by Griff Hosker
The castle was an old-fashioned motte and bailey. There was just one entrance, which we soon commanded. Once the rest of my men reached us they dismounted and, like us, nocked an arrow. The men in the castle had been too busy closing the gates to man the walls, but now they did so. The hall and inner ward were too far away from the gate to be able to support the men on the walls, and the men who would defend the walls ran through the outer ward. As heads appeared we sent arrows towards them. Matty hit one but it was hard to see if it was a killing blow or not.
I heard hooves coming down the road and saw Sir John leading the rest of the men. We had the upper hand. Had there been archers on their walls, or even crossbows, they could have made life difficult for us. As it was, we had eight bows aimed at the gate and the walls, which were adjacent. My men were the best. I doubted that the men inside the castle had practised, other than on a Sunday after church.
“Well done, Captain. You managed to secure the bridge.”
“That was Matty, lord, he has quick reactions.”
Sir John turned in his saddle. “Captain William. You may begin your assault.” Sir John raised his arm and led his nine knights and squires down the Matlac road. Captain William organised his men into two columns. One was led by his sergeant at arms, Ralph, and was made up of the prince’s men, for they were mailed. He led the rest. He looked over at me and shouted, “Whenever you are ready!”
“Just go, and we will cover you.”
With shields held before them they tramped over the bridge. The defenders raised their heads. The first four did not live long enough to regret it, as they were plucked from the walls. Realising that we had made the walls a death-trap, they resorted to throwing stones over the top of the palisade. It did not work. The odd stone which hit its target was deflected by a shield. I heard a trumpet and wondered what it meant.
The axes of the front four of our men began to hack at the gate. They made short work of it, and when the gates burst asunder and they ran in, we saw the defenders fleeing across the outer ward towards the keep. Taking the keep would be harder, as they would have archers on the walls of the palisade, which protected it. This was also a higher wall. However, Ralph and the men at arms were in close pursuit, and there was little likelihood that the defenders would be able to raise the bridge over the ditch.
As soon as Ralph and his men had crossed, I led my archers the same way. Without armour we would be faster than Captain William and his men. Already Ralph’s men had taken casualties. He had a shield wall, but sheltering behind it were two wounded men. Bolts or arrows had struck them in their legs.
I shouted, “Use the shields for cover and then clear those walls.”
The men sending their arrows and bolts at us were part-time warriors. We were professionals. We did this every day. More importantly than that, all of us were highly skilled. I was pulling an arrow as we neared the men at arms. I nocked it and looked for a target. I saw an archer swivel, and I ducked. The arrow flew over my head. In an instant I had risen and sent an arrow back at him. Perhaps he thought he had hit me for he did not move and my arrow struck him in the face. His body hung over the palisade. We would have to eliminate them one by one. Captain William would use the other men at arms to break down the gates. They were fresher. We had to stop them being struck.
All of my men had joined me. The men I had sent to search the village had finished their task. We now had more archers and more arrows. It would only be a matter of time. It became a game of cat and mouse. We looked for movement, whilst they tried to catch us making a mistake. We made none. When the axes began to hack at the gate it became easier, for their archers tried to lean over the side of the palisade to hit the men at arms. As soon as they did so they signed their own death warrant.
The end, when it came, was dramatic. The gates burst open and every man at arms raced through. We cleared the walls and Captain William and his men hurried to the keep. This was not a stone one. It was wood and we had fire. Even as we hurried through the gate, I heard Captain William shout, “Surrender or burn!”
Before he could be answered Geoffrey galloped through the outer gate. “Captain, his lordship needs you. Enemy horsemen are approaching. He needs support.”
“Archers, with me.” As I passed one of the wounded men at arms, Tom, John’s Son, I said, “Tell Captain William there are horsemen approaching. He should man the walls.”
“Aye, Captain!”
Chapter 15
When we reached the village I saw the small group of knights and squires preparing to charge the approaching horsemen. They were outnumbered. I counted four banners. That meant four knights led them. They would have retinues. I estimated between eight and twelve men to a knight. There could be fifty men fighting the eighteen that Sir John was leading. They were over four hundred paces from us and I cursed Sir John. He should have drawn them onto our bows. This way, we would have to run to reach them, and by then they would be engaged.
We were just a hundred paces from them when we heard the crack of spears shattering on shields. Horses neighed and screamed and then there was the clash of steel.
“We have to get amongst them. Remember our men wear the red cross. Any with a white cross is a foe.”
I saw a man at arms ride around the rear of the squires. I nocked and released in one motion. The men at arms were not as well armoured as the knights. Their mail was of poorer quality. My arrow drove through his left arm and into his body. He slumped but then turned his horse to gallop away. I did not care. It was one less foe. There was no point in sending arrows overhead. We had no idea who we might hit. This was risky, but I gambled that the knights and squires would be seen as more attractive targets than mere archers.
Already my men were having success. When an archer releases an arrow from thirty paces or so, it is almost impossible to miss, and there is no mail yet made which could stop our arrows. I released another, and my arrow hit a man at arms in the middle of his skull. The arrow came out of the back of his helmet. Some of my men had sent arrows into enemy horses. That was a clever tactic. The maddened beasts bucked and kicked. They caused more damage to the other horses. We stayed behind our squires.
One of the knights must have seen us. I saw him stand in his stirrups to shout an order. He was too tempting a target. My arrow hit him in the right shoulder as he raised his sword. His squire took his reins and led him away from the fray,
Having noticed, a dozen men at arms rode at us with lances poised to slaughter us. I shouted, “Turn and release!” Even though they were just thirty paces from us when we turned, they were doomed. In the time it took to close with us, I could send three arrows at them. Each of my men could send two. All twelve horsemen were hit. As one of the horses galloped at me I swiped it across the muzzle with my bow to make it turn. It did so. With half the men at arms dead, one knight and squire fled while the other three knights yielded. Only one of Sir John’s knights had been wounded. That was the way when knight fought knight. It was rarely to the death. Often archers and men at arms were discouraged from killing them as they were worth more alive and ransomed.
I saw that Robin of Barnsley had been knocked over by a careering horse. He stood, somewhat groggily. “Bloody stupid horse!” He pointed to one whose throat had just been cut by Tom to put it out of its misery, “I shall enjoy eating that one tonight!”
Sir John took off his helmet and rode over to us. “Thank you, Captain, that was timely indeed. Did we take the castle?”
“We did, my lord.”
“Good, then burn the village and have Captain William burn the castle. It will not be used by de Ferrers again!”
The next days were much of the same. We burned everything connected with the de Ferrers family. We all became richer. Even Daniel of Tilbury had realised the benefits of obeying Captain William. We ate and slept well. But it was too good to last, and when a messenger in Prince Edward’s livery arrived, we knew that the chevauchée was ended. The weather was improving and we we
re needed elsewhere.
Sir John sent for me first. “Gerald, we have been ordered back to Oxford, but Prince Edward wishes you to scout out Northampton on the way back.”
“Northampton, my lord?”
“The younger de Montfort, Simon, and Peter de Montfort are there. King Henry hopes to draw de Montfort north. Do not take risks. The prince wants a way in. We both know the castle, but I confess that neither of us took much notice of the town itself. If we are to take it then we need to know how the town is defended. We know the garrison of the castle and are familiar with its layout. How many men will you need?”
“Just one, my lord. I will take Jack of Lincoln.”
I gave Jack of Lincoln instructions and sought out Miles Beauchamp. He gave us two old cloaks. I thought it prudent to go in disguise if we were riding in the heart of the land of the de Montforts. We had almost a hundred miles to travel so we left before dawn. Thanks to our chevauchee we had plenty of food. Our ale skins were full and we even had grain for our horses. Spring was almost upon us and green shoots were sprouting everywhere. However, this was England, and that still meant rain and driving winds. We rode in silence through the de Montfort land.
One effect of our raids had been to make the manors we attacked better defended. That left the wilder places empty and we used those. We were both men who were comfortable in such places. We avoided any towns. De Montfort’s manor at Tutbury and his castle at Derby would be well garrisoned, as would Leicester.
We stopped our weary horses in an oak wood some forty miles north of Northampton. There was water for our horses and just enough new grass to feed them. We did not risk a fire. We had eaten hot food for many days, and a few days of bread, salted meat and cheese would do us no harm.
As we curled up in our blankets Jack said, “Since Peter died, I have thought of nights like this, when we slept in the greenwood. They were hard times, but I miss them.”
“You would go back to being an outlaw?”
He laughed. “I am no fool, Captain. This life is better. No man hunts us. We have food in our bellies and clothes on our backs. It is just that there are things about this new life I do not like.”
“The chevauchée?”
“Aye, you knew?”
“I did not like hurting the poor people. The nobles for whom we fight do not see them as people. You and I have been poor. We have eked out a living. Given a choice, I would not have done it.”
“What we do, is it right?”
“We serve the future king of England. God put his father on the throne and we are duty-bound to fight for him. At heart Prince Edward is a good man. If there were not rebels we would not have raided. I console myself with that. They are to blame. If they did not rebel, then we would not need to raid.”
He was silent for a while. “You are a clever man, Captain. For one so young you appear to have wisdom. Your words have comforted me. I still do not like what we did, but you cannot undo that which you have done.”
“And know this, Jack of Lincoln, when next you draw your bow, it will be against warriors. War is coming. We will be doing the king’s and God’s will. We will be fighting rebels.”
Northampton was protected on one side by the River Nene. We knew that much from speaking with Sir John, who described the town for us. He had been there with Prince Edward when Prince Edward had been an ally and friend of Peter de Montfort. The town was walled, and the castle was situated in the south-west corner, where the river turned. We arrived after dark and camped across the river, close to the north-west corner. We would take the next day to scout out the walls.
We were woken in the early hours by the sound of chanting. There was a church close by. Once awake, I decided to begin our task early. We left our bows and went to the river. It was still dark, and it was a risk, but we forded the river. At one point it came up to our chests, but it was not wide.
We scrambled up the bank. There was a ditch before the wall. I think it was there as a drainage feature, for whilst deep, it was not broad. When we had arrived we had noticed the wall, but once we were close up to it we realised that it was not as substantial as we had thought. The mortar between the stones needed replacing. I took a risk and picked one of the stones up. It was not attached. The wall at this priory was rotten. We could hear the watch of the castle walls, some two hundred and fifty paces south of us. There was little point in risking discovery there. The prince knew of the castle. He had stayed there. It was the town with which he was unfamiliar. Instead, we headed north, back along the wall of the town, with the river next to us.
As we walked around the unguarded walls, we could hear the sound of the monks in the priory as they chanted their prayers. As we headed east along the wall we saw the sky begin to lighten. The town walls ran towards the south-east. The ditch, which was supposed to protect it, had fallen into disrepair. De Montfort thought this town was safe. As we approached the road from the north the sky became much lighter. I decided to cross the road away from the castle and the north gate. We made it unseen, although from the north I heard the sound of carts. It would be a market day, and traders were coming to sell. The gates would be open at dawn. We moved along the fields to the east of the walls. It was a risk, for any who manned the walls would see us. As dawn broke it became clear that they did not keep a watch on the town walls. Emboldened, we moved closer to them.
We spied a church ahead and saw that there were three gates in the walls. The church was outside the gates. Roads with a steady stream of people came from the east to enter the town. We looked out of place and so I headed for the church. As I expected, it was open. We went in and knelt. It would do no harm to pray, and we did so. An archer always needed God’s help.
When we left the church I saw that the wall began to curve around. I decided to take a chance. I nodded towards the east gate. Jack and I joined the throng of people heading to the market. Our swords were hidden by our cloaks, but it mattered not. The two men of the town watch were too busy talking to each other to notice us.
Once inside, we followed the rest of the people to the marketplace and All Saints’ Church. There we could disappear. The first thing I noticed was the castle, which dominated the town. It was on a high piece of ground, whether a natural feature or man-made I was not certain. There was a curtain wall which ran around it and another gate. The town might be taken but the castle would remain a problem. However, as I examined it, I saw that the towers were roofless and some of the stonework was crumbling. It was not maintained.
If we had attempted to leave the town it would have looked suspicious, and so we returned to the market. We spent a few coins. I bought a narrow-bladed dagger and scabbard. It would fit inside my boot. Then we went to an inn for ale and food. We chose a busy one to hide us and to allow us to listen to the conversations.
It proved a productive time. We used some of our coin to eat and drink well. We stayed for a couple of hours and the innkeeper proved to be a useful source of information. We were good customers and spending more than most. By the time we left, in the middle of the afternoon, we were best friends! We also had knowledge which had been worth the outlay of silver. The two de Montforts were in residence, and there was a garrison. It seemed that there were more than fifty knights in the town, castle and surrounding manors. The innkeeper told us that most preferred their manors to the crumbling castle. He happily furnished that information. He made money from guests and it helped to make him a rich man. However, the innkeeper had been less than impressed with the young Simon de Montfort. He saw him as reckless, whereas his father was well respected. He confirmed that no watch was kept on the walls at night. He had laughed when we questioned the laxity. “Why do we need to? Our castle is the strongest north of London, and every man in the town knows how to use a weapon. If any tried to capture it they would have the town to fight.”
We left by the south gate. We crossed the bridge and I noted the number, position and arms of the guards. We carried on south to cross the river and then
headed first west and then east to return to our camp and our horses. It was late afternoon when we reached them. As we had headed deep into the land, we had been aware of the brooding presence of the castle. The keep dominated that side of the town.
It was still light, we were well fed and our horses were rested. We mounted and headed west. We would make camp in the night and try to make Oxford in a day. We had done that which the prince had commanded.
Oxford was a massive armed camp when we arrived. King Henry himself was there, as well as Prince Edward’s brother, Richard of Cornwall. I looked at Jack as we approached. “I have a feeling that as soon as we give our report, we will be moving. When we enter I will find Sir John. You had better go and warn the men.”
“Aye. At least this will be a battle worth fighting. It will be men we face.”
Although it was evening and the evening food was ready, I was ushered into the presence of not only Sir John but Prince Edward, Richard of Cornwall and the king himself. They were definitely eager for my news. I was not certain which of them to address. It must have shown on my face for Prince Edward smiled and said, “Captain Gerald, you are my archer. Tell me all and what you think.” I saw his father give him a sharp, disapproving look. “My liege, I trust this humble archer. He may look young, indeed he is, but he has saved my life on more than one occasion, and he seems to have an understanding of war.”
The king nodded. “Proceed.”
I told them what I had discovered. At first I was nervous, but once I began I gained in confidence. When I had finished Prince Edward said, “And where would an archer attack?”
Again, his father and his brother looked surprised.
“The priory has a weakened wall. If you sent a few men over at night-time, they could remove some of the stones. Horsemen could ride across the river easily. It is not deep. The priory grounds are extensive.”