by Griff Hosker
As we prepared to march I told my knights what I had learned. Edward nodded, “It is not a surprise that those two would find each other and slip so easily into bed. One has the money and the mind while the other has the warriors. This Aimeric knows the lords of Northumberland and us my lord. He thinks he knows how to defeat us.”
“He will learn that he is wrong.”
The Scots moved ponderously. Most of their men were on foot and I now saw how we had been able to defeat them so easily. We rode in the van with the King. We represented a small part of his army but the most powerful. We had as many knights as he did. Our men at arms were fewer in number but greater in quality. It was, however, our archers which made the real difference. The men of his levy had hunting bows and there were few of them. His men favoured weapons like the war hammer and Danish axe. Fearsome weapons but they had to be close to an enemy to use them. It gave me hope for it meant that the rebels might be similarly weak.
They would know we were coming and from which direction. The army took up almost a mile of road. My archers were good scouts and they had seen evidence of enemy horsemen watching us. The spies within the Scottish ranks would have already told Lord Dunbar where we were headed. My presence and reputation meant that he would check to see if it was true. When we reached Dunglass we reached the sea and, more importantly could see the castle of Dunbar. It stood on a high piece of ground and I could see the wooden wall around the town. It could be reduced but I had no intention of losing any of my men to do so. Dunbar was part of the bait to draw out the rebel leader. We had to scotch the snake and take its head.
Our ponderous progress meant that those who were disloyal to the King fled north to take refuge in the castle. I suspected that many of those who stayed might be feigning loyalty. Lord Dunbar was the power in this part of Scotland. Until a hundred and fifty or so years ago it had been part of England. It was the old Kingdom of Northumbria. The links and ties to the Scottish royal family were thin as were the ties to the Normans of England. Traprain Law had once been the seat of power for the Northumbrian earls. By the time we reached the town it was secured. There were no animals to be found and the walls were manned. Lady Dunbar would have sent to her husband for help. I did not think that alone would be enough. We began to build siege lines around the burgh.
We would have to wait a couple of days to begin the deception. I had told all who were involved what they needed to do but this was something we had never tried before. Who knew if it would succeed? I rode, with Alfred, my banner and my knights as far as the river. I made sure that I was seen. A couple of ships sailed down from Leith which was Din Burgh’s port. They would confirm the reports to Lord Dunbar that his enemy was close to hand. By the time the siege works were in place another two days had passed. We had tried to be predictable. Our archers were used to release ten flights of arrows into the town to thin the defenders on the walls. The first day we slew a dozen but since then we had only managed one or two casualties. It would be wearing for the defenders. They had just returned to the camp when David of Stanhope and Stephen of Spennymoor arrived.
“Earl, we have had enough of this. Either we attack the walls or we go home. We have families who need us and land which needs watching. Already we have given more than twenty days of service by the time we reach home then we will have fulfilled our obligation. What say you? Let us all leave the Scots. This burgh will fall soon enough and with the Lord Dunbar’s family for ransom then the rebellion will be over.”
“It is not time yet. Give me but a few days more and this will be over.”
“I am sorry, Sir Thomas, we would follow you anywhere into battle but sitting around on this windswept headland is not our idea of war.”
“You would forfeit the money promised by King William?”
He lowered his voice, “I still do not trust the Scots to honour that agreement. We have lost no men and I will take that. Dead men spend no coins.”
I could not dissuade them. The knights and men of the Palatinate headed south back towards Jedburgh and thence Durham. King William was not happy. “I was promised an army by King John and now I have a large conroi. It is not good enough.”
I nodded, “I know and we will have to change our plans. That which I had conjured can now not happen. Tomorrow I will take my men on a chevauchée to Haddington.”
The King was slightly mollified. “Haddington is well defended and is a prosperous town. My son was born there.”
“And it is but twenty miles from Din Burgh. Perhaps a raid there will tempt him from his lair. It is far enough from Dunbar that he will not fear your army.”
“It is a risk.”
“I have well mounted men and we can draw him towards you so that you can force a battle. I feel I owe you that. The men of Durham have let me down. I will try to atone for their desertion.”
“Very well.”
My knights, men at arms and archers were all delighted to be raiding. Sitting around siege lines was no-one’s idea of a warfare. I told them exactly what we would be doing. We left just after dawn. We knew not what awaited us on the road and we wanted clear lines of sight. Once we had passed the high ground of Traprain Law we would be able to see Haddington in the distance and, if it was a clear day, the rock upon which Din Burgh stood. We rode with the archers ahead of us. Cedric Warbow and James rode a mile behind us. When they were certain that we were not being followed they joined David and his archers who rode to Traprain Law. I would raid with just my knights and men at arms. We passed the old hillfort and the road descended towards Haddington.
Without archers we had to rely on men like Richard Red Leg and Padraig the Wanderer. They had good eyes. Alfred held my banner. It was important that it was seen. When it was spied from Haddington then a rider would, no doubt, head for Din Burgh and report our presence. When we were just a mile from the town the gates slammed shut. That did not worry us. There were isolated farms outside of the walls but the walls themselves were the height of a horse. We could cross them by standing on our horses’ backs Five hundred paces from the walls we reined in and my men spread out in a long line.
Edward asked, “Well lord, do we raid the farms or take the walls?”
Before he even had time to answer the decision was taken out of our hands. The gates opened and horsemen poured forth while from the other side of the town came more horsemen. It was Lord Dunbar. Even as I shouted “Fall back! It is a trap!” I counted at least a hundred riders. We had been betrayed. There was a spy in the King’s camp. We had a race of eleven miles to reach the safety of our own camp.
Scean was a good horse and probably the best of those who were with me. For that reason, I did not push him. I needed the others to be with me. If we became strung out then those pursuing us would pick us off one by one. Padraig and Richard were at the rear and it was they who warned us that the Scots were closing. There was no panic in Padraig’s voice. “Lord, they are two hundred paces from us and they are gaining.”
The ride from the camp had weakened our horses. The Scots must have been waiting for us at Haddington with fresh horses. We would not make the camp. I had not expected that we would. So far my plan was working but there were still many things which could go wrong.
I shouted, “We make for Traprain Law. We will make a shield wall. That will be where we will hold them.” All that remained of the Bernician stronghold were the ditches and ridges marking where the buildings had stood. There were bushes and trees growing where the palisade had once stood but without gates they were largely indefensible. Our horses struggled up the slope and that gave me hope that the Scottish horses would also struggle. We made for the wide area where the gatehouse had once stood. Even as we galloped through, David of Wales and the archers of the Palatinate loosed arrows at the Scottish horsemen who thought they had us trapped. We dismounted and our squires took our horses to the rear. With shields and swords, we made a shield wall in the gap between the trees.
Even though thirty riders lay dead, wo
unded and dying the Scots still appeared to be without any order or leadership. I saw Lord Dunbar and his banner. They were just behind the front riders and he was urging them on. Perhaps he was not surprised by my archers but the men he might lose would be worth it to kill or capture the Earl of Cleveland.
We had a double row of men but there were just forty of us. Two hundred men were charging us. Our archers could only kill so many. We were lucky that their first rank did not have continuity. They struck us as individuals. Their horses had struggled up the hill and our swords killed horses and men alike.
I heard a voice shout from the Scottish lines, “Dismount. Take them on foot!”
We had some respite as they dismounted and their horses were led away. David and his archers had less success for the men on foot held their shields up. They had just formed up and begun to march towards us when there was the thunder of hooves from our left and David of Stanhope led the knights and men at arms from Durham to charge the right flank of the rebels. They had been waiting by the Luggate Burn and were hidden by a stand of trees. At the same time a horn sounded from the north as King William led his knights and horsemen to plough into their left flank. Isolated from their horses they could not escape.
“Alfred, sound the charge!” While our archers rained death, I led my knights on a foot charge downhill. The Scots were totally disorganized. They were assailed on all sides. I used my sword to slay three men at arms before the Scots even realised we were attacking down the hill. The knights of the Palatinate had the advantage that they attacked men whose shields were on the opposite side. Their spears found flesh and mail. Men died and the knights drove the enemy towards the centre. Although King William and his knights faced shields some of the men they faced had no stomach for it and that flank began to crumble. Men tried to run away. They merely ran into others.
A mounted knight rode at me with a spear levelled. I waited until he was committed and then I stepped to the shield side of his horse and brought my sword around to hack through his leg. He fell from his mount and his life blood pumped away.
Lord Dunbar and his standard bearer were still mounted. They tried to flee. Their horses were slain by Ridley the Giant and Henry Youngblood and the two fell from their backs. The standard bearer struggled to his feet. Alfred was on him in an instant. Alfred was lightly armoured and quick. He held his sword at the throat of the standard bearer. Without a weapon he had no choice. He dropped the standard. When the standard fell then the rebels surrendered. Their leader was down and they were surrounded,
“Quarter!”
“Mercy!”
“Ransom!”
In that one battle the rebellion effectively ended. We discovered, later, that the Earl of Chester and young Prince Alexander had won a series of small skirmishes and battles in the west. The Earl of Galloway fled to Ireland.
King William had his helmet in his hand, “Your knights and I must be good actors Earl. The spy believed our words and reported them to his leader.”
“You have the spy?”
He pointed to the dead knight whose leg I had taken. His body was close by my feet, “That is Richard of Falkirk. His brother is in chains at the siege. Robert of Falkirk tried to leave us as we left to spring the trap. When his brother was missing I had him watched.” Lord Dunbar was brought to the King. From the way his right arm hung it was broken. “Dunbar you are a rebel and a traitor.”
Dunbar scowled, “If you are going to kill me then do so out of sight of this English wolf! I have seen enough of him!”
“I may kill you and I may not. Bring them back with us to the siege. We will decide their fate there.”
We arrived back at Dunbar just before dusk. With Lord Dunbar in chains the King went to within bow range of the walls. “Lady Dunbar, the fate of your husband lies in your hands. Surrender or I execute him for treason here and now.”
There was silence from the walls.
The King shook his head, “She thinks that I am bluffing. Fetch Sir Richard of Falkirk.” The traitor was brought. He had not been well treated. He turned to his bodyguard, a huge warrior with a twohanded sword. “Execute him.” Two men held the knight and a third held his hair. The blade came down and severed the head which was then held in the air.
The gates opened and a woman’s voice cried, “We surrender. Spare my husband.”
Chapter 8
Traitor’s fate
We had captured many horses, much mail and weapons. We also had ransoms to collect. It was ten days before we were able to leave. As my men waited for me I went to speak with King William.
“Thank you, Earl, you have saved my kingdom.”
I nodded, “And yet this does not make us friends. I think, King William, that despite the Treaty of Norham you and your people still harbour territorial ambitions in England. I will take the revenue you have promised but if war comes then I will fight you as hard as I fought your enemies for you.”
“I know and I thank you for your honesty, it is refreshing.” He smiled, “When you kill me you will look me in the eyes.”
“And that is how it should be between warriors.” I pointed to the headless corpse of the traitor which had been left where it had fallen. “A word of advice, King William, choose those you allow close to you a little more carefully. You allowed a pair of them to be close enough to be a knife in the night.”
“It has been a harsh lesson to learn!”
We headed south. I sent Fótr and Petr with half of our men at arms directly to Stockton. They would escort the wagons with our share. David of Stanhope sent five knights and their men at arms with his share of the bounty. The remainder then headed for Falstone. I had not heard of it before which suggested it was a small place without a manor. It was at times like this that I needed my grandfather’s old scout Masood or Edward’s father, Edgar. They were scouts without equal. As it was I had to rely on the knowledge of the men of Durham who had travelled thence.
We rode as far as Norham that first day. It was there that I discovered more about the area. Elsdon had had a lord. He had been killed when the Scots had invaded the last time. So far none of the family, who also had estates further south in England, had occupied it. It was empty. That explained why Alexander and Aimeric had chosen Falstone. The Coquet valley was ripe for picking. They could raid the Tweed as well as the Wear Valley. And as Ranulf of Hexham had discovered to his cost, they could raid the Upper Tyne Valley. When Fótr and Petr left for Stockton they would travel via Hexham and warn their father in law of the potential danger.
The constable of Norham offered me advice. “There are deep forests there and few farms. I know not this place you are seeking but I know others like it here along the border. The Scots are adept at making them into fortresses. You know how hard it is to hunt wild boar in forests?” I nodded. “It is the same hunting Scots. They may not be any good on a battlefield but give them a forest and they are the masters of ambush. This Alexander of Hawick is known to me. He is a cruel man who is little better than a bandit. When you brought him to battle you should have executed him.” The constable was a blunt man.
“I can see that now. However, the man is slippery and he escaped me. He will not do so a second time.”
“And Aimeric of Chartres; he is also known to me,” he shook his head, “I considered riding to Durham to end his miserable life on more than one occasion.”
“He robbed you too?”
“Aye, he denied me men at arms and took greater and greater revenue. It was lucky that the Scots did not attack. We would have been hard pressed to withstand them. Whatever punishment you inflict it will be too kind for him.”
As we rode south I discussed with David of Wales what our strategy ought to be. Many knights would have simply ignored the views of what they considered a common man. I was not one of those. Knights were vulnerable in a forest. We could not use a lance or spear and our larger horses were not well suited to the terrain. Archers were better at stalking and moving silently. They too wo
uld be somewhat restricted. The trees made accurate archery difficult but they would know how to trap an enemy.
David of Wales gestured backwards with his thumb. “We have more than fifty archers. If we divide them into five groups then they can search the forest for signs of the men we seek. You need to contain them, lord. Once we have found them for you we drive them in on to themselves. Ridley and the men at arms can then act as beaters. You said the constable told you they were as difficult as wild boars to hunt then use those techniques. The knights ride and the rest of us walk. Our net will tighten. The last time we fought this bandit we did so in a straight line. A circle means that he cannot escape.”
I nodded, “I do not like you and the men at arms taking the risks.”
He laughed, “Lord, each time you go into battle you take more risks than we do. Welshpool saw us almost watching the battle. We do not mind. You pay us well and, more importantly, you respect our views. That is why you have the finest of archers. They choose to serve you.”
We had fifty miles to go and we stopped for the night at the high point at the head of the Redes Dale. I gathered all of the men around me. It was a remote spot and no one would over hear us. “I am going to divide us into two tomorrow. Both groups will have about twenty-five miles to travel. The knights of Durham and their men at arms will travel south and west. There is a road which leads to Falstone. You will block that road for that is the escape route back to Scotland. I will lead the rest, including all of the archers. We will take the Otterburn road. It is shorter and means we can use our archers to surround Falstone. I intend to cut them off in the night. When the attack begins I will sound the horn three times. Move slowly, Baron Stanhope. I would not have Alexander and Aimeric escape us again.”
“That is unlikely lord. To get by us they would have to use the forest and that would mean discarding their treasure. I cannot see that happening. Are you sure you will have enough men?”