Magna Carta (Border Knight Book 4)

by Griff Hosker

  It was not a time for cheering. A few of the men wo had been burned were saved by their friends who smothered the flames. The rest died. Some writhed and twitched, blackened bodies, for a long time. The smell of burning flesh, hair and clothes filled the air. I watched as the two barons turned and led their surviving men south. The siege had been brief and it was over. We had won.

  Chapter 11

  Magna Carta

  We cleared the bodies from around the castle and my men and I went through the town. Fearful of reprisals the people of Lincoln wisely stayed indoors. We found more bodies close to the gate. Men had, somehow, managed to hang on to life until it became too much and they died. The removal and the burial of the bodies was not pleasant. To make certain that the rebels had gone I led my men the next day to ride the countryside. We found no sign of them. They had gone to London.

  That evening Nichola de la Haie asked the question that was on everyone’s mind, “What happens now, Earl? Will you take your men home or will you try to find the King and join him?”

  I had to confess that I did not know the answer. I had too few men to make a difference to the forces available to the King but if I left then it would be like handing over power to the rebels. On the other hand, I might be needed at home. Would the Scots take advantage of my absence and the unrest in England to launch an attack? I did not like this. I preferred to know what was going on.

  Alfred was the one who came up with a sensible suggestion. “Lord send two of your men at arms to Windsor. The King will be there. If he is besieged then they can return here and if not then we will have a better idea of what we face.”

  He was right, “Then we will do so. I am afraid, my lady, that we will have to impose upon you for some time longer.”

  She waved a hand, “Nonsense it is good to have you and your men for company. I will send Robert of Lincoln into the town. I will fine the townsfolk for attacking our walls. It will replenish my larder!”

  The choice of men was easy. In the absence of archers, it would be Padraig the Wanderer and Richard Red Leg. They were both clever, resourceful and lucky. I never discounted luck! I gave them a spare horse each and they set off with clear instructions. They wore my surcoats and had my sign on their shields. They would be recognised. As a precaution, until they reached Windsor, they would keep them covered. They would only need them to gain access to the castle of the King. We waited.

  It was not the worst castle in which to wait. Lady Nichola had lived there for most of her life and had made it comfortable. She was also pleasant company. She enjoyed having my young men talk to her of their families. Each evening she kept us all engaged with her tales of life in the castle. She was hereditary constable and that was unusual for a woman. I told my knights the story of Maud, Countess of Chester, who had sneaked my great grandfather into the castle and they had held it for the Empress.

  During the day we patrolled the streets and I kept a watch on the road to the north. It proved a good decision. Two days after my men had left we intercepted two of de Percy’s men. Henry Youngblood captured them without having to injure them and they were brought to the castle to be questioned. They knew of me but it was the presence of Ridley and Edward which loosened their tongues. They were happy to talk. They were not on some secret mission. Their task was to relay the news to the north that London and Exeter were now in the barons’ hands. The King, it seemed, was willing to talk and the two men had been told that the King would accede to all of their demands. I did not believe so but I could see why Richard de Percy would want that news spread around his manors. They also said that many more barons had joined the rebellion. I believed that for they had witnessed it with their own eyes and they named the knights who had joined. All else was guesswork. We put them in the gaol. I told them that they would be set free but only when my men were returned. I would not throw away two men who might be used to bargain for captured prisoners.

  At the beginning of June my men returned. I had begun to worry but they seemed surprised, “We were in no danger lord. The Earl Marshal saw us and not the King. He was pleased that you held Lincoln. He confided in us that there may yet be war. The King has offered to have the Pope arbitrate the dispute but the barons refused. The Archbishop of Canterbury offered to organise peace talks.”

  I slapped one fist into the palm of the other, “The King does not know he cannot be trusted! Damn such churchmen. They should stay out of politics!”

  “The Earl knows, lord and he said he was giving the Archbishop enough rope to hang himself. The King and the barons are meeting seven days from now at a place called Runnymede. It is half way between Windsor and the rebel camp at Staines.”

  “Thank you.” I turned to the Constable and my knights. “And so now we wait. In seven days we will know the outcome.”

  As a gesture of goodwill, I sent our two prisoners back to their lord. I told them not to go north but south. I wanted the other rebels in the north to be kept in the dark. I sent Henry Youngblood and William of Lincoln back to Stockton with young William. He was not happy until I told him that I needed someone to deliver the news of the meeting back to my home. The letter which he took would be disseminated amongst my knights. We needed to prepare for war.

  That night, as we ate in the hall, one of the knights of Lincoln, Sir Eustace, asked, “Prepare for war, lord, why? There is a charter of peace. They are making an accord. That is what your men said.”

  “The accord has been drawn up by one of the rebels, the Archbishop. I now see what the Earl Marshal meant. When the King realises that he has been duped he may well repudiate the accord. Until we receive word that peace is here we prepare for the worst.”

  William Marshal’s son, William reached us at the end of June. His words sounded hopeful but not his demeanour. “There is peace, my lord. My father sent me to tell you that. Both sides have signed an accord. There will be a council of twenty-five barons and churchmen who will ensure that the King keeps to the agreement. The barons have all renewed their oaths to the King.”

  This did not sound like King John to me, “This council, what power does it have?”

  “If there is a transgression and the twenty-five councillors feel that it breaches the treaty then the King has forty days to remedy the transgression. If he fails to do so then the King’s castles may be seized.”

  “I cannot see him agreeing to this!”

  “He has done lord.”

  “And who are these councillors?”

  He took a parchment from his saddlebag and handed it to me. “These are the twenty-five.”

  I unrolled it and read them. I recognised the Earl’s hand.

  Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford

  William de Forz, Earl of Albemarle

  Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex and Gloucester

  Saer de Quincy, Earl of Winchester

  Henry de Bohun, Earl of Hereford

  Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk and Suffolk

  Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford

  William Marshal junior

  Robert Fitzwalter, baron of Little Dunmow

  Gilbert de Clare, heir to the earldom of Hertford

  Eustace de Vesci, Lord of Alnwick Castle

  Hugh Bigod, heir to the Earldoms of Norfolk and Suffolk

  William de Mowbray, Lord of Axholme Castle

  William Hardell, Mayor of the City of London

  William de Lanvallei, Lord of Walkern

  Robert de Ros, Baron of Helmsley

  John de Lacy, Constable of Chester and Lord of Pontefract Castle

  Richard de Percy

  John FitzRobert de Clavering, Lord of Warkworth Castle

  William Malet

  Geoffrey de Saye

  Roger de Montbegon, Lord of Hornby Castle, Lancashire

  William of Huntingfield, Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk

  Richard de Montfichet

  William d'Aubigny, Lord of Belvoir

  “But apart from you these are all the rebels we saw i
n Northampton.”

  “Quite so, lord. I think they had me join the council so that they could make a pretence of being fair. I will be outvoted. At the first transgression they will order the King to remedy it and he will not. When they try to seize his castles, there will be war.”

  “There will be war before that! And what of Prince Henry?”

  “Safe with my father. He begs you to ride north to your castles and to defend against foreign enemies.”

  “Scotland?”

  “And France! My father intercepted a letter sent from Fitzwalter to Prince Louis.”

  “Tell your father I thank him.”

  Taking our leave of the constable we rode north. We had a peace which was not a peace. Both sides would look for an opportunity to tear up this charter. William had given me a copy of it. It was a long document and would take some reading. I had to prepare for a war first.

  We headed north but I was a dull companion. There were to many things for me to think and worry about. From the list of counsellors I had seen I knew that I was surrounded. The Earl of Chester had not signed but he lived on the other side of the country. He was still a staunch royalist. There was no Bishop of Durham and so I could order those barons to follow me but the rest? All were rebels. The land around Derbyshire and Lincoln was safe but south of the Thames and east of the Roman road were rebel country. With a few exceptions, the west was loyal. The most worrying aspect was that there would be no one to oppose Prince Louis should he invade England. He would not even need to invade. He would be invited by his friend, Robert Fitzwalter. Unlike my great grandfather I could do nothing about the south. I did not have the Earl of Gloucester as an ally. I would do that which I knew I could do. I would make Stockton and my valley safe.

  As we left York I wondered about William Marshal, the earl’s son. Why had he been included in the signatories? True he had ridden north to speak to me but why had the other barons included him? His father I would trust. The son I would view with suspicion. My valley was now an island surrounded by powerful barons with strong castles. I would not be able to fight an aggressive war, it would have to be defensive. By the time I crossed the Tees then I knew what I had to do.

  I saw the relief on my wife’s face when I arrived back. I had made the mistake of not ordering William to be economic with the truth in his description of the siege. I had had much on my mind. He would have told her of the burning bodies and the slaughter. It would have brought it home to her how parlous my life was.

  “We have peace?”

  I shook my head, “They have signed an accord. There is a charter but all that it does is buy both sides time. War is coming. I am sorry, my love, I cannot prevent it.”

  She held me tight to her, “And I know that no man could do more. You kept our sons safe and for that I am grateful.”

  I held her at arm’s length, “That promise may not hold good for the future.” I slipped my arm around her shoulders and walked her into the hall. I told her my assessment of the situation. “We have a peace but it is not a real peace. Both sides will look to break the charter. I will not do so but others will. I will convene a meeting here of the knights of the valley and those knights of the Palatinate on whom I can rely. For once I am grateful that there is no Bishop. I still have King John’s mandate to command the Palatinate barons. I need you, my love, to be my link with Stockton. The people must all pull together. I need the burghers and their families to be behind me. I will speak with Father Abelard and explain the situation to him. We will have to sail stormy waters but I honestly believe that we can emerge intact.”

  “Since you have been away I have spoken with your aunt at length and she has told me many stories about your family. They steered this valley through more difficult times than we have had to endure. Your great grandfather did it alone. You are not alone. You have me!”

  My wife’s words gave me hope.

  The next day I saw Alan the Horse Master, “We need as many horses as we can get. War is coming. Now that we have peace the prices will be low. Buy and breed as many as you can. I care not if they are palfrey, sumpter or rouncy. When war comes we will need to be mobile.”

  “Aye lord, you can rely on me.”

  I summoned the iron workers and smiths to my hall. I had a bag of coins for each of them ready on the table. “For the next six months I wish you to work for me. I need swords, spear heads, arrow heads, helmets and mail. When you have earned this purse of coins come and see me for there will be more.”

  Old John asked, “Is war coming, lord?”

  “I will not lie to you for that is not my way. It is coming but it will pass and we will be stronger. My family is not leaving this time!”

  Next, I saw Geoffrey, my steward. “We need great quantities of food and supplies. It must be preserved. I know that we had a good crop and plentiful animals this year. Buy any surplus you can. If you can buy from the markets north of the Tyne so much the better.”

  Geoffrey was a wise man. He smiled, “If we buy their animals then they cannot eat them. I will do so, lord for the treasury is in a healthy position. The money from Huntingdon was more than welcome.”

  “You cannot rely on that. We have had this year’s?”

  “Aye lord.”

  “Good then use that!”

  I sent riders to Durham and to my knights. I held a meeting on St Swithins’ day. I hoped it was not prophetic. My wife arranged a feast but she made certain that Tam the Hawker had hunted. We would not eat our domestic animals until we needed to. She also bought as much fish and shellfish as she could. She understood our dilemma.

  I had said nothing to any of my knights but William and Edward had not been sworn to secrecy. They knew the problem. The six Durham barons also had an idea of the issue. I did not mince my words. I spoke plainly. “War is coming. It may be in a month or a year, I know not for I have not the second sight but war will descend upon us. If we are to survive then we must stand together. If it comes from the north, and the Scots, then Durham needs to tell me so that we can meet them beyond our borders. If it is the men of de Percy, de Vesci and de Clavering then, again, I need to know. If it is from the south then Ralph of Northallerton will bring us word.”

  David of Stanhope asked, “And the west?”

  “Chester and Lancashire stand with the King. However, I do fear for Carlisle. We can do little about that.”

  Sir Ralph asked, “Can we win this war?”

  “A more important question is can we afford to lose it?”

  None were downhearted about the odds we faced. Everyone had a castle which could be defended or, like Sir William and his family, they were close enough to Stockton to seek shelter there. Sir Ralph and Sir Peter were the most isolated but York stood for the King. There was no Archbishop there but the High Sheriff, William de Duston, was King John’s man. The rebel barons hated him. He had to stand with the King. We had more horses than any other knights in the north. Our men at arms and archers were all mounted. I was confident that we could reach danger quicker than any and, more importantly, extricate ourselves equally quickly.

  One day, as Alfred and I rode with men at arms and archers along the Roman Road which led west, he asked, “Why do we need to ride to war, father? We have a strong castle and any enemy would die trying to take it.” The short siege of Lincoln had shown my son the benefit of high walls, strong towers and a good gatehouse. We had all three of them.

  “Some of our allies in the Palatinate do not have such strong castles. Durham itself is the exception. We might be needed to help the ones who have small castles to escape to Durham. However, I do not think that is where we will need our horses. It is the Scots I fear. We do not want them tearing out the heart of England. Remember Alexander of Hawick and multiply it ten-fold. We have to be mobile to contain the Scots. They are numerous but they have few horses. Our battles and reparations have ensured that. When they come south we need to use our horsemen to deter them.

  The three months of the uneasy pe
ace were a godsend. We heard that the war had resumed when one of the Earl Marshal’s knights, Robert Fitz Clare, rode into my castle with just ten men accompanying him. I could see that he had ridden hard. His horse looked exhausted. He had barely slid from his horse when he burst out with his news. “Earl, there is war! The King has marched on Rochester and he fights the barons there. The Earl Marshal has sent those knights he can trust to warn his loyal barons to fight his enemies.” He shook his head. “Between Northampton and York, it is rebel land. The King has London ringed but there are many enemies. He is driving north to retake the rebel castles. The Pope has sided with King John. The rebels and their priests have been excommunicated for forcing the King to sign the charter. It is no longer valid. I was told to tell you that the Scots have sided with the rebels. The treaty of Norham is null and void.”

  “I expected that. And now what? Where do you go next?”

  “How stands Durham?”

  “The Palatinate is with us and you need not ride north. I will use one of my messengers.”

  “Then I will ride to Carlisle. Another left to take them the news but it will be easier and safer for me to head south to the Earl of Chester.”

  He stayed the night and we learned that every royal castle was now a stronghold. The rebels did not have the siege equipment to take them. King John had learned something from the first civil war. Then the castles like Wallingford which had held out the longest had saved England from King Stephen. As he and his men left it felt like being the last one at a feast. The room seemed emptier. We were alone. De Percy and de Vesci would send their men south and I would be the target. If they took Stockton then King John would have to battle across the Tees.

  It was September. Our crops were harvested and our animals ready for the autumn cull. I sent orders out to begin it. Any spare animals would be brought in to be protected within castle and manor walls. The last thing we needed was to leave food for our enemies. I rode to Durham. I went with half of my garrison for I knew not the state of the land. In the event I was pleasantly surprised. The barons of Durham had all remained loyal to me. The Dean of Durham had heeded my instructions and the castle was well prepared for a siege. I had asked for the captain of the guard, Thomas of Trimdon, to be made Constable until a new Bishop was appointed. The Dean was a good man but he was no warrior. Thomas was. The burghers of Durham and the garrison in particular were grateful to me for what I had done. They would defend Durham as though it was mine.