1066

by G. K. Holloway

  Return of the Brother

  Tostig returned to England six months later and was met at Quaymeadow by Harold and Edyth. When he was within hailing distance Tostig ordered the sail to be dropped. He pulled on the helm and, assisted by the oarsmen, brought his ship to a gentle halt by the quayside.

  ‘Tostig, welcome back,’ called Harold.

  ‘It’s good to see you again, Harold,’ said Tostig, leaping from the ship and on to the quay with great agility. ‘You look well - and you too, Edyth,’ he added, turning to help Lady Judith ashore. Behind Judith followed Ealdred with his new pallium and Earl Cospatric. Both men, for different reasons, looked very pleased with themselves.

  ‘Welcome to Bosham, Archbishop Ealdred, and welcome to you too, Earl Cospatric,’ said Harold warmly. Then, looking slightly ill at ease, he added, ‘I have news for you all. I’ll tell you as we walk back to the house.’

  ‘What’s happened?’ Tostig replied. ‘It’s bad news, isn’t it? I can tell by your face.’

  ‘Our old friend Malcolm has raided Northumbria.’

  ‘Bastard!’ was Cospatric’s sharp retort. Ealdred said nothing but visibly paled.

  ‘He raided Cumbria and drove out all the nobles.’ Then looking at Ealdred, Harold continued, ‘and churchmen too. Worse still, Lindisfarne has been pillaged.’

  ‘That’s outrageous!’ cried the Archbishop. ‘How could Christians behave in such a manner?’

  ‘The only good news is that there have been few casualties,’ said Harold, trying to soften the blow.

  ‘This means war!’ Cospatric added vehemently. ‘What’s the King done about it?’

  ‘He thought it prudent to await Tostig’s return.’

  ‘What? You mean he’s done nothing,’ hissed Cospatric. ‘Thank you for your hospitality, Earl Harold, you’ve been most gracious. Thank you for the news; it must have been most difficult for you to have to tell us. Please don’t think me churlish but I must say goodbye and head home to my friends and family.’

  ‘I’d do the same myself.’

  ‘Forgive me, Harold,’ Ealdred interjected. ‘I must go with Cospatric. I will be needed. Could I borrow a horse?’

  ‘There are a few being tacked up in the stables. I thought you might leave in a hurry.’

  The two headed for the stables, followed by Cospatric’s men. A minute later they all left at the gallop.

  ‘There go two impatient men,’ Tostig remarked.

  ‘I’m surprised you’re not going with them.’

  ‘I’m sure I can get this business sorted out with Malcolm. If you don’t mind, we’ll stay overnight and journey up to London in the morning.’

  ‘You’re most welcome. Come inside, and tell us how you got on with Ealdred and Cospatric.’

  ‘Ealdred I’ve always liked… ’

  ‘I’ve always found him easy company… and Cospatric?’

  ‘Interesting… ’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Yes. On the way back, robbers in the Roman Campagna attacked us. Cospatric was riding at the head of our little band when we were attacked. It was a classic trap. We caught up with a group of people in front of us and another group who were behind us closed in, blocking our way behind. Just as we realised what was going on, more men appeared from either side. They thought because he was so well dressed that Cospatric was me. They asked, ‘Are you Earl Tostig?’ and he said he was so they led him away in the hope of claiming a fat ransom. Then they robbed us all and we thought that was the last we’d see of them, so we rode on to the nearest town to raise the alarm.’

  ‘Then what happened?’

  ‘When Cospatric thought I was far enough away to be safe he told them of their mistake and he said he was a thane in borrowed clothes. They didn’t believe him at first; they thought he just wanted to escape. Then when they realised he wasn’t me, some of them wanted to kill him but they eventually decided he was a hero for protecting his lord, returned all the stolen goods and released him.’

  ‘That was very good of them.’

  ‘It was very good of Cospatric, too.’

  ‘You look sceptical. What’s on your mind?’

  ‘It’s a little convenient.’

  ‘And now you’re in his debt.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘It could all be genuine.’

  ‘He makes an excellent travelling companion but I’m not so sure I could afford the luxury of trusting him.’

  Harold observed his brother studiously before asking, ‘Do you think he might have your earldom or some higher position in mind?’

  ‘I’m not sure what he’s thinking but he’ll have done his reputation no harm at all. Now I’m in his debt, what will they make of that in the North? ‘

  ‘But what are you going to do about Malcolm?’

  ‘I’ll give it some thought.’

  ‘You’ll have to do a lot more than that.’

  Mercia: Earl Aelfgar’s Great Hall, Coventry

  That year, as usual, the northern earls met the Mercians in Aelfgar’s great hall in Coventry, on the way to the King’s Christmas court in Gloucester. On the dais the talk was of nothing but Tostig and his lack of action over the Scottish raids. Cospatric was the most vocal.

  ‘I’ve lost most of my family’s fortune,’ he complained. ‘Malcolm just came over the border and took anything he fancied. He’s supposed to be Tostig’s blood brother; they have an agreement to honour the border but what’s that worth if as soon as Tostig’s back’s turned, Northumbria is raided?’

  ‘It’s not just the raids,’ added Dolfin, ‘it’s Tostig’s inaction. Why doesn’t he do something?’

  Aelfgar and his teenaged sons Edwin and Morcar sat listening silently while the northern nobles spoke disloyally of their lord. It warmed Aelfgar’s heart to hear of Tostig spoken of in this way. He thought he might add to the discontent by asking a few well chosen questions of his own.

  ‘Why do you think he hasn’t done anything, Cospatric?’

  ‘Apparently, there has been a misunderstanding. Tostig has seen Malcolm, who claims he thought their agreement only applied when Tostig was in Northumbria. As Tostig was out of the country on his pilgrimage to Rome, Malcolm says he thought it acceptable to indulge his men by letting them embark on a few summer raids. Now Tostig has expressed his disapproval of Malcolm’s actions and reminded him of his oath, we shall all enjoy peace again. But none of us has had any valuables returned and there’ll be no compensation for any losses. It was an honest mistake, Malcolm says.’

  Gamel and Hardwulf, who were also present, were nodding in agreement with every word Cospatric said.

  The Earl continued, ‘This seems to mean nothing to Tostig, nothing to him that Eadwulf and Siward spent years campaigning to win Cumbria back from the Scots and now it’s lost. Malcolm should be taught a lesson, one he’ll never forget. Tostig should be the man to do it. But where is he? Nowhere to be seen.’

  ‘He’s in Wessex kissing the arse of our Norman king,’ sneered Gamel.

  ‘He always is,’ Hardwulf added. ‘Who here can remember when he spent more than three months at a time up here in Northumbria? He leaves everything in the hands of that upstart, Copsig.’

  Aelfgar exchanged glances with his two teenaged sons.

  Cospatric remarked with some bitterness, ‘I risked my life for him in Italy! And what has he done in return? Brought dishonour on our families, on all of us. No Northumbrian would have acted in such a way.’

  ‘Come now,’ said Aelfgar. ‘Are you not being a little harsh?’

  ‘Harsh! It’s Tostig who is harsh, with his swingeing taxes. And what have we ever got for them?’

  Although Aelfgar was enjoying all the vitriol, Archbishop Ealdred thought Cospatric had gone too far.

  ‘Earl Cospatric, Earl Tostig is only asking that you pay the same part of your profits, just like anyone else. And you must remember that the taxes are collected in the name of the King. Tostig has the law on his side.’

  ‘T
hat’s another thing, his passion for justice, everything legal and above board. We settle things our own way up north. We don’t need all these bloody courts and the expenses that go with them.’

  ‘Earl Cospatric,’ responded the Archbishop, ‘I think you’ll find Tostig is acting out of concern for his people.’

  ‘If he’s so concerned about his people, why is he never to be found? Why is he always in London with the King? Why doesn’t the King come up to Northumbria? Why aren’t we fighting in Scotland? The King has never, to my knowledge, been any further north than Shrewsbury and he was probably lost then.’

  ‘Calm yourself, Earl Cospatric,’ responded the ever serene Ealdred. ‘I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation. Why not talk to Earl Tostig about your concerns at court? You can come with me. There are one or two things I would like to talk over with him.’

  ‘Such as?’

  It was now the turn of Aethelwin, Bishop of Durham, to pitch in.

  ‘May I interrupt? Much as I understand and sympathise with your losses, my Lords, I think it proper to express my opinion that King Malcolm’s greatest sin was to violate the peace of St. Cuthbert on Lindisfarne, an act which I consider unforgivable. It was the act of a Viking heathen, not a Christian, and he will be damned to hell for it.’

  ‘Now, you might have your problems with Earl Tostig and his tax demands but the Church is more concerned with other issues. There is no doubt about his personal piety or that of Lady Judith. Their pilgrimage was one expression of it, as were the gifts they presented to the church of St. Cuthbert. They were magnificent.’

  ‘They were indeed,’ added Ealdred.

  ‘The carvings, the books but most of all, the gospels of Lady Judith - their beauty defies description.’

  ‘That may be so, but not everything’s been going smoothly for her, so I hear,’ interrupted Cospatric.

  ‘What’s that?’ asked Aelfgar, hoping to give more bad news an airing.

  ‘Well, Earl Aelfgar,’ continued Bishop Aethelwin, ‘Lady Judith wanted to pray at the church of St. Cuthbert.’

  ‘That’s no crime.’

  ‘Not quite right. She wanted to pray at the saint’s tomb. However, women are strictly forbidden to enter that particular church. Now, Lady Judith didn’t have the courage to do so herself, so she sent one of her maids to see how she fared. God could strike her down or St. Cuthbert might appear and curse her, who knows? Anyway, the poor girl made her way to St. Cuthbert’s and no sooner had she stepped through the doorway than, from nowhere, a powerful gust of wind came along and blew her off her feet.’ Aethelwin waved his arms with gusto to demonstrate the poor girl’s fate.

  ‘To make matters worse, she struck her head when she fell. Badly injured, she was put to bed but died in the night. Lady Judith, God fearing woman that she is, was terrified. In order to make amends and to placate the spirit of St. Cuthbert, she presented the church with the most fabulous ivory sculpture of the crucifixion, inlaid with gold and precious jewels. When I last saw her, she appeared to be in good health, so it must have done the trick.’

  ‘This is all very well but it doesn’t solve the problem of Tostig’s unwillingness to retaliate against the Scots,’ snapped Cospatric.

  Ealdred, as inscrutable as ever, leaned forward and looking directly at Cospatric, told him, ‘That’s something you ought to discuss with Earl Tostig. This is not the place.’

  Ealdred was right, as Cospatric later admitted. The northern earl did bring the matter up with Tostig at the Christmas court but Tostig was not interested in retaliation or compensation. He assured Cospatric and his friends that Malcolm had made a genuine mistake; that he thought their agreement only applied while Tostig was in the country and he had assured him that nothing like it would ever happen again. Tostig was satisfied with this and had no intention of retaliating. Cospatric and his friends had other ideas and went back to Northumbria seething with discontent.

  Gloucester, the King’s Christmas Court 1062

  Just before Christmas, Earl Aelfgar passed away. After going to bed blind drunk, he choked on his own vomit. Now the earldom of Mercia lay vacant. With no one to respond to his actions, Prince Gruffydd began raiding across the border with impunity. Harold regarded the renewed Welsh hostilities as the opportunity he had been waiting for to take revenge for the sacking of Hereford.

  King Edward appointed Edwin Earl of Mercia even though he was only eighteen. Cospatric, Gamel and Wulf were happy to give their agreement. They favoured Edwin simply because he was not of the house of Godwin. Aelfgar had always been sympathetic to Northumbria, Edwin was young and malleable and they did not want to see an end to a great Mercian dynasty.

  But Edwin, like his father, had no idea what to do about the Welsh and the border raids. While he celebrated Christmas, others made plans.

  In his private chambers, Harold was deep in conversation with Gyrth, Leofwine and Tostig. His three brothers were keen to know what he had in mind.

  ‘I thought I’d take a light force up to Gruffydd’s fortress at Rhuddlan tomorrow.’

  ‘Tomorrow? That’s a bit soon, isn’t it?’ asked Gyrth.

  ‘The sooner, the better.’

  Now Tostig had a question: ‘But it can be really cold in the Welsh mountains at this time of year. Nobody goes there in the winter if they can help it.’

  ‘That’s why we’re going. No one will expect us.’

  ‘That’s true enough. Does the King know about this?’

  ‘Yes. We didn’t mention it at the Witan in case word leaked out.’

  ‘Does that mean he doesn’t trust Edwin?’

  ‘Not necessarily Edwin. But there are those everywhere who have only their own interests at heart.’

  ‘Why didn’t he tell me?’ interjected Tostig, looking hurt.

  ‘Because he knew you’d want to come with me.’

  ‘Well, I wouldn’t mind.’

  ‘But we want to keep the numbers down, travel at speed and catch Gruffydd by surprise. Small forces can move so much faster than big ones. We’ll strike his palace then leave the Welsh to sort the mess out. It’ll be a message to them. If they raid again, their next leader will meet a similar fate.’

  Tostig chuckled. ‘I wish you the best of luck, Harold. When will you be back?’

  ‘Within a week; two at the very most’

  ‘I look forward to seeing you then.’

  ‘And I look forward to seeing Edwin’s face when he finds out,’ Leofwine guffawed.

  After three days’ hard ride, Harold and his men made their way along the last stretch of the journey up to Gruffydd’s fortress at Rhuddlan. Harold, accompanied by Leofwine, who had joined him with twenty of his own men, had his own and most of King Edward’s housecarls with him. With them was Edmund, accompanying them to bless them before they went into battle. All in all, about five hundred men were fumbling around in the darkness of a cold December dawn at the foot of the hill on which Gruffydd had his stronghold. As the sun rose, so Harold and his men climbed the hill.

  As they climbed, the early morning sounds of people waking greeted them; cocks crowed, the first of the new-born lambs bleated and dogs barked. In the half-light the men advanced, swords and axes at the ready. They were within fifty feet of the wooden parapet when a great clamour broke out. The sound of men shouting could be heard all over Gruffydd’s bastion. Harold gave the order to attack and his troops advanced quickly over the rough terrain.

  Five minutes later the main gates were breached. Leading his men through, Harold was astonished to find the Welsh in full flight heading for their boats, which were moored on the River Clwyd. Leaving Leofwine with fifty men, Harold led his men after Gruffydd. They caught and killed a hundred or so of his followers but the rest, along with their prince, either sailed off in their boats or ran away to hide in the mountains.

  ‘Should we give chase, my Lord?’ Skalpi asked.

  ‘No. Not today. We did what we came to do; a quick strike and then home. It’s unfortunate th
at we didn’t get our man but we’ll just have to try again some other time. You can burn the boats, though. And you and the men can help yourselves to anything that takes your fancy. I’ll see you back at the fort.’

  ‘Yes, my Lord.’

  Harold made his way back up the hill to the sound of women screaming. With no men to protect them, the women were being raped wherever the housecarls found them. Harold passed them by and entered the great hall to find Leofwine with Lady Aldytha, Gruffydd’s wife. Leo had his back to Harold, and peering over his shoulder Harold could see her look of fear incompletely concealed. It had been a number of years since he had seen her. She looked magnificent. The Welsh had been caught by surprise and she had not had time to dress. She faced Leo, her two young children hiding behind her as she clutched the bedclothes tightly to her chest. Ringlets of tousled hair fell onto her shoulders; her blue eyes flashed brightly as she looked this way and that, like a cornered animal; Harold thought she might be just as dangerous.

  ‘Hello, Leo.’

  ‘Ah, Harold, there you are.’

  ‘What have you found here?’

  ‘An old friend. You remember, Lady Aldytha?’

  Harold’s attention switched back to the woman before him. As he looked at her, he felt he could breathe in her beauty. His eyes wandered from her face down the outline of her body and back up to her eyes. He could even tell by the way the bedclothes fell that they hid a curvaceous physique. The silence in the room was broken by the screams of women outside and the raucous laughter of Harold’s men.

  She read the look in his eyes. ‘Do what you want with me but leave the children alone.’

  ‘In Hereford, no one was left alone. Didn’t your father tell you?’ said Harold, taking steps towards her. ‘What about your husband? Surely he must have mentioned what happened? Then again, perhaps he didn’t deem it important.’

  More screams flooded in through the windows from outside.