by Griff Hosker
As I mounted, I scanned the battlefield. The Brooks and the river barred our escape south and west; the enemy were heading for the town and the castle to the east, and that left just one escape route: north. We had no choice, we would have to take it, even though it meant riding through the enemy. We would be in danger, but I hoped that they would not be expecting us.
I shouted, “We use our swords and we head north. We ride until we can ride no more. John, take the rear!”
I drew my sword; it was sharp and I knew how to use it, even from the back of a horse. I dug my heels in and Eleanor responded – she galloped through the gap in the wagons. I determined not to use my sword until I had to.
Those who were of common birth were busy stripping the dead of their belongings and weapons. They just looked up as we galloped past them. We were gone in a blur, and they did not notice that we did not wear the white cross of the rebels. We reached the high point in front of the dead ground before we were noticed.
I spotted ten men at arms who were mailed, and they served Hugh le Despencer – for I recognised the livery. Our only chance was to ride through them. They were at the bottom of the dead ground and we would have the slope with us; I hoped that they would not even notice us approach. Once we passed them, our fresher and well-grazed horses would outrun theirs. The problem would be getting past them unharmed.
Then they spied us, and I knew that there was no hope of evading them. We had to hurt and discourage them.
“We charge them!”
Perhaps the men at arms thought us easy targets, for most archers could not use a sword well. Hugh le Despencer lived in London. He was master of the Tower and did not know my reputation, so I gambled that his men would be equally ignorant. They made the mistake of forming a line to stop us, which meant that they were static and we were moving. I glanced over Eleanor’s rump and saw that Will Yew Tree, Tom, John’s son, and Matty Straw Hair were behind me. They knew how to handle a sword.
The sergeant at arms who led the men was overweight. His master was in command of the Tower, and that was an easy duty. He had a shield – and therein lay an advantage for me. I had no shield, and so I rode to his shield side and trusted that Matty could watch my back. The sergeant’s horse laboured up the slight slope while Eleanor had her legs open and was galloping.
The helmet covered the sergeant’s face; I had no helmet and a better view. However, he was a soldier and, seeing my intention, tried to turn his horse. He was moving more slowly than I was, giving me an advantage. I stood in my stirrups as he tried to swing his sword at me. My sword came down on his helmet while he was still swinging his own weapon over his horse’s head. His helmet dented and he slumped over his saddle.
A second man at arms was just behind him. Perhaps he had expected his sergeant to stop me, for he was not ready with his sword; it was by his side. I hacked at his leg and drew blood. He tumbled from his horse. I galloped up the slope to the ridge. Glancing over my shoulder I saw that another two men at arms were unhorsed, and the rest had stopped. Their leader was dead.
Before I could celebrate, I saw Matty Straw Hair’s horse as it galloped towards me. Matty’s body lay dead, close to the men we had slain. I had lost another archer.
I grabbed the reins of Matty’s horse, which obligingly stopped next to me. If we halted, then the men at arms would regroup and follow us. Although it meant abandoning Matty’s body, we had to flee. To stay meant either death or, at best, the loss of three fingers on our right hands. Archers who were captured had a bleak future. I dug my heels into Eleanor.
We thundered through the wood on Offham Hill and soon passed through the battlefield which had seen Lord Edward catch the Londoners. It looked like a charnel house, and body parts littered the top of the Downs. Lord Edward had made a mistake and indulged his personal desire for vengeance on the Londoners. He had shown that he was not yet ready to be a king and leader, although his father had hardly covered himself in glory. The wood had hidden the battle from the prince, and he must have assumed that his father and uncle were victorious. Our horses were tired after the climb and I reflected that the same must have been true for Lord Edward; all the more reason for him to have rested and then returned to the battle. I had to risk reining in.
We were the only living creatures on that piece of high ground. The carrion had flown off; when we departed they would return.
I stroked Eleanor’s head. “Good girl. What to do now, eh?”
I heard the hooves of my men’s mounts as they laboured up the slope. My horse was the best in our company. I did not turn, for my mind was running through all the choices which remained open to us. We had to escape north as quickly as possible, while the enemy celebrated the victory. London was de Montfort’s stronghold and we were Lord Edward’s men. Had we been with Lord Edward, then we would have had a brighter future. We were not – and any man who found us could kill us, take our horses, our weapons, coins and be considered justified for we were beaten men.
To get to the north, we had to pass through de Montfort’s other stronghold, the Midlands, and that would not be easy. The first thing to do was talk to my men. In theory, I was no longer their captain. Any oath they might have made was nullified by our defeat and Lord Edward’s order. I turned my horse. Their faces showed a mixture of disappointment at the defeat and anger at our losses.
John of Nottingham swept a hand around at the dead. “A sorry sight, eh Captain?”
I nodded. “And Matty?”
“Two of them came at him, Captain. He hurt the one on your left, but the other split his skull in twain. It was over in an instant. He knew nothing.”
“Yet he is dead.” I could not hide the bitterness in my voice. These were my men!
Robin of Barnsley shook his head. “Captain, this was not of your doing. We followed our orders, and all of us can hold our heads high. You got us out of that hole and I confess, I thought that our charge down the hill was doomed – but you had the right of it. What now, Captain?”
“We have no employer and we will be hunted, for men have long memories and there are debts to be paid.” I was thinking of de Ferrers and his men. “If any of you choose to leave, then go with my blessing.”
John of Nottingham shook his head. “Our best hope for us is to stay together. A single arrow can be broken easily, but a bundle holds firm. We are all of one mind and we follow you;, you are our leader. What are your thoughts, Captain?”
I looked around and saw not a dissenting face. I nodded. “To the north-east lies London, and there are enemies who abound in that cesspit. More than that, I know that Simon de Montfort will head there, and we risk running into his army. To the north-west lies the castle at Windsor, which is still the king’s. I do not intend to go into the castle, but if we can reach the wood which lies to the south of it, we can camp and consider our choices.”
David the Welshman shook his head. “Captain, that is over fifty miles away. We will not make it in one journey. The Surrey Hills are less than thirty miles from here. If we take it steadily then we can make them.”
A wise leader heeded the advice of his men. The king and Lord Edward had disregarded mine at great cost. “Aye, David, you are right, for our horses will need their strength if we are to reach safety.”
I wheeled Eleanor and we headed away from the line of bodies that marked the road to London. Noon had passed but this was May, and we had many hours to make the journey.
We passed through an England stripped of men. Some had fought for the king, but more had fought for the rebels. The king might have had more knights, but the rebels had the support of the people. That was down to King Henry’s high-handed manner. Simon de Montfort won the people over by promising them a parliament that would hear their voices and not those of the nobles.
We later heard that only four knights had been slain in the battle, but more than five thousand of the ordinary soldiers had died. It was a warning to me that our lives were not valued by the men who led us. Perhaps Cap
tain William was right. It might be that we should consider ourselves. If England did not care for us, why should we care for England? King Henry was our king; I would fight for Lord Edward if he was the king… but his father? I had much to dwell on. I thought of the way my father had been killed for a hunting dog: I should have learned my lesson then. Harry, my old friend in my first company of archers, had come up with the right idea: make money while our arms and backs were strong, and then live well for the rest of our lives.
As soon as we saw the Surrey Hills, we left the main road and took the tracks we found. The farmland turned to scrubland and then thin trees as we climbed the gentle slope. We were seen by farmers, but there was nothing we could do about that. Eventually, someone might question them, but by that time I hoped to be north of the Midlands. John of Nottingham had kept a good watch behind, and when we made our regular stops to water our horses, he could report that we were not followed.
I felt relief when we entered the eaves of the forest; we were always safer in woodland. I knew there might be outlaws sheltering here but we were, despite our losses, still a force that would be avoided, and our livery marked us as archers. The trees and the setting sun soon plunged us into a twilight world. Eleanor began to go a little quicker, despite her exhaustion, and I knew that water lay ahead. A small stream headed south, and there was enough of a clearing for us and our mounts.
“We camp here. Jack, look around and see if we are alone.”
The former outlaw dismounted and handed his reins to Robin of Barnsley. He nocked an arrow and disappeared into the darkening gloom. I led Matty’s horse and Eleanor to the stream. They were too tired to run, and so I dropped their reins to allow them to drink. As I took Matty’s saddle from his mount, I saw the sticky blood. It had not yet dried. Matty had been but a little younger than me – and now he was gone. He was proof that life was too short. After I had taken the saddles from both horses and tethered them where they could graze, I unstrung my bow. I would need a new string the next time I used it, having been forced to leave it strung for too long.
Jack came back and his bow was also unstrung. “No one here and little sign that men use this part of the woods.”
“Then we risk a fire. It will cheer us, and food which is hot fills a man’s belly better.” I looked at their faces for any dissension, but even my outlaw seemed to approve.
Will Yew Tree nodded and added sadly, “Aye, Captain, but hot food and a couple of skins of ale is the nectar of the gods!”
I nodded. “When we can, Will, I will buy some ale. You have all deserved it – and more.”
We all had tasks to complete, and the camp became a hive of activity. While we waited for the meat to warm through and the pot of water to heat, I looked at the faces of my men. They were not downcast, and that meant there was hope, for we were undefeated. Our army had lost – but not us.
I took a deep breath. “We have no employer and we will have no income. What do we do?”
John of Nottingham was the natural leader of the men. I was their captain, but John was older with more experience. He looked at the others and must have seen that they wished him to speak. “Captain, we would stay together in your company. You are a good captain; the best that I have served. Your youth does not detract from your ability to lead. We would follow you. What do you think are our choices?”
I felt better after his words and I spoke confidently, for I had run through all the possibilities during the ride from Lewes. “We could return to Sherwood and become outlaws.” I saw from their faces they did not like that option. “But I for one would not like that. It seems to me that we would then be left with two options. Serve another lord – and that would mean going abroad or finding someone who needs archers. Or we could protect merchants and their wagons. They are not necessarily the best options, but they are all that I can see.”
They nodded agreement. “First, we need to get through the land of de Montfort. I suggest we head for York. It is far from de Montfort and the land he holds. We can take a ship from there if we need to, and we are not known there.”
Robin of Barnsley said, “I have a brother who lives close by, Captain, although I have not seen him for many years. I think that is a good choice.”
The rest nodded and it was decided. We would head north and see what fate had in mind for us. As we consumed a much-needed meal, for it had been before dawn when we last ate, we discussed our route. It would not be direct. We would have to head north-west towards Windsor to avoid London. Then we would head north-east towards Cambridge and then due north. We would have to parallel the Great North Road. I knew from the discussions I heard amongst the high and the mighty that the first thing de Montfort would do in his victory, would be to stop any royalist supporters heading north – and that meant closing the old Roman road. The land to the east of the road was bare and exposed, which meant we would stand out as warriors heading north, while the land to the west was de Montfort land.
We examined what we had. There were now three spare horses and they would be invaluable. We had over five hundred fletched arrow shafts and we each carried our own arrowheads. We had not managed to retrieve any arrowheads from the battlefield and, until we could get some more, would have to be careful. Of course, a skilled archer could improvise. We could use flint to make hunting arrows, but if we had to fight then we would be at a disadvantage. We had the remains of the deer, and if carefully rationed that would last us four more days. By then we should have reached York; if not, then we would have to risk a town.
I mentioned this, and John of Nottingham pointed out the obvious. “Captain, we will need a town sooner rather than later.” He swept a hand down his clothes. “These mark us as Lord Edward’s archers. The men who serve lesser knights might escape scrutiny, but not us.”
I still had the coins given to me by Lord Edward when we hunted de Ferrers’ men. I would not ask my men to open their purses. I had gold buried, but that was in Oxford and out of the way. I would save that chest for an emergency. I closed my eyes as I tried to remember the land twixt Windsor and Lincoln. Lincoln was as far north as de Montfort’s influence extended and, if we passed there, I would begin to feel safe.
I spoke my thoughts aloud when I opened my eyes. “Bedford is in the hands of the rebels, and that means we must head further east. We need somewhere with a market so that we may buy clothes and perhaps food. Cambridge is too far to the east as a detour. We need somewhere between the two.”
My men were all from the north or the west, and their knowledge of the east was worse than mine. Mine came from meetings with Lord Edward and Captain William. I remembered a market town which lay to the south-east of Bedford. Leueton had a market and, as I recalled, was less than thirty miles away. More importantly, the castle there had been pulled down more than a hundred years before, during the anarchy.
“We head for Leueton. There is a market there. I will go in with David the Welshman. I can still affect a Welsh accent if I need one, and the Earl of Gloucester follows the rebels. We will pretend to be his men.”
“And your clothes, Captain?”
I smiled. “Between here and Leueton I hope to find a muddy beck in which I will roll. My cloak is plain, and the dirt will explain why I need clothes.”
“For eight men?”
I smiled, for I had thought it through. “David and I will go to four sellers to buy.” I shrugged. “It is not a perfect plan, but our parlous position means that we clutch at any straw and think on our feet. We are archers, after all! We leave before dawn, for I would be at the market before noon. Some markets close early and, with rebellion in the land, merchants will like to be home before dark.”
It was fortunate that we did leave before dawn, for had we left later we might not have evaded the men who waited on the Great West Road from London, which passed through the village of Slo. We had forded the Thames and were riding towards a small road that headed north when we spied the roadblock. It was not intended to catch us specifically,
but any royal supporters trying to get to Windsor.
It was still dark as we approached, and I spied their fire at the crossroads. I knew that our hooves had been heard as I saw their white faces, illuminated by the torches that burned at all four corners, turn towards the sound. If we fled then they would be alerted. They had to be less than three hundred paces from us and I said, as I pulled up the hood of my cloak, “We will try to trick our way through. Keep your hands close to your swords and stay close together.”
There was a murmur of understanding, and I dug my heels into Eleanor’s flanks. Since I fled the castle where I had slain my first lord, I had grown in confidence. The men would not be expecting danger, for we were heading north and east, towards de Montfort’s land. They must have been told to stop men heading west.
I saw there was just a handful of men at the crossroads. They had pole weapons, and one appeared to have a sword and a helmet. I quietly drew my sword and held it behind my right leg.
As we neared them, he held up his hand. “Who are you, and why do you ride in the night?”
I made my voice easy and used a Welsh accent. I had grown up with such accents and although I had rid myself of it, I could recall it any time I chose. “Why, we are the Earl of Gloucester’s men come from the victory at Lewes. Were you there?”
I knew that my accent and my words had put them at their ease, for the pole weapons were lowered and the suspicion in the sergeant’s voice disappeared. “No, friend, we were not – but we heard it was a great victory and the king, his brother and his evil son, Squinty Eye, were taken. It is a great day.” We were almost in the light when I saw a frown crease his face. “You have ridden hard to get here. We heard the news from a despatch rider heading for Hereford!”