by Griff Hosker
It allowed Sir William, Sir Edward and the Earl, along with myself to speak openly about the war. “We have to defeat the Scots, I know that but I like not the fact that the French and the rebels have a free hand in the south. Our royal castles are holding out but support for the rebels grow.”
I nodded, “They are like predators gathering around the carcass of a wounded beast. They each seek the largest portion. That is why de Percy and de Vesci are in the south.”
The Earl nodded, “Even my son is being seduced by the rebels.”
I was shocked, “William?”
“He is being courted for he is one of the twenty-five councillors. I do not like the company he keeps but I can do little about it.” He gestured with his thumb. The Prince is my hope. Fitzwalter will invite Prince Louis over.”
Sir William said, “Why?”
“To make him King of England.”
The news shocked us all into silence. It was unthinkable but I knew that it could happen.
“Then we will keep fighting until we have an English King on the throne once more.”
“And that is why we need you and your men when we go to Scotland. You have defeated the Scots more times than any man since the days of the Warlord. King John needs you at his side.”
“Yet he would not stay here and was grudging in his praise of my men.”
“Is that why you do this, Thomas? So that men will sing your praises? I thought better of you.”
“Do not insult me, Earl Marshal. The King needs my help and yet he is too proud to ask me for it properly.”
“It is not the King who needs your help; it is England.”
I could not argue with him. I sent word to my knights that we would be riding north, again. We would muster at Durham at the end of January. Once more we would fight the Scots but, unless they suddenly came south, we would be fighting on their soil. We would be fighting on the same ground where I had helped the Scots. This time it would be to our advantage!
As we headed towards Norham and the Tweed I wondered if King William would try to stop us at Berwick. King John was moving quickly. We had no siege engines and winter was not the time when you could build them easily. As the Earl who had fought here more often than not I was sent for as we approached Norham.
The King was not in the van but he was close enough to be aware of any problems. “Earl, should we be worried about Berwick?”
“No, Majesty, we merely pass it. The Constable of Norham can watch it. So long as we hold Norham then Berwick is a good castle with a pleasant view.”
He gestured to the Earl of Salisbury, William Longespée, “My brother here does not think we should leave a bastion barring our route home.”
“With due respect, my lord, it will not be a problem. King William’s men are of such poor quality that he asked His Majesty to use our men to put down a rebellion. The problem might come if he decides to sit on the rock that is Din Burgh. He would take some shifting and, in my view, not worth the effort.”
William Longespée asked, “Then if you do not think it is worth the effort of taking then what should be do?”
“Defeat the Scots as soon as we can and get back to the real war with the rebels.”
King John laughed, “You know, Earl, I may have misjudged you. You do have a sharp mind. How do we defeat them if they hide in their fortress?”
“Leith, Haddington, Dunbar, all of the places which surround Din Burgh are valuable to the Scots. Traprain Law is still seen as a special place. While the main army surrounds the rock the rest raid and capture the treasure that the Scots hold. He will either sue for peace or he will have to come forth and defeat us. If his son is with him then he will attack.”
We saw Norham in the distance. King John said, “I like that plan but we can make it better. You and the knights of the Palatinate are all mounted. Leave on the morrow and raid those places you mentioned. King William might come to attack you.”
“This sounds, Your Majesty, like the last time we faced the Scots. As I recall the main army arrived late.”
He scowled, “Just when I think that I might like you then you say something like that. If the Scots come to attack you then draw them back to the main army.” I nodded, “You can do this?”
“I can do it,” he nodded, “for England!”
There was only room for the King and his entourage in the castle. That suited me for I needed to speak with my knights. I spoke quietly for there were many around us I neither knew nor trusted. My knights, my captains and the men of Durham were trusted. “Tomorrow we teach King William a lesson. He used us once to save his crown and his throne. He owed it to us, if no one else, to keep to the treaty. We will punish him for his treachery. This is a chevauchée. We are here to raid and take as much as we can from the Scots. We want him to fight us so that King John can defeat him and then we can go home. It is twenty odd miles to Dunbar. David of Wales you and your men will ride to cut the town off from the west. We will take the castle.”
David of Stanhope laughed, “Just like that?”
“They will not have repaired the damage we did last time and they will fear our banners. We ride up and, if their gates are closed then we demand they open them. From there we go to Haddington. It is a rich town and that too has few defences. If those attacks do not draw the Scots to battle then when we burn Leith and all the ships they might.”
It was a bold plan but I knew a little more about my foe now and I deemed it the right one. When we woke it was to a sky which was black and a ground which was white. Snow had fallen. We were lucky. The coast road was relatively clear and so we rode as quickly as we could while the weather held. With our white cloaks wrapped around us my knights and men at arms were almost invisible. Just before we reached Broxburn the snow, which had been falling intermittently, suddenly blew up into a blizzard. We had had them in Sweden. There they called them white night. I was lucky. In the fore were all the men who had served with me in Sweden. The snow was inconvenient and that was all. We pushed on. As we neared the castle, in the later afternoon, I saw that the blizzard had been sent by God. The gates were still open. We had not been seen.
“Come let us ride before they close them.” It was almost madness but we galloped through the blizzard. We were seen but it was only as we rattled across the drawbridge and by then it was too late. We galloped through the town towards the castle proper. I saw men trying to close the gates. I was riding Scean and my horse seemed to have wings. Sir Edward and I forced open the gates with our horses. Two of the sentries foolishly tried to stop us and they paid with their lives.
I shouted, “I am Thomas Earl of Cleveland and this castle is now mine. If you resist then you die! Throw down your weapons if you wish to live!”
The snow deadened the sound of the metal swords being hurled to the ground. We had taken Dunbar without the loss of a man. I sent for my archers. There was little point in them enduring a night in the blizzard when there was a castle with chambers and hot food! King William had taken over the castle as his own and there was only a constable and his garrison. He and the captain of the guard cowered in the Great Hall as we swept in. I had sent David of Stanhope and his men to organize the food. I needed to speak with the constable quickly before he could gather his wits.
“I want the treasure brought here, now!”
“Treasure lord?”
“This is a royal burgh. King William will have coin and crowns here. Fetch them.” There was a slight hesitation. “Constable you have surrendered to me and thus far just two men have died. Do not anger me. Your King has betrayed me and broken his word. I lost men fighting for him. I would have reparation. If there is no treasure then the garrison will be slaughtered and before I leave I will burn the castle and the town to the ground.”
“I will fetch it lord.”
“Sir William go with him and watch for tricks. The Scots, it seems, cannot be trusted to speak the truth or to keep their word!”
The King had left much treasure i
n the castle. He had not expected our attack and the snow had been unforeseen. It was a good start.
We awoke to a world of white to the west. We knew the way to Haddington and the terrain. I sent a rider to King John to inform him of our position. I would have no qualms about pulling back if the Scots attacked in force. I would not be the sacrificial lamb again. Even with the snow the ten miles would not take long and we knew that we had destroyed Haddington’s defences. The King had not taken it as a royal burgh and so it would have been left the way it was. This time our attack would have archers. Without the benefit of a blizzard we were unable to approach unseen and we were spotted. They closed the gates. My archers formed a double line two hundred paces from the walls and fifty of our men at arms dismounted while the rest waited with the knights. There was another gate and the Scots would be sending a rider to their king. That was what we wanted. This was a chevauchée to draw the spider out. The archers began to methodically clear the walls while the fifty men at arms, ten of them armed with axes, marched resolutely forward. The garrison and burghers of Haddington had not expected this attack. It was the middle of winter and warriors did not make war in winter. They were not ready. The arrows they had were hunting arrows and they fell woefully short. Even when they struck the phalanx of men at arms they could not penetrate the shields, helmets and hauberks. I led the column of horsemen closer. We were six men wide. That was just enough to break through the gate when my men destroyed it.
The sound of the axes must have been like the crack of doom for one of the men we had sent to watch the road to Din Burgh galloped back, “Lord, they are fleeing.”
“Sir Edward, take our knights and men at arms. Stop them taking anything of value. That is our payment for this work!”
“Aye lord.”
When the gates were rent asunder we galloped through them. A few had stayed but they were not up for the fight. They cowered and awaited my judgement.
I pointed east, “Take the clothes on your back and leave. Your faithless King has betrayed me. Go and tell him that the Earl of Cleveland comes for him!” I knew that it was overly dramatic but when the story was retold it would be exaggerated even more. Either the King would yield or he would fight. He would not squat in his fortress. Once again, our men ate and drank well. We slept under cover. I smiled for I knew that King John and his army would be sleeping in tents. He had thought that he had given us the harder task. So far it was not. Sir Edward and my men brought back wagons and horses with the treasure of Haddington. It was a rich burgh and we had done well from a painless raid. I sent the wagons back to Stockton with ten men at arms to guard them. It would be enough.
The next day we left. As we headed towards the sea we left a black column of smoke rising in the air. The burned town would tell all the punishment for treachery. Perhaps they would think we headed for Din Burgh. It mattered not. The snow was lighter closer to the estuary and the going much easier. When we reached the sea the icy wind from the east chilled us to the bone but the sight of the masts of the ships in Leith harbour warmed us up. It lay just a few miles to the north of Din Burgh. We could see the battlements as we approached. That meant they could see us. I sent David of Stanhope with ten knights, twenty men at arms and twenty archers to cut the road to Din Burgh. This time it was to give us warning if King William and his men sallied forth. I did not think that they would.
Apart from a couple of wooden towers they had little to defend the port. It was so close to Din Burgh that, perhaps, they thought that they did not need it. We proved that they did. We galloped in like Viking raiders from times past. Their two towers were set alight. I did not even have to draw sword. The soldiers who were there had been the remnants of a healthier garrison. The rest had gone to Din Burgh to fight for the King. Most of them surrendered. As with Dunbar and Haddington we sent the people of Leith to Din Burgh. They would have hundreds more mouths to feed. He would have to fight King John. We collected even more wagons this time. The ships were emptied of cargo and the warehouses stripped of all that they contained. Then we burned the ships. Some of the captains were French and others were Danes. They complained that they were not Scottish.
Sir Edward was not sympathetic, “Then think carefully before you trade with them in the future.”
We headed south. We had done exactly what we had been asked. This time I had twenty men at arms and ten archers guard the wagons for there were far more of them. We would share our booty with the men of Durham. None pursued us. The castle lay to our right and had they chosen they could have attacked us. I do not think that they were ready. From what I had learned of King William he did not think quickly.
Riders from King John met us at Dalkeith, “Earl, the King is a mile down the road. He asks that you hold this town for him!”
I looked at Sir Edward who shook his head, “Do we have to do everything for this King?”
I nodded, “Apparently.” Turning to the messengers I said, “Very well.” As they rode off I said, “Look at it this way, Edward, we will have the better rooms in Dalkeith and our treasure is well on the way to Stockton. We have been paid well for very, very little work.”
He nodded, “I know but it still annoys me.”
I laughed, “I am certain that King John will lose sleep over that!”
By the time the King arrived we had two cows we had found roasting. We had left the best hall for the King but the rest of our men and knights would be warm within buildings. Those who had marched with King John would be camping, again. The King, of course was given the choicest cuts of meat but my men had already taken our food before the other lords came for their share. So far, we had borne the dangers and we deserved the rewards. The fact that we had barely had to draw a blade was down to luck and the skill of my men.
I was summoned to the council of war. I sat next to the Earl Marshal and young Prince Henry. The throne that would be his was now a wager in a great game. I took it as a good sign that he attended. The King was still eating when I entered. The Earl Marshal said, “You have justified the high opinion men hold of you. If the King does not seem effusive in his praise then do not be offended. It is his way and he has much to think on. If nothing else this offensive has shown that he is a king and one who knows how to fight.”
I nodded, “We have done all that we can. I think that there will be a council of war this night on the rock and that they will have a harder debate than we do. We have driven many extra mouths within their walls. They need to feed them and the ships in Leith which held supplies are now burned. He either surrenders or fights.”
“You know him better than any. What do you think he will do?”
I was suddenly aware that the room, crowded though it was, had grown silent over the last few moments and every eye, especially the King’s, was on me. “The King is old and he is weary. He has lost confidence in himself. Alnwick was a bitter blow for him and he lost those warriors who were close to him. If he was alone then he would surrender.” I saw nods. “But he is not alone. His son is with him. Alexander seeks to flex his muscles. He will be persuading his father to attack us tomorrow. Our advance has met little opposition. His army is within the castle and to the east.”
King John leaned forward and pointed the rib he had been gnawing at me, “You know this? Or is this a guess?”
“A guess, Majesty but one based on the facts. We have not seen any evidence of men to the south and the east. If they are not to the west of the castle then they will surrender for they have not enough room on the rock for the refugees and an army big enough to face us.”
He nodded and chewed. He tossed the bone to the waiting dogs and wiped his hands on a napkin. “Tomorrow we array for battle. We have the men at arms and archers on the two flanks and our knights in the centre. We will demand that the Scots surrender. Perhaps they have no army and they hoped that the weather would deter us. Tomorrow we shall see.”
The Earl Marshal turned to me and said, “I believe you are right, Thomas. There are not eno
ugh stables in the castle for all of his knights. Where are their horses? I will ensure that we keep a good watch to the west.”
The blizzard which had helped us some days earlier was finished and the clear skies made it an uncomfortable night for those forced to camp. We used furniture to keep a fire going all night. We awoke to a painfully bright blue sky. Breath seemed to freeze before our eyes. The men who had camped out were wrapped in cloaks and clothes that they had found. Half of the army looked like vagabonds. Alfred brought Flame. In the last couple of years, he had grown both physically, he was almost as tall as me, and as a squire. He was now confident. He no longer had to ask what was needed and he knew my preferences. He brought Flame for, if we fought, then this would be a day for warhorses. One of King John’s household knights, Eustace de Merville came to tell us that I had been assigned the right flank. The knights of Durham and I would be next to my men at arms and archers. As we waited I watched the heralds and priests ride to the gates of Din Burgh and speak with the garrison.
They were there for some time. I turned to Edward, “This delay is deliberate. I hope that the Earl Marshal keeps a good watch to the west.”
The priests and heralds rode back. A short while later the gates opened and the army which had been within the castle rode forth. I saw that the walls were lined behind them. They were not warriors. They were the burghers of the towns we had taken and the men of Din Burgh. They were there to give the illusion of numbers. I saw King William but not Prince Alexander. The King had less than fifty knights and just two hundred men at arms, half were mounted. Even as King John began to give orders I heard shouts from our left flank and the thunder of hooves on frosted snow. I could not see but Prince Alexander and the rest of the Scots were attacking from the west.
King John must have been listening to me the previous night for Sir Eustace galloped up, “Earl, the King asks you to swing around your horsemen, archers and men at arms. Attack King William!”