Welsh War

by Griff Hosker

  “I think I begin to see. That is why I do not know the man. He neither fought for us or against us. He sat and waited for a winner. Go on.”

  “It is said he was a favourite of King John who gave him Craven. He was a sword for hire. By all accounts he was a bad man even as a young knight. Some wonder if he was ever knighted at all. It is said that he did the King some service in France and was rewarded with Craven. He is a tyrant and the people there have no recourse. Chester is far away and the Earl is busy with the Welsh. I fear he has had those who would spread word of his tyranny imprisoned or murdered. He had fortified Skipton Castle so that he can laugh away any attempt to dislodge him. As I say it is not in my jurisdiction but I was trained by you and I cannot ignore such injustices.”

  I emptied my goblet, “And how did you learn of this?”

  “Some of those fleeing the Lord of Craven did not head south but risked the high moors in winter. A handful managed to make the hamlet of Blubberhouses west of Harrogate and Ripon. When spring came they sent word to me and I rode to speak with them. There were four females and a boy. I had them brought back to York and gave them positions in my household. The news they brought saddened me and made me angry. You should hear it with you own ears for I fear my words would colour your judgement.”

  “I would speak with them tomorrow although I am not certain that I have any jurisdiction beyond my valley. It was my great grandfather who was Earl Marshal. He had power over every lord in the land. But, you are right, I must do something. I thought when we defeated de Percy and de Vesci we had ended all misrule and rebellion in the north and I can see that I was wrong. I would send a message to the Earl Marshal.”

  Ralph shook his head, “He is in Pembroke, lord, and there are Welsh twixt him and us.”

  “Then a ship. I will speak with these refugees and then return to Stockton to pick up my men. It may be that this Hugh of Craven listens to my advice and that will be the end of it.”

  “From what I have heard that is unlikely.”

  “In which case I will send a ship to Pembroke and seek his advice and authority.”

  “And what of the King?”

  “The King is a minor. It is his council which rules. They are based in the south and their eyes look either to France or the rebel barons who are still harboured there in the south of England. I fear I may have to resolve this myself.”

  We then spoke of our families. I told him of my sons and their progress and he told me of his children. “Seamer would be a good place for Alfred to learn to be a lord. Whorlton was the making of me, lord. I confess that I could not go back to such a small manor now.”

  “You have no need. I have the income of Northallerton but should you tire of the title of Sheriff then it is yours again.”

  “That is kind, lord. I confess that my wife yearns for the quieter life of lord of the manor. There are many demands upon my time. I will wait, however, until the King has attained his majority. I still remember King John!”

  William held the candle which lighted our way to bed. Despite Sir Ralph’s instructions to keep his ears closed he had not for he said, “Does this mean we go to war again?”

  “Little mice have sharp ears eh? I hope not. As I recall Skipton Castle is well-situated and would not be easy to reduce. This Hugh of Craven may listen to reason. In any event speculation is idle. I need to speak to these people on the morrow. Sir Ralph is not given to exaggeration. I fear that there is evil in the heart of Hugh of Craven.”

  I met the refugees in the Sheriff’s chamber. It was less intimidating than the Great Hall. The four women and the boy were obviously from two families. The boy had not seen ten summers and a girl looked to be the same age. There was an older woman with strands of grey in her hair and what looked like her daughter for I saw a resemblance. The other woman looked to be the mother of the girl.

  Ralph spoke gently to them, “This is Sir Thomas of Stockton, Earl of Cleveland. He is a good man and he would hear your story from your own lips.”

  As I expected it was the older woman with the flecks of grey who spoke, “We have heard of you, lord, and you give us hope for those who remain in the clutches of that monster. I am Sarah, wife of John. We had a farm east of Skipton. This is my daughter, Anne and her son John. We had heard of the evil perpetrated by Sir Hugh but as we lived far from Skipton we were able to live peacefully. The taxes we paid were too high but that is true of many who live in this land. All would have remained as it was but…”

  The other woman, the dark-haired mother of the girl shook her head and spoke, “Until I brought disaster and ruin to you!”

  “Mary, you did not! This is Mary, wife of Harold. Harold was my husband’s younger brother. He served the lord of Gargrave, old Sir Henry. He was reeve to the old man. Old Sir Henry had lost his wife and brought up his daughter, Lady Matilda, alone. She had seen but fifteen summers and was a beauty.” She looked at Mary, “You had better finish the tale Mary.”

  The woman nodded, “Sir Hugh came to the hall of Sir Henry many times. He wished to court Lady Matilda. Lord, Sir Hugh had a wife!” There was real shock in her voice. “She disappeared. Folk said he had her killed for her money.”

  I nodded, “But there was no proof and it was just a rumour.”

  “Aye lord and the goings on of lords are not the business of those who work for them. Sir Henry was old but he stood up to Sir Hugh and told him that he would have to seek a wife elsewhere. Sir Hugh did not take it well. One night he and some men arrived at the hall to take Lady Matilda by force. My husband and Sir Henry joined with their other men to defend the girl. They were all killed. I fled lord. I am sorry but we could do nothing and I feared for my daughter. She has seen twelve summers. What if Sir Hugh had taken a fancy to her?”

  Sarah patted Mary’s hand, “She fled to us for we were her only family. We thought we had escaped. All of the manor knew that Sir Hugh had taken the manor of Gargrave and the Lady Matilda but could do nothing about it. When months had passed we thought we were forgotten.”

  “Why did you not seek help, Sarah?”

  “We did and perhaps that was our downfall. Others had suffered at the hands of Sir Hugh. He had killed men and taken over farms. Each time help was sought from Chester but none came. My husband found a man who was travelling south and he gave him a letter for the Earl. My husband had been a soldier once and fought for the Earl against the Welsh. The letter must have been intercepted. Riders came for my husband when he and my son were on the fells gathering sheep. My son escaped for he is quick but my husband was slain. We gathered what little we had and we fled.”

  I could see that she had told the tale so many times that her tears would come no more but I saw the sadness in her eyes. I was angry. The two families had been let down. I had to do something.

  “And Lady Matilda?”

  Sarah shrugged, “The last we heard she was in Skipton Castle. I know not if she lives or is dead.”

  “And what is it you would have of the Sheriff and myself?”

  “Justice, lord, for our families, those of the manor and especially for poor Lady Matilda. She is innocent or was until she fell into Sir Hugh’s clutches.”

  “And would you return to your farm?”

  I saw them look at each other. They had not thought that far ahead. “To speak honestly I know not. We have yet to speak of that.”

  I smiled, “And it is unfair of me to ask you. I will deal with Sir Hugh first and then we can speak again.” I stood.

  The woman dropped to a knee and kissed the back of my hand, “Thank you lord. We will have justice now!”

  When they had gone I said, “Now I see why you wished it to be their words. I will pen a letter now. It should be sent by messenger to Chester. The Earl should know of this. I will write a second for you to send by ship. I will return to Stockton and I would have you and your men meet me at Ripon one week from now. Send to Whorlton for Sir Peter. I will call at East Harlsey and speak with Sir Richard. We will then go t
o Bolton Abbey. That is part of the manor of Skipton. Perhaps the Prior of the Abbey knows more than we do.”

  Sir Ralph smiled, “This will be like a crusade eh, lord?”

  I shook my head, “I have been on crusade and this is nothing like that. This is neither for gain nor for land. This is to bring hope and justice to those who have been abandoned.”

  Chapter 2

  Castle Perilous

  We left as soon as the letters were finished. We had a hard ride ahead of us. William was excited about the prospect of action. I was not. Skipton was a stone castle built upon a rock. It could not be mined and the land was not favourable for war machines. We reached our river at dark. Our horses were exhausted and we had walked the last mile to the ferry. Geoffrey, my steward, had grooms take away our horses and quickly organised food. I did not have time to tell my wife and my family of my news for Alfred suddenly burst out, “I have found a lady whom I could marry!”

  I looked to my wife and she shrugged. I could see that she was not happy. “So soon? It is but a month since I spoke with you.”

  He nodded, “It was Sir Geoffrey who found her for me. She is a widow from Coxhoe in the Palatinate. The manor is not a rich one and she seeks a husband.”

  “You have seen her? Met with her?”

  He shook his head, “She has no children and her husband died some years ago when the Scots raided.”

  “Some years ago? How old is she?”

  “Does it matter?”

  Rebekah said, quietly, “She is almost thirty, father.”

  “Which would make you twelve years her junior.”

  “Men often marry women who are little more than children. Queen Eleanor was fourteen years older than King Henry! Sir Geoffrey is older than my sister!”

  Rebekah frowned, “By less than five years!”

  “This is hasty and I have not time for it at the moment.” My son’s face darkened. “You have not seen the lady. You have not spoken to her and we have a war to fight.”

  All of them stopped to look at me. Margaret’s hand went to her cross. She liked not war. “The Scots?”

  “No, my love. There is a lord in Skipton who has killed some of his tenants and kidnapped a maid. Sir Ralph and I will go to see if we can redress the situation.”

  “You said war.”

  “And it might come to that.” I turned to Alfred, “So you see that we put this matter to one side for a time. It may be that this will be a suitable marriage although at the moment I fail to see how it can be but there is no need for haste is there?”

  He smiled, “No, father.” I think he was relieved.

  The next morning, I sent riders out. I summoned the knights who lived closest to the castle and my two captains, Henry and David, to a counsel of war. There were just six of them at the meeting. When they were gathered in my Great Hall I told them all that we knew. They were all clever men and I saw them take it all in. “Five days from now we march to Ripon and thence to Bolton Abbey. We go as though we travel to war but I will approach the castle with just the Sheriff of York and some men at arms. If we can remedy the situation by peaceful means then I would prefer to do so.”

  Sir Edward of Wulfestun said, “I have seen the castle. It will be a hard nut to crack.”

  “I know and that is why I hope for peace. I have sent a message to the Earl of Chester. This is his domain but time is of the essence. Sir Hugh of Craven has a young girl in his clutches and he appears to be a venal man. I would have you bring all the men that you can. If we do not have to fight then it will be a pleasant ride for our men but if we have to fight then I wish the best that we have to do so.”

  They all knew the right questions to ask and left after an hour. I sought out Tam, my hawker. He was also a good scout. I sent him and two others to scout out Skipton. I needed men who could be discreet. I had to know how many men we faced. I would be busy from sunrise to sunset. A campaign, even one as close to home as this, required planning. We were lucky in that we had many sumpters. All of my men at arms and archers were mounted as were those of my knights. Sir Peter had the fewest mounted men and he would bring the smallest retinue. When I visited the stables, I made certain the chief groom, Henry, had enough horses for all of my men.

  “Aye lord but Dragon is getting old.”

  “You mean I should not take her?”

  “No, lord, she has more battles left in her but you need to consider a replacement. I would be happier if, when next you ride, you have a second warhorse to get them used to battle.”

  Henry was good with horses and I heeded his advice. I would seek a second horse. The blacksmith had checked over my armour. Now that we wore protective plates it was more important than ever that there were no weaknesses. He kept trying to persuade me to adopt a new helmet but I was comfortable with the old one. I was no longer the young warrior who was always seeking better mail, helmet and weapons. I knew that what I had would serve me well.

  Two days before I left a rider came from York. I had had a message from London. I was summoned to a meeting with King Henry and the Earl Marshal. It was to be held at Windsor in three months’ time. Of course, the council had not known of the problem of Sir Hugh. I did not like it but if the issue was not resolved then I might have to leave it in the hands of Sir Ralph. I was confident that I could leave him to handle the matter but it was not my way. We would cross that bridge when we came to it. We had left enough men to guard our walls and left to head upstream. We would not use the ferry, it would take too long. Instead we would ride to Neasham and cross at the ford there. Had we men on foot it would have been difficult but we were all mounted. We had forty miles to go and we made it in one day.

  The lord of Ripon was Sir Richard D’Omville. He was a good knight but I would use neither him nor his men. I preferred to use knights I knew and mine had all been my squires save for Sir William. I knew them like I knew myself. Sir Ralph and my other two knights had not arrived and so we camped. Sir Richard insisted that the knights and squires use his hall. It was large and rambling wooden walled hall. Sir Richard was childless and a widower. When he died I wondered who would inherit the estate.

  As we drank some wine he said, “One of my ancestors, Robert de Romille, built the castle at Skipton you know.”

  “I did not.”

  “On my mother’s side, of course. Lovely old castle. Robert de Romille’s daughter, Cecilia, founded the abbey at Bolton. She married well too.” He gave me a knowing look. “A hard castle to take, you know. I am not the warrior you are. I just rode my horse into battle and swung my sword a bit but it will be hard, even for you, to take with a frontal assault.”

  “I hope to talk him out.”

  He shook his head, “From what I hear he will not do that. When King John first gave him the manor I visited, as a good neighbour. I knew the castle and thought to give him advice about the grounds. I grew up there and played in every nook and cranny. He made it quite clear that he didn’t want to socialize with me or any other of the nobles hereabouts. When I heard about some of the things he got up to, especially with the girls who had just become women then I was glad he had spurned my offer of friendship. If you want him out it would take a decree from the King and even then he might refuse to go.”

  It looked like it would be war. That would mean men dying. This would be a waste of my men’s lives.

  The old knight was in his cups and he had carried on talking. He laughed, “It was a wonderful castle for a lad to use as a playground. I remember as a lad how I used to scurry around the castle, hiding from the guards my mother sent to find me. I had too many places where I could hide.” Shaking his head, he said, “There was even a passage I found out of the castle!”

  My head whipped around and I saw that Alfred had heard the words too. “A passage?”

  “Uhm, what? Ah yes, a passage. Not so much a passage as a cave I found. The castle is built upon a rock. It is what gives it its strength. There is a stream below the cliffs, Eller Beck it is call
ed. There is a cave that comes out above the beck. If the river is full then you can drop into the water.”

  “Could you gain entry to the castle through it?”

  “Not in mail you couldn’t.” He saw Ridley the Giant who was standing guard at the door. “He would be too big even without his mail.” He pointed to Alfred and Fótr. “They could manage it.” He had not taken a drink since he had begun the conversation and he suddenly saw what I was getting at. “Of course! You could use this as a means to sneak men into the castle.” He sat upright. “I am not sure how you would get into the cave. I only ever used it to get out. Let me think backwards. If you were in the cave it would twist and turn as it climbed. It is dark. You can see nothing save at the beginning and the end. As a boy that was part of the excitement. It comes out in the beer cellar. As I recall it does not have a bolt on the castle side. One of the stewards managed to get himself locked in and he did so when the lord was away fighting for King Stephen. They found his body when they returned. The stink was such that they decided not to have a bolt any more. The steps take you to the other cellars and a second flight to the upper ward.”

  I patted him on the back. “You may just have given me the solution to my problem.”

  When Sir Ralph and my other two knights arrived, I told them what we had learned. We left the next morning is spirits boosted by the knowledge we had gleaned.

  The Prior at Bolton Abbey was also happy that we were there to address the problem of Sir Hugh. “Thank you, Sir Thomas. The last years have been hard for us. Sir Hugh is not a lord who forgives what he perceives as mistakes. Even when they are not.”