been there in two days. As it was it took four. It did, however, afford me the opportunity to get to know some of the barons whom I would lead. After just a few miles and some conversation I realised that I did not like most of them. They were reluctant warriors. They whined and complained. But there were a few who appeared to have potential. Baron David of Stanley and his brother Baron Stephen of Spennymoor were two such. Their manors lay in the bleak uplands. They were prone to attacks from Scots and perhaps that was why. Neither were young men. Baron Stanley was the elder with white flecked hair. He had the squat look of a fighter. Baron Ralph of Crook, who was lord of another upland manor also had those qualities. It seemed the closer the manor was to Durham the less likely it was that they had a good lord. It must have gone back to the times of Hugh de Puiset. The manors around Durham yielded the greatest taxes and so were the ones Hugh de Puiset gave to his cronies.
Scottish War
Chapter 19
The plain before Northam was filled with tents and banners. The King was in the castle. The castle belonged to the Bishop of Durham and technically the lord would follow my banner. I did not think that would be so. When we had been five miles from the castle I had sent two of my archers to find us a dry camp site which was close to the river. There would be many horses. Good grazing would be paramount. We had brought some hay and grain but the amount we had brought was minimal.
Cedric Warbow waved us west towards a stand of trees. It was a hundred paces from the nearest horse lines. It was a mile from the castle but that did not worry me. My knights would not be expected to visit the castle. If any of them was summoned it would be me. We were so far west that we did not have to pass through the camp. We left the road and headed across the fields. It gave me the chance to look at the forces we had at our disposal. Although most were northern knights, I recognised the banners of de Percy, de Vesci and the Sherriff. There were others from further south: Hugh Bigod, the heir to Suffolk, Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford, John de Lacey, Constable of Chester and Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex were some of the lords whose banners I recognised. They were all powerful earls. King John was making this invasion a way of exerting his authority.
I had told my knights that David of Wales would command the archers. Sadly, only my archers were mounted. I had David of Wales make a separate camp for the archers and crossbowmen. I also had the largest single body of men at arms and so Ridley the Giant commanded them. They, too, had a separate camp. Leaving my servants to erect my tent I went with Petr and Alfred to the castle. William Marshal had stressed the need for speed. I had not been able to do so through no fault of my own. The sooner I reported the better.
My livery was known. My story was told, I had no doubt, in every hall throughout the land. My great grandfather had been famous. I was infamous. I was the hero of Arsuf who had killed a Bishop and then defied King John in Anjou. I think that even the great magnates were intrigued by me. The knights, men at arms, crossbowmen, archers and all the others stared at the three of us as we rode. Alfred was curious, “Why do they stare, father?”
“I am afraid, Alfred, that my deeds have preceded me. Men are inquisitive. It means nothing. Keep your mouth shut and your ears open. Try to avoid being the chattering magpie that you sometimes are.”
Petr said, “He is getting better, lord.”
“I know and I mean no criticism but King John is a dangerous man and my son has already shown a propensity for inappropriate comments.”
Alfred said, quietly, “That was before I became a squire in training.”
“Good. You will stay with the horses. Petr will come with me in case I need to send a message.”
William Marshal must have warned the guards not to hinder my progress. We rode through the gate and I left Alfred with the horses in the Outer Ward. Petr and I walked up, through the tents towards the Inner Ward and the keep. A knight my age strode towards us. I recognised his livery, “I am William Marshal, the Earl’s son. I am pleased that you have arrived.” He lowered his voice. “King John was becoming anxious.”
Even though it was not my fault I would not blame the men I led, “It is a long way from Durham, Sir William, and many of the men I led were on foot.”
He nodded, “Come I am instructed to take you directly to the Council of War. You will not need your squire.”
“Petr, return to Alfred. Water the horses and see if you can find food or grazing.”
As he went off Sir William said, “I see you are an old campaigner.”
I nodded, “The Holy Land, Sweden, Estonia and, latterly, Anjou and Normandy. I have learned that a knight afoot does not last long.”
The keep was a sturdy one. Taken during the Civil War by the Scots when King Henry had recaptured it he had ensured that the defences were improved. The Bishop of Durham had been lax. As I entered the hall I saw a dozen knights seated around a table. King John and William Marshal were in the centre and I saw that a seat had been left for me.
I bowed, “I am sorry the journey took longer than it should, Your Majesty. No disrespect was intended. It was just a long journey.”
King John said nothing but the Earl Marshal smiled and said. “We only arrived a day and a half before you. It is understandable.”
King John waved an irritated hand, “Now that you are here be seated. We have much to say. There are still some men to arrive from Cumberland but as they have had an even longer journey we will not wait for them.” I saw the Constable of Chester nod. “Earl Marshal.”
William Marshal got to his feet. “We are planning a twin attack on the Scots. King William is at Edinburgh. He knows that we have gathered here and he is summoning his army. He will wait until he knows where we march before he commits himself. To that end Sir Thomas of Stockton will initiate our attack. He will lead the lords of the Palatinate to cross the Tweed and attack Jedburgh.” All eyes were on me but I kept my face straight. I showed neither emotion nor reaction. “The castle there is a small one and its purpose is to guard the abbey. The baron will then sweep up towards Galashiels. It is hoped that the sight of the baron’s banner and his reputation will make the Scots think that this is the main attack. His great grandfather and grandfather were the bane of King William when he was a young king.”
There was a murmur of conversation and I took the opportunity to speak. “And how far do I go? To Edinburgh?”
King John allowed himself a rare smile, “You are a feisty cockerel, Sir Thomas. What makes you think that you will get that far?”
“The castles which the Scots have to bar our progress are along the coast. Berwick and Dunbar are mighty fortresses. As the earl says Jedburgh should not hold us up and Galashiels has no castle. From what I know the castles at Dalkeith and Lauder are the only ones which might hold us up and they lie close to Edinburgh.”
I saw the earl smile. “It is good that you have prepared. You have mounted men. You will keep us informed of your progress and, more importantly, the Scottish reaction. I know that you know how to use scouts. Once we know that William is committed to an attack then we will bring the main army from Norham.”
“Then you would prefer me to attack towards Lauder.” He nodded. “That has a town wall and may hold us up. We have no siege train.”
King John spoke for the first time, “We do not waste time on sieges. You were chosen, Sir Thomas for your skill at leading fast-moving men. Use that speed. Lauder is as close to Norham as Jedburgh. If you can be th
e anvil against which King William is held then we will be the hammer!”
The lords at the table banged it and cheered. I sensed that this was to garner favour rather than a genuine response.
Earl Marshal stood, “Come, I will finalise the details with you.”
When we were in the Inner Ward I said, calmly and simply, “We are the bait? We are the tethered sheep upon which the wolf will feast.”
To be fair to the Earl he did not attempt to deny it, “You did not think that, to win favour and have a castle once more you would just come up here and join the army chasing Scotsman over the moors, did you?” I shook my head. “I ensured that you were in command and that was for two reasons: firstly, it gave us a better chance of winning and secondly, because your destiny is in your own hands. So long as you draw the Scots to you then you have done that which was asked.”
“And men will die.”
He shrugged, “This is war and all men die but you, Sir Thomas, seem to lose less than most. Let us keep it that way eh?”
I nodded, “I will leave at dawn tomorrow. It is twenty miles to the Tweed. I will attack at dawn on the following day.”
“Good. I will take a conroi to Berwick to make them think we attack there. The sight of an old warhorse like me may alarm them, eh?”
Petr and Alfred noticed my silence as we rode back to the camp, “Is there a problem, lord?”
“Not a problem, Petr, more of a puzzle. We have to stir up a wasps’ nest and then escape without getting stung.”
Petr nodded. Alfred frowned and then said, “That is impossible!”
I smiled, “And that, my son, is the puzzle.”
I did not call a council of war immediately. I summoned my knights along with Ridley and David of Wales. I would have asked for Sir Ralph but he was with the Sherriff of York’s men. He was not mine to command in this battle. I explained what we had to do. None seemed concerned with the enormity of the task.
“It will be easy enough to take Jedburgh. David you will take your archers and stop large numbers from escaping. Allow a couple to do so for that would bring the Scots to us. I need one of your archers to command the ones who remain.”