by Griff Hosker
“And we do not?”
“No, Sir Henry. We use the branches for firewood and we spend a week raiding. We leave archers to clear their walls and ten men at arms on duty to deal with any attempt to leave. The rest will ride with us to lay waste to their land.”
When we reached the camp, I put all in place. The sound of the axes would seem like the cracks of doom to those within. They would see our numbers and assume that we had more men coming. By the time they realised that we were all that there was it would be time for us to leave. I sent out four scouts to discover where we might raid. This was the largest place along the coast but there would be farms. Anywhere which was more than ten miles from the castle would be a ripe target. We cleared the town of all that was valuable. I contemplated burning it but I decided I would leave that until we left. We dug a ditch around our camp and embedded some of the branches we cut from the two oaks we had felled. They would not stop an enemy raid but they would slow it.
Four days later we had raided every farm, hamlet and village within fifteen miles of the castle. We had twenty head of cattle and forty sheep. We slaughtered the older beasts and cooked them. The smell would madden those within who were on rations. It meant we would have fewer animals to drive home and the ones we did drive would be faster.
Alan of the Woods and our archers had managed to hit ten defenders without loss. He and his archers had been sparing with their arrows. As we rose on the fifth day, I went with Edgar and Alan along with Tom, my squire, to view the walls. “We hit fewer men yesterday, lord, for they are becoming wise to us.”
“Aye, and the grazing will deteriorate quickly now that we have so many animals.”
“I know but I only intend to stay for two more days and then we will head north.”
Sir John waved as he led my knights and some men at arms out for another ride to see what we had missed.
“This will be our last raid. Tomorrow we rest all of our animals and we leave the day after. Alan, have your archers collect all the arrows that they can.” The Welsh had traded arrows with us.
“Aye lord, but it is only the shafts and the fletch we can use. The heads are largely hunting arrows. One hit Alf the Grim and it stuck in his leather jerkin.”
“I am guessing that Glendower is still gathering his army elsewhere and that is where the best archers will be. I fear that we are limited with what we can do. If King Henry wants this land scouring of rebels then he must use the muster and bring a mighty army.”
Tom said, “And why will he not do that, lord?”
“Money! King Richard emptied the treasury when he built the castles such as this one. I have heard that there were two thousand men working on Beaumaris alone. Masons and labourers cost money and that is another reason why the King is angry. If the money was spent wisely then the castles would be well defended!”
Sir John had found just two sheep when he returned. We had emptied the land and so we would spend the next day resting. Knights did not stand a watch but I had placed Edgar of Derby in command of the sentries. He knew his job and he had ensured that the men who watched were vigilant. That paid off for I was woken by him not long after midnight.
“Lord, there are men moving inside the castle.”
“They mean to sally forth.” I nodded. “They know how few men we have and the capture of the animals has angered them. Wake the men but do so silently.” He left. Tom and Harry were already awake. “Come, help me dress and then prepare for a battle at night. It will not be pleasant!” I would use just my sword and a dagger.
It was hard to discriminate between friend and foe when fighting in the dark but I knew that we would be the ones with mail and armour. I hoped that the other knights were also attuned to the dangers of night fighting. I was the first to reach the sentries. It was Captain Jack from the company of Sir Hugh D'Arcy who commanded them.
He pointed to the side of the hill upon which the castle was built. “Lord there is a sally port there and I have seen shadows moving. They are coming.”
“And the sentries are ready?”
“There are eight of us, lord.” It sounded like criticism.
I smiled in the dark. “Soon there will be more but with my squires, there are eleven of us. Bring the sentries here and we will meet them in a block.”
“Aye, lord.”
The archers would be using their swords, hatchets and axes. I knew that my archers were more than a match for any enemy. Some knights took longer to dress than did my men. Thus it was, that only my knights, all three of them, were with me when the Welsh attacked. They had approached quietly and must have thought us all asleep. Edgar’s vigilance and that of his sentries meant that we were partially ready. They had had time to spy out our defences and knew of the ditch and the stakes. We were waiting just beyond them. I did not know if they had been waiting for a cloudy and moonless night but they had found one. It meant we just saw shadows as they moved towards us. The movement from my men was behind us and they would just expect the sentries they had seen from their walls. Suddenly an arrow flew from the dark and struck me in the chest. My surcoat and plate stopped it. A flurry of other arrows followed and I heard a cry as one of my men was hit.
I roared, “Stand to!”
The Welsh also roared a challenge and ran at us. The nature of our defences meant that while we had a solid double line of men, they had to negotiate stakes and came at us piecemeal. A stocky Welshmen wielding an axe ran at me. He had powerful arms and, as he swung down at me, I used my sword to block his axe. My blade bit into the haft and locked the weapons together. As the Welshman tried to free it, I ripped my dagger across his throat. When his dying body fell backwards, I twisted my sword so that his hands, which were locked around the haft of the axe, tore the weapons apart. It was just in time for one of the greybeards I had seen on the walls rammed his poleaxe at my middle. Although I managed to slow it with my sword and my dagger, he still punched me hard enough to drive me back a step. He was encouraged by his success and pulled his axe back for a second strike. I was ready and I stepped forward and used my sword to push the head of his poleaxe to my right. I brought my dagger up under his arm. There was no plate there and my narrow-bladed dagger drove through the links and up into his shoulder. A poleaxe needs two hands to wield and he dropped it. He had with him, a squire, who bravely thrust a spear at me so that his lord could escape. I barely had time to strike at the spearhead and his spear hit me hard in the side. Tom brought his sword across the squire’s neck. My son was strong and he severed both the mail links of the coif and also tore into the squire’s neck. The brave youth perished. All along our line men were dying and they were mainly the Welsh. A horn sounded and they ran back.
I shouted, “Hold!” I did not want my men running into an ambush. Besides, we had thwarted them and that was victory enough.
The next morning, I sent Sir John to ask if the Welsh wished their dead to be returned to them. To be truthful it was easier for us to return them so that they could bury them and I wanted them to know that they had not harmed us. I had a feeling that the young lord of Machynlleth would try to disguise the numbers of their own dead. This way they would be even more disheartened. They wanted their dead and a truce was agreed. We took the mail, armour and weapons from the dead before we returned them.
Once back in camp I said, “We stay one more day in the hope that they might surrender.”
“But you are not hopeful, lord?”
“No, Sir John, they will continue to hold out and we are needed at Conwy.”
We left two days later. There had been no more attempts to attack us but, as the weather had deteriorated, I decided to leave and we headed back to Dolgellau and then Abermaw. We had many animals and we did not move quickly. If people had returned to Dolgellau then they hid as we rode through the town. We marched along the north bank of the river towards the little village of Abermaw. I guessed that they had seen us or else word had been sent of the English horsemen for we spied no one, but the fi
shing boats out at sea were all filled to capacity. We pushed on along the coast.
Abermaw was just eleven miles from Harlech. Before we left Abermaw I sent out my scouts who reported that the castle was being besieged by the Welsh. I knew that the garrison had but thirty-six men including a constable. It was, however, a well-made castle and one side was protected by the sea. It was kept supplied by ships from Chester. I held a council of war with my knights and captains. “We will try to relieve the siege. I am certain that the garrison might appreciate some of these animals and besides I do not like the thought of the Welsh besieging Englishmen. Alan of the Woods has told me that they have no siege engines but seek to starve the garrison into submission. I propose to march this afternoon and attack sometime in the dark of night when they least expect it.”
Sir Raymond of Towcester asked, “How many men do we face, Baron?”
“Captain Alan counted six banners. They look to have more than two hundred men.”
“Then they outnumber us.”
Sir Roger had taken time to grow accustomed to his title. During the raids, he had become more confident. He spoke with authority, “Sir Raymond, I have seen very little thus far on this chevauchée which makes me fear a Welshman. We will be attacking at dawn, with the sun behind us and we are led by Sir William. I, for one, do not fear the Welsh, do you?”
He smiled, “No, Sir Roger, and you are right to chastise me.”
We ate a hearty meal and then headed up towards Harlech. We made camp a mile or so north west of the castle. It was up a narrow track which led through a wood. I chose it, not because it was a good place to camp, but because it was close to the castle and we could be well hidden. If all went well, we would sleep in the castle and if not, we would be fleeing up the road to Caernarfon and hope that it still remained in our hands. Once in the woods, we prepared for battle. We would not be riding to battle. We would walk. The servants and the squires would guard the animals and the booty we had gathered. Before darkness fell, I went to the siege lines to inspect them. The Welsh had dug a ditch all the way around and placed a great number of pavise so that they could rain arrows upon the defenders. I could not imagine what it was like in the castle. They would have few men to guard the walls and would fear an attack each night. I saw the defenders as they patrolled the walls. At least our attack would give them better rest. The knights had their camp in the centre about three hundred paces from the main gate. The gatehouse at Harlech was one of the strongest of any castle and I could see why the Welsh had, thus far, been reluctant to assault it. The knights’ horses and those of their squires appeared to be the only horses that the attackers had brought. This was a peasant army on foot. I saw little evidence of mail or armour. They were mainly bowman as was evidenced by the number of arrows sticking from the embrasures and gate. I saw that the Welsh were confident for I saw no sentries watching the road which passed beneath the castle walls.
When I returned to the woods, I told the men what I had seen. “Captain Alan, you will have the archers take their bows but I think that your swords will be handier. Captain Edgar, there are just six knights and we can deal with those,” I waved a hand at my knights, “you and the men at arms will be better armed and mailed than any you fight.”
“Do not worry, lord, we will chase them hence. We would like to sleep within walls the next time we lay down our heads.” They, too, had gained in confidence; victory does that.
We moved up to their siege lines as darkness fell. The nights and the days were of an equal length and I wanted the Welsh asleep. The danger would be armour clanking. For that reason, I had my knights and men at arms spread out and walk behind the silent archers. Alan and I led. We stopped a hundred paces from the siege works and I held my hands up to stop the knights behind me. The archers joined Alan and me in a long line at the edge of the undergrowth. If we did not move then we would not be seen. The nature of the castle’s position and elevation meant that the Welsh were on a low piece of ground which was overlooked by both the castle and by us. The Welsh were cooking and we heard some of them singing. They were in a good mood for they would be expecting the castle to fall soon. I guessed it would have been besieged since Conwy had been taken. Caernarfon would either be under siege or would have fallen.
I was used to waiting in the dark. When I had been in the Blue Company, I had stood many a watch at night but I sensed that the knights other than those of my household found the stillness difficult. I also knew that the squires, just a mile or so away would be listening for the moment the combat began; of course, they and the servants would have their hands full keeping the animals as quiet as possible. At night sound travelled. I peered into the camp. The food had been eaten and now men were finishing off their ale and moving to make water and empty their bowels. This was the critical time for they would come towards the undergrowth. I smiled, if Old Captain Tom had been in command of the siege, he would have had us dig toilets. He liked an ordered and orderly camp. These Welsh seemed happy to walk five paces from their hovel and drop their breeks! Eventually, they began to turn in for the night. I saw a sergeant at arms walking along the sentries who faced the castle. We saw the shadows as they moved. And then it was just the knights who were awake. Their voices carried to us. Owen would have understood their words but I did not.
When the words ceased, I tapped Alan on the shoulder and he and the archers with arrows nocked walked from the undergrowth. They would use their bows to slay the sentries and then they would drop them and lead the charge. I turned to lift my sword and wave the knights and men at arms forward. I was the one who knew exactly where the knights were sleeping. I had studied the ground and I moved quickly having chosen the flattest route for my attack. The sound which broke the silence was the whoosh of arrows as they flew through the night. Aiming at shadowy figures meant that my archers were not as accurate as they might have wished. Some men were wounded rather than killed and they cried out. That was the moment the attack began in earnest!
I was now one of the older knights but I had powerful legs and a gap opened between me and those behind me. That was good for they saw my path and did not encounter obstacles but it meant I reached the tents of the knights first as three of them emerged. They had thrown on mail hauberks and each had grabbed the nearest weapon they could. One swung an axe at my chest at the same time as a sword was brought over from on high. In that tiny moment of time, I realised that the sword blow represented the greatest danger for I had a breastplate covering my chest. I blocked the sword with my own and rammed my dagger into the eye of the knight. The axe hit my chest and was wielded with such force that I was knocked to the ground. The third knight saw his chance for he had a sword and he lunged at my face. Sir John had reached the axe-wielding knight and his sword struck the knight in the chest. He wore mail but the sword ripped through the links and sliced a long line across his chest. I swung my sword and held my dagger up to block the strike of the second knight. Even as the sword sparked against my dagger my sword had ripped across his leg and almost severed it.
Sir John lifted me to my feet. The other knights had now emerged from their tents as had their squires. The camp was a maelstrom of fighting and movement. Some of the Welsh commoners fought but more, having been woken from their beds by mailed, armed men, fled. While two of the knights Sir John and I had wounded were taken away to safety, other knights, slightly better prepared, came at us. Sir Wilfred and Sir Roger had joined Sir John and we now stood together. Two squires lunged at us with spears. Sir Wilfred was more ruthless than I was. He used his left hand to hold the spear and hacked his sword into the side of the squire’s neck. The spear which came at me was easy to deflect with my dagger and I brought the flat of my sword against the side of the squire’s head and rendered him unconscious.
Sir Roger said as he looked for another foe, “He will grow to be a knight, lord!”
“Aye, but he is younger than Harry!”
“Get your breath back, lord, that was a mighty blow yo
u endured and besides, we have won!”
One of the knights had managed to break through Sir Raymond’s defence and smashed his war hammer into the knight’s chest. The beak broke the plate and Sir Raymond fell. Sir Henry and Sir John ran at the knight who roared, “It takes two English to fight one Welshman! You are cowardly English.”
That enraged Sir Henry who flailed his sword wildly at the Welsh knight’s head. The knight had mittens at the end of his hauberk and he knocked aside the sword and, one-handed began to swing his war hammer. Had it struck then Sir Henry would be a dead man. Luckily for him, it was Sir John who fought with him and I had trained Sir John. He knew that in combat you looked to win and you did so any way you could. He swung his sword across the arm of the Welsh knight. The Welshman was strong but he was wielding a two-handed weapon with one hand and when the arm was broken by the swinging sword, he was forced to drop the weapon. He had time to punch Sir John in the face before turning and running.
Sir Roger had been right, they were beaten. Four dead squires had bought the knights, wounded and whole, the time to flee. The one whose leg I had hacked was the only one who remained for he had bled to death before us.
Edgar of Derby ran up to me, “The camp is ours, lord.” He saw that my surcoat was torn. “Are you hurt, lord?”
“No, but I hope they have a weaponsmith in the castle for I fear my armour is! Have your men search the dead and make sure none feign death. Have Alan of the Woods fetch the squires and the horses. Sir John, come with me and the rest of you secure the horses and the knight’s camp. They ran so quickly they may have left valuables.”
After sheathing my weapons, we walked through the charnel house of the Welsh camp, picking our way through the bodies and limbs. We reached the gate and I saw a line of faces above. I took off my helmet and slipped my coif around my shoulders, “I am Sir William Strongstaff sent by King Henry. Your siege is relieved.”