Welsh War

by Griff Hosker

  We reached a spot some four hundred paces from the north wall. “Here, my lord, the King kept this space close to his own. He would have you nearby. I had best return.” He lowered his voice, “There have been threats of assassins. We keep men close by the King at all times. Either Sir Robert or myself sleeps across his tent entrance each night.”

  I turned to Egbert and Ridley. “Put our tents here. Have the men find the wood for their hovels quickly for it looks like the carpenters intend taking every tree and branch they can find. I would have my knights in their tents around mine.”

  Alfred asked, “You fear assassins too?”

  “The Welsh have not forgotten me and there are still the men of Sir Hugh who are at large. The confusion of a siege would be a perfect place for a knife in your back or Sir Fótr’s.”

  “Why us?”

  “You were the ones who gained us entrance to the castle. I did not say it was right but in the twisted minds of those who followed Sir Hugh it would make sense. Sir Edward, Sir William, Sir Geoffrey and Sir Peter can watch over you.”

  My son said, “I need no nursemaids! Let an assassin come and he will rue the day.”

  “Son, you have one child and are going to have another soon. I know that I will take all the precautions I can for I want to see my grandchildren grow. That is why I have Sam and Robert sleeping in my tent. If your father takes such measures then I feel you should too.”

  Jocelyn de Braose said, “My squire and I will act as chamberlains!” He laughed, “It will save us being on the edge of this assembly of knights!”

  Alfred laughed too, “Very well but I should warn you that Henry my squire makes more wind than a field full of cows!”

  Alan the Horse Master had come with us and he found a field which was close to our camp. The horses would have grazing and water and yet would be safe from the noise of battle. By the time night fell we were organised. The men had fires going and food was cooking. We would settle into a routine now. James of Corfe came for me, “Lord, the King would have you join him for food.”

  “Should I bring my knights?”

  He shook his head, “You and he will be dining alone, lord. He wishes conference with you.”

  I nodded, “Edward take charge.” As I left Sam rose and followed. I was now accustomed to having a permanent shadow. My two bodyguards were as unobtrusive as possible. We did not have far to go. The King’s tent was less than fifty paces from my own. I saw that his guards had hovels and tents around the King’s. Sir Robert was outside the tent which sported his standard. He was setting up two chairs. Two servants brought out a small folding table and laid food upon it.

  “We have more comfort here than in Wales, lord. The King has busied himself to ensure that we eat better. We have timber from Northamptonshire; ropes from London, Cambridge and Southampton; hides from Northampton and tallow from London. Sheriffs have provided labourers. We might only have a thousand men to fight but there are fifteen hundred others labouring to bring this siege to a successful conclusion.”

  The King emerged, “You see Sir Thomas I watched not only what you did well in Wales but where it might be improved. We did not have to take any castles but I saw what was needed. Now sit. Have your man stand with James, out of earshot but close enough to intercept an assassin’s blade. Sir Robert has already tasted the food and as he has not fallen foul of a poison I think that we can eat.”

  Was this the same diffident boy who had had to wear his mother’s crown at his hurried coronation? What a change had been wrought. I knew that I was only partly responsible but I felt proud of what I had achieved. It was nothing like the achievement of the Warlord but it would do. While we ate the King told me all. Falkes Breauté was not in the castle. He had left that under the command of his brother, William de Breauté. The two brothers were confident that a summons to Pope Honorius would result in a judgement forbidding King Henry from taking the castle. The result of that plea, although the defenders did not know it yet was that William had been excommunicated. The bad news was that the castle was garrisoned by knights and men at arms. It was well supplied and the moat was a major obstacle.

  After we had eaten Henry brought out a wax tablet and sketched out his plan for the attack. It was well thought out. He would have a trebuchet and two mangonels hurling stones at the keep while a trebuchet and mangonel on each of the north and south sides would try to break through the walls of the outer bailey.

  “You have thought this out well, your majesty.”

  He nodded, “When they tried to take the Tower I saw the problems they would have. This is the strongest castle in England. It is why they hold on to it for they believe it cannot fall. When it does then a message will be sent around my land that I rule and not my barons. I will reissue the Great Charter but only when Bedford has fallen.”

  “Good but you should know that we will lose more men than those who defend it.”

  “Then I will speak with them before we attack and give them the opportunity to surrender.”

  “And if they do not?”

  His face was cold as he said, “Then all of them will be put to death!” It was obvious to me that the attack on London had more than just annoyed him. Sir Robert had told me that Falkes de Breauté had been involved in that attempt to usurp the King’s authority. Although the slippery weasel had fled to another castle the King would make an example of him and those who followed him. It was necessary but I did not relish the prospect of a long and protracted siege.

  “Where will you want my men?”

  “The north wall, the one closest to the town. I can trust your men to behave themselves.” We could see the walls. “There where the wall dividing the inner and our bailey runs. You may be close enough to the gate to have to endure missiles but it will divide their forces and we know that they do not have numbers of men. They have quality but not quantity. We will not try to breach the inner walls until the outer ones are secure. Their supplies are in the outer ward.”

  “You have thought this through well, King Henry!”

  “I was already here when I sent my messenger for you. I have ridden around every inch of the walls. The river is our enemy and I can think of no way to defeat it.”

  I nodded, “You are probably right. This could take weeks, lord.”

  “I know but I want to win and we will stay as long as we have to.”

  We drank more of the wine. I noticed that we had fine goblets and the ham which we were nibbling was of the best quality. We were close enough to London for the King not to have to stint. “And the Council?”

  A mischievous look came over his face, “I think I have their measure. Pandulf is not particularly interested in secular matters. So long as I agree to most of the religious requests then I have his support. Des Roches and de Burgh do not like each other. There are three of them so I can always win two to my side and marginalise the other. I have learned to do that without you Earl.”

  “Such strategies are outside of my experience lord but I am pleased that you have more control and power. Use them wisely, sire.”

  “Do you chastise me sir?”

  I shook my head. “I have two sons and I would give them the same advice. It is meant well.” I took the bull by the horns. “Your father had power but do you think he used it wisely?”

  He drank and then shook his head, “But perhaps he was ill served by lords who just sought land and power.”

  “Is that not the reason we are here? Falkes and his brother seek great power. Who knows, they may desire the throne.”

  “As does the Earl of Chester.” He waved a hand, “Do not try to deny it. I know that he has gone to the Holy Land so that he cannot be associated with the unrest in my land but I know he is the cause and one day he will have to return. I have a long memory.”

  By the time I left the King to return to my camp then I think I understood him. Sam followed me back. “The King’s guards are worried, lord, about an attempt to kill him. He has annoyed many powerful men
and they do not relish him as a man grown with great power.”

  “Then we will have to watch for these enemies.”

  The next few days were spent establishing our siege lines. We dug ditches and made pavise and willow boards to protect us as we advanced. There were not many trees left but we found a couple which we made into a bridge for the moat. We would not need it for some time but it gave the men something to do. The mangonel and trebuchet were built in situ. They had a maximum range of three hundred paces but they were built just two hundred and fifty paces from the walls. We used pavise to protect the carpenters who built them. When the siege lines were built we still had to wait for the engines to be finished. To prevent our men becoming bored I had David of Wales and his archers see if they would hit any of the defenders. As most of the garrison was made up of mailed knights and men at arms it was unlikely that we would do much damage. However, it would weaken the resolve of the defenders and once the mighty machines began hurling eighty-pound stones at the walls that resolve would be severely tested.

  The first killers were found before we had even started the assault. Our vigilance was rewarded by Robert, who was watching my tent while Sam slept across the doorway. He saw a shadow moving towards the tent. We had a daily password for my knights and Robert gave the first part. “Father.”

  When the reply came back “Mother” instead of ‘Harold’ then Robert drew his sword. The killer made the mistake of trying to fight Robert. He failed and paid for his failure with his life. Robert could not afford to take chances. When we searched the body, we found Welsh coins in his purse. That was not conclusive evidence but all Welshmen we did not know came under intense scrutiny from then on. Sir Jocelyn volunteered to help Robert and Sam but I declined. The knight was keen enough but he would be needed soon to assault the walls of Bedford Castle.

  After two weeks and no further attempts on our lives the trebuchets and mangonels were ready. The King gave William de Breauté the opportunity to surrender. We crossed the river and spoke to the baron across the water. William de Breauté stood on the fighting platform of his keep.

  “I give you one chance William de Breauté to surrender. We have your castle surrounded and tomorrow we begin to break down your walls. Surrender and you will live. Fight and you die. All of you will die.”

  “We have sent an appeal to the Pope, Henry of Winchester. He will judge in our favour.”

  “I am your King and you will address me as such!”

  “You serve a council of regents. My brother and I do not recognise their authority. We cannot be guilty of treason for you are not yet King and, if we have our way, then you never shall be.”

  I could see the King becoming angrier and yet he kept his voice calm. “Then release your females. None of us can guarantee their safety in the heat of the battle.”

  I said, quietly, “He is playing for time, lord.”

  “I know and I have had enough of this play acting. William de Breauté will you surrender or will you die?”

  “Our women will stay here for this castle will not fall! We will defend my brother’s castle. Do your worst, boy, for this castle will not be taken!”

  The last insult was a mistake. Any vestige of mercy was driven from King Henry’s heart by the barb. He turned and led Hubert de Burgh, the Archbishop and myself back to the camp. William de Breauté had insulted the King and the Council. I wondered why the Archbishop and I had managed to avoid his ire. Hubert de Burgh said, as we headed back to our lines, “I have ordered extra men, King Henry, to watch our tents.”

  The King pointed at me. “It is the Earl of Cleveland who is in danger not I. There will come a time when men will seek my death but not until I attain my majority. I have a brother and he would simply replace me.”

  He was remarkably sanguine about the prospect of being murdered.

  My camp was now as tightly guarded as it was possible. All of the knights, men at arms and archers who had travelled from Cleveland were now of one mind. Woe betide any who crossed into our camp. Two men at arms from Oxford had been severely beaten when they made the mistake of passing too close to our lines. The word was spread and none would approach us after dark. We trusted each other. We knew each other. We had stood in shield walls and fought alongside each other. Here I was safe. It would be different once we ascended the ladders and began to fight with men who knew that failure meant death!

  Carpenters and joiners had built the trebuchets and mangonels but it would be my men who loaded the machines and sent their stones towards the walls. The trebuchet worked by counterweight. Padraig the Wanderer had an eye for such things and he would command the larger machine. His first missile would be for range. Once he had that he could adjust both the weight and the trajectory. The mangonel or traction trebuchet was slightly different. It required a team of men to pull it. While the counterweight trebuchet could send heavier stones and could keep sending missiles longer the mangonel was faster to reload but men tired. Until we actually assaulted the walls I would have my men at arms working in teams. Will Red Leg commanded the mangonel.

  While some of the other war machines began releasing stones quickly my men were more measured. The machines were well built but others had built them. They checked each rope and joint before they loaded them. They chose the most rounded stones they could. That would be a true test of the machine. We saw one of the other teams sending stones over the walls and into the castle. There they would do no harm. When they adjusted their stones hit the moat. The stones were valuable and four were wasted by the other teams before they even struck the wall.

  My men examined every part of the machines and stones. When they were satisfied Will Red Leg looked at Padraig and nodded. Padraig released the stone and it flew true. It struck the top of the parapet. It would take a lucky strike to hit a man. When a war machine cracked all those on the wall looked to the sky and a defender could easily move out of the way. The first stone nudged a stone from the top of the wall. Smaller splinters flew and then the stone careered into the castle. The hit was too high. Padraig adjusted his machine while Will Red Leg let fly with his first stone. He had the advantage of human power. He could remove or add men to give more accuracy. His stone hit six feet to the right of Padraig’s but slightly lower.

  He shouted to one of his crew, “James, we will not need you for the next strike. Reload!”

  From now on they would send stones alternately. That way they would know the effect of their own strikes. The next one from the trebuchet was almost perfect. It hit half way up the wall. To an onlooker it would have appeared disappointing. There was neither crack in the wall nor movement. There was just the small cloud of dust. Padraig nodded in satisfaction. His stones would continue to pound away at the same point. The walls could be six or eight feet thick. He was aiming to damage the outer stones which would, in turn, disturb the small infill stones and, finally, the stones on the inner wall. Will Red Leg hit a little lower than Padraig but he too managed a cloud of dust. The two of them kept pounding away all morning. After ten hits Will added James to his team again and the stones hit where they had on the first strike. When we stopped for food the machines would be checked, ropes tightened and the team on the mangonel rotated.

  King Henry and Sir Robert came in the early afternoon to view our hits. I pointed, “There is the smallest of cracks which rises up the wall. They will be shoring it up inside already.”

  “And that is good progress?”

  I nodded, “Aye, sire. Tonight, we will hear hammering as they put beams in place. They have a finite amount of timber and when that is gone then they will be able to shore up no longer. It could take a week but we will have breach and then we will have the outer bailey.”

  “You do not sound excited about the prospect, Earl.”

  “I am not for that means that they will have more men to guard a shorter perimeter. This siege must succeed but inevitably we will lose more men than those within.”

  Each day saw the crack widen. On t
he third day the mangonel broke down and had to be repaired. However, we used the repair to use the men to load the trebuchet and our rate of stones remained the same. On the fifth day one mighty stone from the trebuchet made a direct hit on the crack. The wall seemed to shiver and then the parapet tumbled down. Half fell into the moat and the other half into the outer bailey. My men all cheered. David and his archers managed to send arrows towards the men on the fighting platform as they were exposed. There were cries but we knew not if they had been killed or just wounded.

  The success spurred my men on and they continued to shower the wall until it was too dark to see. We heard hammering which went on long into the night. Padraig came to me as I was about to retire. “Lord they are repairing the damage each night.”

  “I know but each day we grow closer to victory.”

  “They are using wood to shore up the damage.”

  “Aye.” I could not see where Padraig was going with this.

  “Wood burns. What if we made some incendiary missiles tomorrow, during the day. If we could fire the wood then that might be enough to bring down the wall.”

  “It is worth a try. Well done Padraig,”

  He nodded, “We are keen to begone from here. The longer we stay the more chance those Welsh bastards have of slitting your throat! The sooner we get back to a civilised land the better.”

  My men took the threat to my life personally!

  I told the King of our plan and he spent the afternoon with us. Each hit now brought down a stone. Some were larger than others. Dust filled the air. There was a small avalanche as a large stone tumbled to the moat and was followed by a flood of smaller infill stones. At the top of the wall there was a gap of four paces. It narrowed to a hole the size of a man’s head half way down the wall. We would soon be in a position to assault the breach but only if they ceased repairing the wall. The last stone, as the sun was setting, was the most effective. It punched a hole in the wall and the gap at the top widened. While there was still a little light my archers sent arrow after arrow into the men trying to repair it.