by Griff Hosker
As harvest time approached my people entered the busiest time of year. The blizzards of the last winter had warned of what nature could do and nothing was left to chance. Trees were copsed for firewood. Animals were carefully watched. Birds were chased away from ripening crops. Fish were caught and dried then either salted or pickled. Game was hunted to cull the older animals and ensure that the rest survived.
It was in the middle of such frenetic activity that William Marshal arrived. He was now old and he looked weary. He had served the Kings of England for many years and he was well over sixty years old. His arrival meant only one thing. The King either wished to punish me for something I had done or he needed something from me. The old Earl Marshal arrived with a small escort of his own household knights. He was the last link to my great grandfather. My great grandfather had been the first Earl Marshal and the role had been defined by the Warlord of the North. William Marshal was also old fashioned and did things properly. He had a gift for my wife. It was some Flemish lace. He greeted Aunt Ruth with warmth and affection. He had served with her brother in the Holy Land. He did not rush into the purpose for his visit. Instead he walked my walls commenting on the new features I had added. It was as we stood on the river wall watching a heron hunt fish that he came to the point.
“King John requires you and your knights for forty days service.” He said it flatly. It was a duty I owed the King. Others like de Percy and de Vesci might refuse but I would not.
“And Scotland?”
He smiled, “William will not venture south again and your treatment of Alexander of Hawick has set a precedent. The Scots now know that their raids will be punished and punished harshly. Your raid was not sanctioned but as it was approved by the church it has put you in the King’s favour.”
“Then the knights of Northumberland will be with us and the knights of the Palatinate?”
“You will lead the knights of the Palatinate. I go there when I have spoken to you. As for the knights of Northumberland… let us just say that there is a problem there but King John will deal with them when he has solved the problem of Wales.”
I was surprised, “Then we travel to Wales? It will have to be a short campaign for it will take a week to reach Wales and a week to return.”
William shook his head, “Your forty days begins when you reach Chester.”
There were no sentries close by us. My men were discreet. They had ensured that we could speak without anyone listening. “My lord you owe me this, at least. What is the reason the knights of Northumberland do not obey the orders of the King and yet I must?”
He looked at me and his eyes were sad. “Thomas, the knights of Northumberland will be punished. King John does not suffer such public humiliation. His face is as stone at the moment but once we have quashed the marcher lords and the Welsh with whom they have allied then they will be dealt with. You have land and you have loyal knights. You would not have them lose their manors, would you?” He must have seen the flash of anger in my eyes for he shook his head, “I do not threaten you. The King does not threaten you for you will obey, we both know that. I am merely telling you the consequences of opposing King John.”
I nodded. He was right. The King had the right but he did not have the right to use such draconian punishments. Was Richard de Percy, right? Would a conspiracy of barons be able to modify the King’s actions? I was a warrior and not a plotter.
“The King now has a son. Henry of Winchester is already four years old and a healthy child. He has a second son, Richard, who is a healthy two-year-old. We will not have to seek an heir to the throne.” The old marshal was telling me that there was hope beyond King John. “I am getting too old for war, Thomas, but like your great grandfather I cannot retire. However, the King has asked me to watch over young Henry. Know you that I will make certain that he becomes a good King!”
His words were laden with hidden meaning. King John was a bad King of England but we had hope for the future. I took heart from his words.
At the feast my wife hurriedly had prepared, William was gracious. Alfred assaulted him with questions. I saw the look of worry on my wife’s face. Alfred would now be my squire and rather than a period of peace in which he could be trained safely we would now be warring against the Welsh. Her son would be in danger.
“Is it the north of Wales or the south in which we will fight, Earl Marshal?”
“It will be in the heartland of Wales. You do not want to fight in North Wales, Master Alfred. They have mountains there. The Welsh are masters of ambush and their archers the equal of your father’s.
Petr, now Sir Peter, asked, “I heard that the King had married his daughter Joan to the Welsh King, Llewelyn. Does this not make him family?”
“You are astute Sir Peter. The King thought it would. Joan is not legitimate and so has less power attached to her. It seems that the bargain was one sided and the Welsh King has ambitions. Welsh marcher lords have stirred up the Welsh to want even more power than they enjoy.”
King Henry had given the marcher lords more independence to ensure that the Welsh were kept behind their mountains. It seemed to me that their change in attitude was as a direct consequence of King John’s policy.
William Marshal left the next day. “When I have sent you the knights of the Palatinate you will leave for Chester. There, Ranulf de Blondeville, Earl of Chester will lead you and your men along with those of Chester and Lancashire, to sweep down to Shrewsbury. There King John will have the rest of our forces. I will be with the King. God speed Sir Thomas,” he leaned down, “be of good heart. There is light behind this cloud which hangs over us.”
“You will not return with us?”
He shook his head, “I must speak with the Sheriff and then I take ship and sail south. Fear not I will be with you but I have much to do for our King.”
We also had much to do. I sent riders to warn my knights and to summon them to Thornaby for the muster. Wales was many leagues hence and we would need tents. We would not be campaigning in winter but autumn was the time of rains and unpredictable weather. Alfred needed equipping as a squire. He would not be fighting. His role would be as my servant but he required protection. Petr’s old hauberk was too big but we still had Sir Fótr’s and that would have to do. We had the local smith make him a helmet. It was a simple one with a nasal. That would be all that he would need. He had a sword already. Unlike me he would only need one horse. He would take Star. The two were now as one. I would not be taking Skuld to war. She was getting too old. I took Flame, my war horse and Alan, the horse master had a palfrey of the same blood as Skuld. Scean was a lovely natured beast. She was not as good as Skuld but no horse could be. She was, however, the same colour and temperament. The bigger difference was her size. She was closer to a war horse in height and would bear me, even with mail.
It was Petr who had the most difficult of tasks. He had to leave his young wife and ride to Whorlton to bring his new men to the muster. His squire was his younger brother, Henry. He had seen thirteen summers, the same as Sarah and this would be his first foray into the world of war. His mother fretted and, in a perfect world, we would have had time to prepare him. His father, Ridley, would be with us and he would make sure that his third son was trained as we rode.
James Broadsword would watch my castle. I did not take all of my men. It was my knights who owed service to the King. I left more than half of my men at arms in my castle. Sir Edward, Sir William and Sir Fótr would do the same. William Marshal was right, the Scots would not break their treaty, at least not for a while, but Alexander of Hawick had given us a warning of what individuals might attempt.
Baron David of Stanhope led the men of Durham. I would be leading sixty knights of the Palatinate. Thanks to the experience of fighting alongside me the men of Durham now had more archers but, like me, they had left half of their men at home. Harvest time was approaching and the land needed protection. We crossed the river on the last day of August and joined the men of Northaller
ton, Whorlton, Normanby, Yarm and Thornaby. I had eighty knights, a hundred men at arms and a hundred archers. With twenty servants and our horse herd we were spread out for a good half mile along the road. We headed west for, as it was still fine weather we would cross the Pennines by Skipton and head down past Clitheroe to Chester. That way we had castles where we could stay. There would be six castles, one for each day of our journey.
The long ride allowed me to get to know some of the new knights from Durham. My reputation was such that more knights were willing to ride to war than hitherto. Stephen of Spennymoor told me that Aimeric of Chartres still obstructed me whenever he could. He was one person who benefitted from the papal interdict. From what David of Stanhope told me he was defrauding the Palatinate at every turn. There was no one to monitor him. I thought of a way as we left the high, barren ground which divided England in two and dropped to the fertile farmland of Lancashire. I would mention it to King John. If there was money to be taken from Durham then he would have it rather than the nephew of the Bishop of Durham. Once a new Bishop of Durham was appointed then Aimeric would not be a problem.
There was a huge camp outside Chester but as I counted the banners I saw that they had only a few knights more than I did. As leader of this battle of knights I was accommodated in the castle and I dined with Ranulf de Blondeville. He had been married, albeit briefly, to Constance, Duchess of Brittany. The marriage had been dissolved when she had deserted him. King John had been suspicious of the Earl of Chester and had had estates confiscated. They had been returned to the Earl and he made certain that he obeyed every order of King John.
He knew of me but we had never met. His step-son had been Arthur and it had been Ranulf’s association with Arthur which had resulted in his lost estates. It gave us something in common. We had both been fond of young Arthur.
“This is the first opportunity I have had to thank you, Earl for what you did for Arthur and Eleanor. They were used as pawns in the great game of thrones. I was saddened by Arthur’s death.”
“For my part I was angered. He was murdered and his murderer never brought to book!”
He looked up at me, “There are some men who are above the law and we can do little about it.” We both knew, or suspected, that King John himself had been the murderer.
I remained silent. He was now close to the King and I would need to watch what I said. I did not want to be entrapped.
Ranulf de Blondeville was a clever man. He changed the subject. He knew the reason for my reticence. “There are many knights who have found excuses not to obey the call to arms. It is a mistake on their part for King John has a long memory and an even longer arm. I am pleased that you are here. Know that although the King has put me in command I know that your experience is greater than mine. If I make a mistake I pray that you tell me before men die.”
I was relieved. I had now grown used to command. “Thank you. Will we have battles to fight before we reach Shrewsbury?”
“We have to pass through the land of King Llewelyn. He will contest our passage.”
“You have scouts?”
“I have the men of Denbigh. Their lord, Baron Jocelyn, is young but he has good men who serve him. His archers are good and his men at arms know their business. He is not at the muster. He and his men are waiting for us at the head of the Clwyd valley. They will be our scouts.”
“And mounted men?”
He had noticed that all of mine were mounted, even the archers, “Only our knights, squires and half of our men at arms are mounted. The rest are foot.”
As I retired that night I felt better. The Earl appeared to be willing to listen and he had at least one good knight. I had served with worse.
We headed towards the border the next day. After crossing the Dee, we were in the borderlands. Ostensibly English, it was like the land around Hawick. It was contested by both sides. I had suggested to the Earl that my archers and those of my battle form the scouts until we reach Sir Jocelyn. He acceded to my request. We could have taken a more direct route but King John wished us to draw some of the men of Gwynedd towards us. If we could weaken the enemy before we joined the main army then King John had more chance of winning. It made sense. We rode for Mold.
Sir Jocelyn was not as young as Ranulf de Blondeville had intimated but he had the look of a border knight. His horse looked to be hardworking and his men wore a variety of armour. Some wore mail while others just had a metal studded leather jerkin. His archers had war bows and looked like Mordaf and Gruffyd, two of my Welsh archers. They were broad and stocky.
He nodded to me but reported, as was right and proper, to his liege lord, “My lord there were men watching this road. They are dead but when we scouted ahead we found that they have a large number of men at Wrecsam. There were too many for us to shift.”
The Earl of Chester looked at me, “It is a much-contested place. Sometimes the Welsh hold it and at others we do. This is one reason for this campaign. I had thought to have a chevauchée. This will do as well. The Welsh have held it for the last five years. They have a castle but no town wall.”
He was seeking advice. I asked him, “How would you do this?”
“Surround the town and then use our men on foot to assault it under cover of our archers. The castle would be hard to take!”
“We do not need the castle. We need to reduce the town and destroy the warriors. I would suggest that we ride there with all our mounted men. Those on foot can follow and guard the baggage. This way we can eat Welsh food this night.”
The Earl looked surprised, “You are confident that we can reduce this town?”
“If what you say is true then I believe so. The houses will be made of wood?”
He nodded, “As is the castle.”
“Wood burns.” It was as simple as that. If the Welsh expected a ponderous approach they were in for a surprise. I wanted to ride in at the charge. I waved over David of Wales. “We attack Wrecsam. The Earl’s archers appear to know their business. Ride with them. Harass the Welsh archers. They are the danger.”
“Aye lord.” I turned to Alfred. “I will ride Scean. You stay with the baggage and Flame.”
“What if you need a spare spear, lord?”
I smiled, “I will not and the other squires will be with you. This will not be your first battle.” Our war horses were too valuable to risk and our squires would be best employed guarding them and our baggage.
We spurred our horses down the road. I rode behind the Earl of Chester and his household knights. I rode with Sir Edward, Sir William, Sir Ralph, Sir Fótr and Sir Peter. The rest of my knights followed me. A knight always fought better with men he knew and trusted. The knights of Durham rode at the rear. The knights of Chester and Lancashire followed us. If the Welsh were expecting us to come and surround them then they would have sent men for help. Even as we rode south I expected men to be coming from the hills to the west. Speed was our best weapon.
The archers and men at arms had not bothered with the road. They had ridden across fields. I smiled as I saw only men at arms to our flanks. David of Wales did not suffer fools gladly. He would have hurried and harried the archers of Chester. By now they would have dismounted and their arrows would be falling upon the Welsh who were awaiting our ponderous approach. Ahead of me the Earl of Chester began to slow as we passed the farms which lay outside the burgh.
“Do not slow! If you have not the heart to attack the Welsh then let through those that do!”
The insult worked and the Earl and his oathsworn spurred their horses. As we neared the town we came upon the town common. I pulled Scean’s reins to the left and spurred her. I led my knights to ride parallel to the Earl of Chester. We now had a body of twenty knights. As we passed the Earl I shouted, “Form line!” I pulled up my shield and hefted my spear.
I could see, ahead of me, that the Welsh had not expected this attack. Bodies littered the ground before their houses. They had not brought their archers forward. We were faced by a few knig
hts but mainly men at arms. They expected us to slow and to stop but we did not. Lowering my spear, we charged into the Welsh knights and their retinues. They were not ready. They met us when they were not moving. I pulled back my arm and punched at the Welsh knight with the green dragon on his shield. It was not the cleanest of strikes for the common was not flat. I hit him in the right shoulder. My spear felled him from his saddle and he toppled to the ground. My knights knew their business. Ralph was probably the least experienced for Whorlton had been at peace but even he killed with his first strike. We were not in the business of ransom.
When the men around the standard, both knights and men at arms fell, we were through their best. They had many more men but they were on foot and they were preparing to face a static line. We tore into them. Those, like Edward who had lost their spears, used swords to lay about them. My spear was still whole and my second victim was a mailed man at arms whose spear wavered up and down. Mine did not and it struck him in the chest. This time the spear head broke and I let go of the now useless shaft.
Drawing my sword, I leaned to the right, relying on my shield to protect my left side. I swung in a wide arc. The Welsh spearman thrust up at me but he mistimed his strike. It was easy to do at a fast-moving target. My blade could not miss and I took his head. It flew into the air and was carried towards the Welsh fyrd who awaited us. I was aware of William and Petr close behind me. They were slaughtering all who came within the range of their swords. Then the men ahead of us broke and raced for the safety and security of the town and the wooden castle. We followed them into the streets. Had they not panicked then they might have darted into the houses where they would have been safe but mailed horsemen drove sense from their minds and they sought the security of the castle. Leaning to the left and the right we slew fleeing Welshmen. Many were saved by the sheer numbers we had to kill. I reined in when I saw the castle ahead. They would have crossbows as well as bows and Scean was too valuable to risk.