by Griff Hosker
"Then they will have weakened Guisborough. Sir Robert has a limited number of men. It is winter and the harsh snows mean that all are suffering. Had Sir John and John my steward not laid in large quantities of supplies then we would be hungry too."
Sir Edward said, "Then let us take from the De Brus family. If we attack their castles then we will lose men and as we all know we can ill afford that. The Earl is right; King David will come in the Spring to punish us and to complete his invasion. We will need all of our strength then."
"You speak wisely Sir Edward. That is food for thought."
Wulfric smiled, "It would be good for our men at arms to work together. We are all mounted and we could ravage their lands and strip it of all supplies. They rely heavily in the sheep which are on the moors. We could easily capture them. With Dick's archers alongside us they would need to mount a large force to stop us."
Sir Richard said, "You mean act like brigands and outlaws?"
I shook my head, "You may not have noticed, Sir Richard, but we are outlaws. King David claims this land and we act outside his law. Stephen who claims the throne has yet to stir from his London stronghold. Until we have a legitimate ruler once more then we are outlaws in the truest sense of the word." I could never bring myself to grace Stephen with the title king. He was a usurper. "When William the Bastard took the throne and King Harold was slain my father and Aelfraed were outlaws. They fought from the safety of the woods. It was neither chivalrous nor honourable but it was necessary. Be under no illusions, Sir Richard, we are not fighting for our honour, we are fighting for our existence."
Of all my knights Sir Richard was the one who worried me most. I knew now, beyond all doubt that the rest would follow me over the precipice of rebellion. At some time I would need to address the problem of his divided loyalties.
I was about to send them hence when a shout came from the south tower. "Lord, mounted archers approach!"
We all ran from the hall and up the stairs to the ramparts. Across the river I saw sixteen archers. Dick grinned and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Tell Ethelred that they are friends. Ask him to bring them over."
The others looked at me and I said, "It is Philip of Selby. He is a relative of the Archbishop of York and a stout fellow. I hope he brings good news."
We descended to the bailey to greet our guests. He had not changed since we had served together but I saw that he and his men now sported leather jerkins and all had helmets and swords. He had seen my archers and emulated them. He dismounted and bowed, "My lord the Archbishop sends you his best wishes. He has offered our services until the threat from Scotland is over."
I felt relief, "I am grateful!"
He lowered his voice, "He also has messages for your ears only."
I nodded. Raising my voice I said to the others, "I pray you return to my hall. My housekeeper will bring refreshments." I led Philip of Selby to the ramparts and waved my sentries away. "What news then?"
"King Stephen is in London yet and he is securing the support of nobles there. There is trouble in Wales and he has despatched de Clare to subjugate the Welsh."
"And what of Scotland?"
"His grace believes that King Stephen will come north to deal with the problem himself."
That would bring a confrontation to a head sooner rather than later."Thank you and also for coming to our aid."
He laughed, "Is is not altruistically motivated my lord. I expect to be much richer as a result."
With the extra men I was able to send Wulfric and Dick to rampage through the east of Cleveland and they captured huge quantities of animals. Dick and Philip's archers were the difference and each time Sir Robert brought his knights to the field in an attempt to stop the privations the arrows of our archers drove them hence. After two weeks of such raids and, with my men controlling all, he sent an embassy to me suing for peace. It was his nephew who came. We met on the south bank of the Tees beneath the walls of Sir Edward's castle.
He dropped to one knee, "My lord, my brother begs you to stop these raids and to bring peace to our land."
I smiled, "In an instant."
He looked up at me, surprised, "As easily as that? We just ask and you accede."
"Of course not, there are conditions. Firstly you leave Normanby." He nodded, "Secondly your brother and your family take an oath not to attack any of the manors in the valley. If you do this then I will not visit your family with the full force of my men. In addition I wish restitution in the amount of a hundred gold crowns as indemnity against his future behaviour and to recompense those who lost land to the unwarranted Scottish attack."
"I will need to speak with my brother."
"Then next time tell your brother to send someone who has the power to negotiate or better still come himself. You have three days. We will meet in the church of St. Peter in Thornaby."
I wondered what had prompted such an about face. I doubted that my raids had such an effect. I sent Aiden north to scout the lands to the west of the manor of Hexham. With Sir Hugh still besieging the New Castle I worried of the dangers from Scotland. The winter snows had gone and while the weather was inclement armies could move more easily.
Sir Robert and his brother arrived at St. Peter's as requested. I had all my knights there as well as my own priest, Father Henry. I wanted a binding oath. Sir Robert's face betrayed him. He did not wish to do this. He had been ordered to do so. The question remained why. The money was handed over. I did not count it. They had lost enough face already. He read the oath and put his hands on the bible. He swore. As he rose to leave he glared at me. Sir Robert and I did not exchange a word. We were enemies despite his oath. I knew then that this was not over.
For my knights however, it was viewed as a great victory. We now had security in the east as well as the north and west. Their humour and mood improved as, it seemed, did the weather. The first shoots of new growth could be seen and we had our first lambs. When Aiden returned, two days after the oaths were taken, everyone was in a state of excitement. Wilfred had had his bandages removed and, although thin and wasted, he managed to speak. Father Henry was delighted and pronounced him healed. I kept my word and told him that I would knight him on the following Sunday. Then Aiden galloped in. His lathered horse told me all that I needed to know. There was trouble.
I hastened to greet him. He threw himself from his horse and pointed north. "My lord an army; it is led by the son of Earl Gospatric and it is heading down the valley towards Auckland. He will be here in two days, three at the most."
He was out of breath and gasping for air. "Someone give him water. Dick! I need an archer!"
"There are forty knights, lord and over three hundred warriors. The baggage train is a mile long."
Rafe ran over leading a horse. Dick had anticipated my orders. "Ride to the New Castle. Tell Sir Hugh Manningham to lift the siege. He must make all speed to reach us. Tell him we march up the Durham road to meet a Scottish army. Ask him to meet us south of Segges' Field."
"Aye lord." He sprang on to the back of his horse and galloped off.
"Send riders to Sir Richard and Sir Edward. I need all of their men. We march at dawn."
"Wilfred, I am afraid you will have to wait a while for your spurs but I leave you in command of my castle. I will need Sir John. I know that I can trust you to protect my home."
Alf's work was evident as we gathered the arrows, sword and spears we would need. Erre and his Varangians stayed at Stockton but all else would come with us. A long baggage train meant they were planning to keep in the field. I had no doubt that Balliol would venture forth from Barnard Castle and swell the numbers Gospatric had. I could expect nearer four hundred and fifty men. Hugh, Tristan, John and Harold were close by. I waved them over.
"How many men can we muster if we strip every castle of archers and men at arms?"
"You would leave them undefended, lord?" Sir Tristan looked shocked.
"They will have to be defended by farmers, boys and old soldier
s. If I leave men at arms in the castles then we will be defeated and they will capture the castles whether or no."
Sir Hugh nodded and took a piece of charcoal from the fire. He used my table as a piece of parchment. He made marks as he spoke. "If we assume that Sir Hugh reaches us in time then he will have four knights, forty odd men at arms and almost forty archers. If we add squires and servants then he will bring almost a hundred men. We can muster seven knights, over eighty men at arms and a hundred and twenty five archers. The Archbishop's gift was a timely one."
I nodded, "Then we have two hundred and sixty men to face a possible four hundred and fifty or even five hundred."
"Daunting odds, lord."
"Aye but we are all mounted and they will be tired after their travels. If they reach us in two days as Aiden suggested then I will be hopeful. I want to meet them where we can always retreat back to Stockton if things go awry."
Sir Harold said, "And you need a good position."
I nodded, "He will leave Segge's Field and travel down the Durham Road. There are a couple of places between there and Stockton. Layton! It is on a small ridge and it is surrounded by woods. We can use the slope to disguise our numbers and make him think he faces less than he does."
"Aye and he will have to attack uphill. The woods at the side will allow us to ambush."
Sir Hugh said, "If Barnard de Balliol is with them then he will be suspicious. We have used that tactic before."
"We will ride at dawn and that should give us two or three days to prepare a reception for Gospatric."
Sir Richard and Edward heeded my commands for I did not imply a choice. They arrived at my castle with their men. Sir Edward was happy enough but I sensed that Sir Richard was reluctant. "I brought my wife, Earl. I did not want her alone with Scottish raiders around."
"She will be safe here but had I left you to guard her then the loss of your retinue might have caused us to fail. Our numbers are small enough as it is."
Sir Tristan said, "The Earl knows what he is doing father. We can win!"
I liked his optimism but I had still to convince myself.
There were three farmsteads which lay on the Durham road. They all had the name Thorpe. We called them collectively, Thorpe, although there was a mile between each of them. Further north on the road lay the farmstead of Layton. It was long abandoned having been ravaged and raided by the Scots many times before. The result was that the farm itself had fallen into disrepair and was now lumps and bumps. There was an untidy tangle of trees and bushes which had grown up around the ruins. It was perfect for my archers. They could hide within the tangle of brambles, elderberry and hawthorn. They would be protected from attack.
To the north of the ruined farm were thick forests which came perilously close to the road. As Sir Hugh had said the enemy might be suspicious of an ambush. I intended to use that suspicion. I had my men dig pits and make traps and trips in the forests. When the enemy had lost men navigating them they would see us on the small ridge above the stream which passed behind the farm. The land had been cleared a little in the days when Layton had been farmed and the forests were a hundred paces from the road. We would fill that hundred paces with my men.
We made a camp behind the rise in the road. The Scots would not see beyond our first line of knights and men at arms. We had brought servants to watch the horses. Gilles was with them and I had given him a sword and a buckler. As I had no squire of my own Harold's squire, Ethelred, carried my banner. He would be behind me in the second rank and he would draw the Scots to me.
Until Sir Hugh Manningham and his men arrived we were spread thinly. Ralph of Wales and twenty of my archers were hiding amongst the brambles and wasteland of the farm. They would hide there until the enemy host had passed them. Our front rank consisted of seven knights and thirty men at arms. Our second rank was twenty five men at arms and six squires and our third rank was twenty seven mounted men at arms. It was not enough but until our allies came it would have to do. Behind this block of iron were fifty two archers.
As darkness fell my men returned from their work. The woods and the forests were a death trap. I knew that the Scots would not lose huge numbers. They would soon realise that they did not represent an ambush but by then they would be channelled into one mighty block of men and I hoped to tempt them into charging our small line. All that they would see would be eighty men. Even with wise heads to guide them the wild Scots would charge. It was in their nature. Our horse holders were ready with our horses. Badger stamped impatiently, luckily he and Gilles had formed a bond. They would both be ready when the time came.
We kept sentries out beyond the farm on the Durham Road. We wanted a clear warning of their approach. I had sent Aiden north to spy out the enemy. I expected him back after dark. We heard the sound of hooves and I heard swords being unsheathed. It was not, however, Aiden, it was Rafe. "My lord, Sir Hugh is camped at Elwick. He will be hear soon after dawn. He and his men have marched hard, my lord."
I nodded, Elwick was less than eight miles away. Had we not destroyed the De Brus garrisons at Hartness and Greatham he might have been in danger. "Good, then we can make our plans come to fruition."
Rafe had just begun to eat his meal of cold meat when we heard more hooves. This time it was Aiden, "My lord, the Scots are camped at Bishop Middleham. They will not be here before noon tomorrow."
I was pleased. It meant we had time to refine our defences. The Scots would have more than ten miles to travel. I guessed they expected to camp not far from where we were. From here they could have launched a dawn attack on Stockton. "Dick, I want your archers in the woods to kill any Scottish scouts. I want them to approach this trap blind!"
"I will lead them myself. Philip of Selby can command until I return." There was no greater compliment Dick could give. He trusted the Archbishop's kin.
I went to sleep feeling as happy as I could. We had made our plans and now we would wait for the Scots to come.
Chapter 8
Sir Hugh was as good as his word and the men from the north appeared from the east shortly after dawn. It was a cold, fresh day. We would be aided by a slight breeze from the south and west. It brought scudding clouds overhead. It was a good day to fight.
"Your archer said we had an army to fight?" I told him what had happened. He nodded, "Had I not been besieging the New Castle then I might have been able to bring the news for I would have been watching the wall."
"It matters not." I told him of our dispositions. "I would have you and your knights mounted as the third rank. Your archers can join mine."
He nodded approvingly, "They will not see beyond me and my mounted men." He chuckled, "I like the thought of Balliol searching the woods for archers who are not there. What of your archers in the ruined land near to the farm? They take a great risk."
"Not really. All were outlaws and the woods are just forty paces from their position. Once they are in the woods they would vanish. I do not fear for them."
We had all day to rest, sharpen weapons and prepare the positions to be even more deadly. We had dug pits on either side of the road and covered them with faggots and soil. We would not be outflanked.
It was early afternoon when Dick rode in. "Their scouts are dead and soon you shall see their banners." He led his men behind our lines.
"There, lord!"
Sir Tristan had sharp eyes and he spied the banners above the hedges beyond the bend in the road. As we watched the colourful array came closer. When they neared the woods which closed along the side of the road, they stopped. If we could see them then they could certainly see us. I watched with amusement as Scottish warriors disappeared into the woods seeking the archers who were not there. They did find the traps. Some would never return from the woods while others would be wounded. It took them almost an hour to discover that there were no men within the woods and then they sounded their trumpets and hurried on to get to us. They passed the deserted and ruined farm without a second glance.
&nb
sp; I saw that they had a block of knights at the fore. Each one had a squire and his banner. There were forty of them and behind I saw men at arms. Their numbers were harder to ascertain because of the banners. They filled the road.
We had time and I turned to my host. "We hold until I give the order. If I fall then Sir Hugh will give the order. Is that clear?"
"Aye!" The answer was roared out and I wondered what the enemy would make of it.
I held my long spear braced on the ground. The long strap on my shield allowed me to hold it in two hands. The men at arms behind us held their spears so that they were resting on our shoulders. To get to us they had to get through over fifty spears. It was a solid wall and we were uphill.
I had Sir Edward on one side of me and Wulfric on the other. None of my knights took offence at the position my Sergeant at Arms took. They knew his worth. Sir Harold shouted, "Now, Dick!" Harold was an archer who was the equal of Dick and he knew the range better than any. The sky darkened as the arrows flew and they kept flying as shower after shower was released. It was the enemy horses which suffered the most. Although some of the knights were struck none was a mortal blow but the horses, without armour, did die. When they died their riders were thrown from their backs. The ranks were so tightly packed that a fallen knight was trampled by those behind. Some of those who came on were tripped by their own dead and dying horses and still the arrows flew.
The better riders managed to jump the obstacles. It meant that the line of spears which approached us was not knee to knee nor was it dense. It was a few riders who had succeeded in escaping the arrow storm. Their rewards was a wall of fifty spears. The horses baulked at the barrier. I jabbed at the nearest knight. He was trying to wrench his horse's head around and my spear sank through his mail, through his gambeson and into his middle. I pulled it out of the side and his entrails were torn out.
Someone was in command of this army and I heard trumpets sound and orders were given. The horsemen withdrew and dismounted. They did this under an aerial onslaught. The arrows fell and so did the men at arms whose armour was not as good as the knights'. Their losses slowed when they locked shields and advanced. Most had lost their spears and they drew swords and axes. They were confident. They outnumbered us. They pressed more men into the solid wall which advanced. Inevitably some of those on the periphery were forced into the ditches. The traps ate them and their screams made those in the middle bunch even more. Soon they were unable to swing their weapons. They advanced with their weapons held before them. I waited until they were ten paces from us and I shouted, "Charge!"