by Smith, Skye
Raynar was lost in thought.
"I don't lead shieldmen anymore," said Eadric, "You can't attack mounted Normans with shieldwalls."
"What?" Raynar came back from his thoughts.
"For three generations this kingdom had peace, and the last time there was wars with armies, it was shieldwall against shieldwall. Shieldwalls are mobile walls. Your fort is with you wherever you are. But these big Norman horses are not afraid to charge the wall, and they are bloody heavy.
They foretell the end of shieldwalls. We have to change the way our armies fight. That is what the Welsh princes have been telling the English lords all week. The lords don't want to hear it. They and theirs have been shieldmen since birth and their wealth and positions are tied to it."
"What did you do with your shieldmen?" asked Raynar.
"Sent them into the bush with the Welsh. They are being trained as raiders, by the best raiders I know. I told them to get rid of those big asses and soft bellies, harden up, learn to live off the land, learn the bow and the pike. I call them my wildmen. The Normans call them outlaws."
"So you are training them as skirmishers," Raynar made the point.
"You are the second man who has called them that. The other was Earl Edwin's man. Umm, what's his name."
"Hereward."
"That's him. Runs Edwin’s archers for him. The Normans will never take Wales, not while every Welshman is behind a tree with a Welsh bow. That is my vision for Shropshire. Keep the buggers out without fighting them as an army. "
"Ah, Eadric, have you ever heard of the Brotherhood of the Arrow?"
"No, but before you tell me, let's get out of the sun." They walked back to Eadric's bed and Raynar told him about the birth of the Brotherhood.
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The Hoodsman - Frisians of the Fens by Skye Smith Copyright 2010-13
Chapter 25 - Meeting Welsh princes in Chester in May 1068
Eadric invited young Raynar to join him in the manor hall. Unlike the manor halls in the North, it had a paved floor, rather than a dirt one. It had a high ceiling of wood, which was the floor of the rooms above, rather than low thatch. It had a hearth at each end, each with a chimney for the smoke, rather than a fire pit with an opening in the roof for the smoke. Raynar thought it the most modern building he had ever seen, until he remembered that it had been built by the ancients.
Prince Rhiwallon and his wife were in the hall, giving orders to prepare the hall for the afternoon meeting. 'This could not all be for Hereward,' Raynar thought. It wasn't. Ten nobles soon arrived including Edwin and Morcar. Hereward slipped into the room once the nobles were seated. To Raynar, the meeting was worse than being at a moot. Too many words, not enough say. He quietly wandered out into the sunshine and was soon joined by Eadric and Hereward.
"You see the problem," Eadric said, "no one wants to be the first to engage William's army. We know he is going to move it North when the weather dries, but we don't know whether he will move it up the Welsh Marches and the west, or up through Nottingham and the center, or up through Anglia and the east. Anyone here could be in the path of the army, and yet they are willing to gamble that it won't be them."
"What about the princes?" asked Raynar, "what do they think?"
"The same," replied Eadric, "they hope that William goes through the Danelaw first, and gets chewed up. That would mean he would never get to the Welsh border, or would be much weakened when he did."
"Hereward, what about Edwin and Morcar?" asked Raynar. " Do you know their thoughts?”
"Much the same. Edwin doesn't want William stomping around in Mercia. Morcar doesn't think William will get up to Northumbria this year. They both hope that William will meet his end somewhere along the Welsh border."
"I agree. One arrow. Clean kill," said Eadric. "Without William, the Normans will have the same problem as the English. Too many lords and no one in charge."
"You have my permission to loose that arrow." mumbled Raynar. "It will save me the trouble."
"Talking of arrows. Look at the size of the arrow that man has." Eadric was looking at John showing one of his points to a Welsh bowman.
"He needs a big arrow," Hereward remarked. "Have you seen the size of his bow?"
"Talking of bows," Eadric said, "I have been aching to hold yours, Raynar.” They walked together to the guardhouse near the gate and asked the guard for Raynar's weapons. Eadric nodded his consent to the questioning look from the guard.
"It is from beyond Constantinople. Hereward thinks it is from the horsemen that run the high plains east of the Byzantine. See the lamination and the use of bone and horn. John over there, tried to make one like it, but he couldn't match the glue they used.” Raynar handed it to Eadric. "Go ahead, string it. No, the other way.” They walked towards the target that John and the Welsh archer had set up. "It takes a standard arrow, but is powerful enough for a heavy arrow. It has almost the same force as a good Welsh bow."
"I want one," replied Eadric. "It is so short. If my archers could stay mounted while they made holes in mail, then .... I don't just want one, I want a hundred."
"It is certainly deadly from horseback," said Hereward. "The archer that Raynar won it from was the finest archer I have ever seen. He did horse tricks with no hands while he loosed. Raynar and I first met over his corpse."
"Dead, too bad, he may have known the secrets of crafting them." Eadric stopped to watch John. "Thor and Woden!" Eadric exclaimed as John loosed and his arrow split the targeted post and only stopped because the flight snagged on the wood. Eadric shouted a warning to keep men back from the target, and then loosed an arrow from the Byzantine bow. His arrow finished splitting the post all the way to the ground.
The Welsh archer had John's bow now, and he was trying to draw it. John warned him of something, and the archer tied his leathers around his string fingers and his pad over his bow arm. He drew it, got it almost to three quarters, and lost his finger grip, and it snapped back onto his arm. He tried it again, this time with an arrow, and was a bit more successful.
It came to Raynar then, that all the Welsh guards and men at arms were trained archers. He asked Eadric about it. "Yes," he replied, "swordsman and archer, pikeman and archer, axeman and archer, but all trained in archery."
"Even the lords and knights?"
"There are no knights, and the lords are clan chiefs, but yes. No one looks down their nose at archers in Powys. The Welsh do not belittle their archers as the Normans and the English do."
Gwyn came walking across to them. All men’s eyes turned to watch the pretty fairie. She seemed so elfin and graceful against the background of rough and clumsy men. "John, could you please bring my things with you next time. I will be staying here with the princess for now, and perhaps even return with her to Powys."
Just then the lords emptied out of the Hall to warm themselves in the sun, and saw the giant beside the fairie and the circle of archers. They stared until their host began walking towards the split post. Rhiwallon bent and touched the point. "Whose arrow is this?" he asked. Three archers pointed to John. "Do you have others?"
"I can make you as many as you need, sire," replied John. "I have other types as well. My best selling one converts, with a twist of lead, from spearing fish to spearing knights."
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The Hoodsman - Frisians of the Fens by Skye Smith Copyright 2010-13
Chapter 26 - Edwin marches on Warwick in May 1068
They were approaching Warwick from the west. They had been hoping for over two thousand armed men since Edwin had many lands here about, but they were less than half that number. The other lords from the meeting in Chester had promised support, but their men had yet to put in an appearance.
The men with them were a mixture of Welsh archers, Mercian shieldmen and pikemen, plus Eadric's and Hereward’s skirmishers. About half were mounted. Young Raynar and Alan were with Hereward's men, but John and Gwyn were in Powys b
y now with the Welsh princess. The Welsh princes had sent some men, but the princes themselves had not yet arrived.
Edwin was not sure that the Welsh archers would follow him in a charge, but he knew that they would provide cover from a safe distance. Meanwhile his brother Morcar was riding for York to raise the Northumbrians.
They camped for two days on the banks of the River Avon, while those not mounted caught up to the main force. Meanwhile Edwin’s couriers went out with a call to raise the local fyrd. Hereward used the time to scout all around Warwick. The Normans had build a motte and a wooden bailey fort above the river, but the garrison was mostly housed in the town.
Norman patrols were going out each morning and bringing anything valuable from the surrounding countryside back to the bailey. The patrols were calling themselves tax collectors but that was just putting a legal name to the thievery.
Edwin was furious. These were his folk being robbed. Of the folk who were rallying to him, few had weapons and none had armour and they just became extra mouths to feed. The Welsh captains advised Edwin to do the same to the bailey as they had done in Hereford. Trap the Normans in it. Eadric advised sending English patrols to intercept the Norman patrols and stop the flood of goods into the town, especially food. Hereward advised doing skirmishing strikes with the goal of stealing the Norman's horses.
Edwin agreed to all these plans. The first stage was the capture of all of the next morning's Norman patrols and scouts. Later the same day two large herds of stolen Norman horses were added to the English paddocks. By that afternoon, the Normans knew they had trouble and most of the men moved their packs and saddles out from the town and into the bailey.
The next morning the Normans found themselves unable to leave the bailey due to the threat of arrows and the caltrops that had been spread on the cartway to the bailey. Edwin's men were imbedding stakes into the cartway on the outside of the ditch such that men could run through them, but not horses. Behind the stakes they built wicker blinds so that watchers and archers were safe from Norman arrows.
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Raynar led a small scouting party of skirmishers to see how many Normans were still in the town. They entered Warwick from the bailey end. There was an old but large manor house with stables and barns whose land swept down towards the river. It sounded like the house was still occupied, but they decided to check the stables and barns first. Raynar and the best of the bowmen nocked arrows, while the others readied their pikes. There were human noises from the first barn. The door was open. Raynar walked in slowly and alone. A handful of bows covered his back.
From wall to wall lying in the straw, there were men tied in lines. English farmers. Slaves to build the motte. A large brutal looking man was walking along the lines of men carrying a lash. He looked over and said in English. "So who are you to be pointing your arrow at me?"
Raynar was expecting a Norman. This brute was English. "I am Earl Edwin's man. We have your Norman friends locked in their bailey." He heard a scuffle behind him and instinctively sidestepped and took a quick look over his shoulder. There had been a second brute, but he was dropping his sword and sliding to the floor with three arrows in him.
Raynar nodded his thanks to the bowmen and then looked back towards the first brute, but now he was also on the ground. The farmers had dragged him down and were pounding on him with their fists. He walked to the first line of farmers and asked if those were all of the guards.
"They were just watchers to make sure we did not loosen our bonds. The guards left last night in a hurry," said the toothless ragged man in front of him.
The patrol all entered the barn save for one bowman left as lookout at the door. They set to work cutting the lines that connected the farmers in counts of ten. "Are there more of you kept around here?" asked Raynar.
"Yes, there are others in the stable and women in the house," said the ragged man.
"Listen to me," Raynar held his bow up in both hands so the folk could see who was doing the talking, "I am going to free the women in the house. There may be Normans in there with them. Will you help me?" Most of the men stood and replied with a yay. "Then find something to use as a weapon and go and surround the house."
Raynar motioned to the skirmishers to follow him, and he strode to the stable. Two other brutes were running as fast as they could away from the building and towards the river. The scene inside the stable was the same as in the barn. They cut the lines and freed the men, and told them to find weapons.
When they were outside again, they saw to their satisfaction that the house was now surrounded by the farmers and they were all yelling for Norman blood. There was a group of women at one high window and Raynar walked to it and yelled up to them, "Are there men inside?"
"The watchers are in here," was the answer, "there are four of them, all armed."
Raynar walked around to the main door and hammered on it with the hilt of his dagger. "You inside!" he yelled to the door, "I am Earl Edwin's man. The Normans have surrendered to us. Can you hear me?” A loud voice on the other side of the door confirmed they could hear. "If you force me to break this door, then I will give you to your slaves for justice. If you open now, I will not stop you from running."
Raynar knew he was being watched so he stepped well away from the door and told his men to do likewise. There were voices inside, then the sound of a heavy bar being drawn back. The door swung open and four men bolted out and began a mad dash for the street.
Raynar kept his word and told his men to let them run. Before they had reached the street, they had ten of the younger slaves running after them yelling. It would turn into a hue and cry through the town. Men who were so hated had little chance of escaping, for no one would help them.
Raynar turned back to the door as the enslaved women were beginning to come out through it. Then there was a struggle and a large fat woman was pushed through the doorway. The other women attacked her with their nails and their feet, until one woman grabbed a hoe from one of the farmers and told the other women to step back.
She hit the fat woman repeatedly in the head with the hoe. The fat woman was screaming and trying to protect her head with her arms. Another woman grabbed a pitchfork from a man, and stabbed it into the fat woman’s stomach. The other women wanted their turns too, and Raynar turned his back and closed his ears to the viciousness of the women.
The patrol split up and wandered through the freed slaves. They told both the men and the women to go home. They told them to help each other and to help the women, but they should make no trouble in the town, and they should start walking now. They told them to take the weak and injured with them.
"There are no weak and injured," a farmer yelled back, "the fuckers killed the weak and injured so they wouldn't have to feed them. Their bodies are in the midden pit behind the barn."
"They executed them?" asked one of the skirmishers.
"Used them to train their battle horses," was the reply. "They was stomped."
The skirmishers resumed their scouting, and as they walked the streets of Warwick they would see the freed slaves forming in groups, probably grouping by home village. The groups were walking slowly through the streets and the townspeople were giving them food and ale. Raynar wondered how many of the women were carrying Norman babies inside them, and what their villages, their husbands, their fathers would do with those babies.
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Edwin moved his camp along the Avon to surround the motte. The mood in the camp was joyous. They had the Normans in a gaol of their own making, and the town was liberated. Some of the men who had walked to Warwick now had mounts. There was meat enough for feasting, captured from the scavenging patrols. The best part was that there were few injured to be taken care of.
The leaders all met with Edwin around a fire and discussed the next steps. None of them had expected to be so successful so quickly. One suggestion was to burn down the bailey with the Normans still inside, but this would have required the hauling of a lot o
f kindling and dragging it into place up the steep slopes of the ditch, and this all within the range of Norman projectiles.
Another suggestion was to volley arrows in a high arch to drop on them like rain, but there were no roofs built yet in the bailey so that would have killed many, and those that feared Norman vengeance were against an outright slaughter. They wanted to do like Eadric had done in Hereford and send the Normans off to Winchester on foot without weapons, armour, or boots.
Raynar told them about the slaves they had freed and the stories of how the men in this bailey had killed slaves by using them to train their battle horses to mow down men. Edwin became very emotional at this point of the story and announced that men of such barbarity would be put before the courts. He was angered when everyone laughed at the idea, because or course, the courts were now controlled by Earl Odo, the king's half brother. Even Edwin had to laugh. He had meant the local moot, not the sheriff's court.
The plan that finally was decided upon, was to pretend to be trying to burn the bailey from a safe distance by using fire arrows aimed inside and by throwing torches along the outside of the pale wall. The Normans would have no choice but to waste their water supplies to douse the fires. It was the shortage of water that had caused the quick surrender of the Hereford bailey, and they would try that plan again. Once the bailey surrendered, the men would be sent away barefoot, save for the castellan and his officers who would be put on trial at the local moot.
The meeting was cut short by a cry of alarm and they all broke into a run towards the cartway that led to the bailey gate. The archers on guard were blanketing the area in front of the gate with arrows. "They sent men out to clear the caltrops," reported one archer. "We spotted them before they could clear many.” Edwin asked that the archer guard be doubled for the rest of the night. The caltrops would stop cavalry charges from the bailey, but they would not stop infantry charges.
The following day, they woke to the news that the entire Norman army was behind them, and worse, on the same side of the Avon, and worst of all, that William, himself, was leading them. Edwin rode to the Norman camp under a banner of truce to talk to him. While he was gone the Welshmen mounted every horse they could beg, borrow, or steal and rode fast out of the camp.