by Griff Hosker
It was when we entered York that I noticed that men wearing the Scottish livery of the royal family were also in York. My wife saw nothing amiss but my son became alert. “Is this some sort of ambush father? Are there assassins here?”
I laughed, “If it is then it is poorly conceived. Wearing livery is a poor disguise and besides, Sir Ralph is a friend and we have allies here. It will be a coincidence.”
As it turned out we were both wrong. It was neither an ambush nor a coincidence. Sir Ralph greeted us at the tower, “My lord, the King and Queen of Scotland are here. They are also on their way to the King’s wedding. When I told them that you were coming, they asked to wait for your visit. They were due to leave three days’ since. It must be important that they have delayed their journey to speak with you.”
I nodded. This was the censure I had been expecting. I would endure whatever I had to for I had been in the right. Margaret asked, “Will there be trouble?”
I laughed, “If you mean will there be swords drawn then no. The trouble will be of a different nature.”
Sir Ralph said, “I have arranged for a small dinner. The King and Queen were anxious to speak with you privately and I thought that doing so over food might make the occasion a little easier. I will let Queen Joan arrange the table. She is the sister of King Henry.”
I patted his back, “You were always a good squire.”
As we were taken to our chamber William said, “I will shoulder my share of the blame.”
Shaking my head I said, “You do not have to. I was the one given charge of the north and it is my responsibility.”
We had brought our finest clothes for the wedding. We wore them for the King and Queen of Scotland. Sir Ralph had been true to his word. We were the only ones in the small hall he used when he and his family dined. This was not the Great Hall. This was intimate. When we entered, I saw that King Alexander and Queen Joan were there with one of Queen Joan’s ladies in waiting, although she appeared to be a little young, no more than fifteen years of age.
The Queen smiled at me and came to embrace me, “I see you still wear the blue ring I gave you.”
“Aye, your Highness. It is a reminder of a great lady who honoured me. May I present my wife, Lady Margaret, and my son, I believe you know.”
The King smiled, “We have all heard of this young knight. I pray you sit. We have waited upon your arrival for we would have conference with you. When your squires and pages have served us then we will speak.”
Sir Ralph had provided servants to bring in the trays of food and drink. They were placed on large tables on either side of the fire. When they had gone the King’s steward closed the door and stood before it. He signalled to Mathew, Mark, Sam and John to begin to serve us. The four of them were so nervous that I was sure they would spill something. Queen Joan quickly addressed the situation, “Fear not, young gentlemen. When I was a princess, I often had food spilt upon me by boys who are now my brother’s advisers.”
It put them at their ease. We ate in silence, at first. I was waiting for the punishment which I was certain was due to me. When King Alexander spoke, I knew that I had misjudged the man. “Sir Thomas, many men think me a weak king. I have been called indolent. That is not so. I am a king surrounded by those who would take my throne. You know the Earl of Fife and you know that he is the most powerful ruler in Scotland. He commands more warriors than I and he has far more coin. What he does not have is an ounce of royal blood. I allow him to stay close to me for I do not trust the man. He thinks he has me duped.” He looked at his wife. “We have yet to be blessed with children and, until we have, then my crown is under threat. I have to put on a face and play a part. You bloodied the Earl’s nose and, more importantly, removed those robbers and thieves who give Scotland such a bad name. For that we are grateful”
The Queen saw my face and she put her hand on mine, “You thought we sought to punish you.” I nodded. She shook her head, “The Earl of Fife tried to get my husband to use the excuse of your reprisals to invade England.”
The King nodded, “Fortunately, amongst those who were displaced was Lady Eliot. She was the grandmother of Sir Duncan and the mother of Sir Malcolm. She died a month after she fled but, when she confessed, she spoke of her shame at the attacks on Yalesham, Byrness, Otterburn and Elsdon. Thus it was that we knew you had cause for your attack.”
“Thank you, Highness. I tried to act with honour, as did my son.”
The King gave me a wry smile, “Then I hope that you will continue to do so. We would not have the Warlord of the North reborn!”
I smiled and sipped my wine. It suddenly tasted much better. I decided to be honest and frank. “I have to tell you, King Alexander, that we slew one who wore royal livery. He was a young knight and he fought us recklessly. If he was a relative of yours then I am sorry.”
The King looked sad and his wife put her hand on his. “That is a death to be laid at the door of Fife and not Elsdon, Earl. Young Robert had some vague claim to the throne. The Earl of Fife used him as a pawn. He suborned him and planted ideas of the crown in his young mind. Nothing I could do or say had an effect. We do not blame you or your son.”
I was relieved. I has glad that I had brought it up or else it might have eaten me from within. I had felt guilty about his death since the battle.
The Queen looked nervously at her husband then at her lady in waiting. The young woman had not said a word. Queen Joan smiled, “How rude of me. I forgot to introduce the King’s ward, Lady Mary Kerk.” The young woman bobbed her head. The Queen continued, “Now I shall embarrass Mary by speaking about her.” She sighed, “When I married the King it was something I often endured. I sat and was spoken about by others.”
The King patted her hand, “My love, let me.” She nodded. “Lady Mary’s father was killed by the Earl of Fife. It was in combat but the fight was not the choice of Lord Kerk. The Earl desired the lands of the Kerk family. He managed, through manipulation of the court, to succeed in stealing most of them. The one manor he could not take was in the west. I believe they are called the debatable lands of the Esk. Church law rules there. Lady Mary is still the rightful owner of a small manor, Creca. It is north of Annan. It is not rich but it provides the Lady Mary with an income.” I saw the young girl blushing. I wondered where this was headed.
The Queen shook her head, “You are going a long way around this business to get to the point, my love. Sir William, you are a bachelor knight. Lady Mary needs to be wed and it cannot be to a Scottish lord. The reasons are manifold. You have shown yourself to be a noble and honourable knight. Even your enemies speak highly of you. Your father is the most powerful man in the north and we trust him too. The lady needs a knight to protect her. What say you to a marriage with Lady Mary?”
My wife’s jaw dropped open. William looked up at the young noblewoman as though she had suddenly materialised before his eyes. He did not answer immediately. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and folded his hands before him. He smiled, “I know not what to say save that I would speak with the young lady privately first.”
I was proud of my son. Any other answer could have been misconstrued. If he rejected her out of hand it would have been an insult. If he said yes then it would have suggested a shallowness. The King nodded, “Of course.”
My son stood. He walked over to her and bowed, “My lady, I believe the river is lovely at this time of day. What say we wander there and talk? My nephew, Henry Samuel, can come with us to afford you security. I would not have your honour impugned.”
She smiled and spoke for the first time. She had a soft and lilting voice, “Yes my lord. That would be most agreeable.”
My grandson tried to hide his grin as he followed them out. My wife waited until the door had closed and then said, “I was in a similar position until Sir Thomas came to my aid. My prospective husband was old enough to be my father.”
The Queen nodded, “And mine is twelve years my senior but we are happy are we not my love?�
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“We are.” He looked over to me, “There is a dowry. Lord Kerk’s lands were lost but not his treasure. That was kept at Jedburgh Abbey. Your son will be a rich man.”
I shook my head, “Your Highness, my wife had no dowry and yet I think I am the richest man in the world. My son is his own man. He will make his own decision and I will support him. A dowry will not influence him at all. You should know this.”
Queen Joan said, “Nothing that happens this night will change our opinion of you Sir Thomas and your son. If he says no, then we will be disappointed. She is a lovely girl and left alone by the callous actions of the Earl of Fife. We just seek happiness for her. She cannot marry a Scot. Her husband would have to navigate a path through lords who sought the land and the dowry. Your son can have no claim to the lands now stolen by Fife. That is why he is a perfect choice. If he will have her and she, him.”
“That is understood.”
The couple were away so long that we had finished eating and were enjoying a sweet dessert wine by the time they re-entered. Lady Mary rested her hand on William’s arm as they walked in.
My son spoke for both of them, “King Alexander, we have spoken. This is hasty. We both agree on that.” He smiled, “There are many other things we agree upon and that is good. You may call me old fashioned but I would ask permission to court Lady Mary. We have a long journey through England. We need to get to know each other. I promise you this, by the time we reach Canterbury Cathedral then the two of us.” I smiled for he emphasised the word ‘two’, “will have made a decision and we will explain it to you and my father.”
The Queen smiled and, standing, kissed first Lady Mary and then my son, “We could not have expected a better answer and our choice has been vindicated. I look forward now to a journey I was dreading!”
When I had been told of the presence of the King and Queen, I had expected a totally different outcome. What would King Henry make of all this? The Queen was right. We would have an interesting ride.
Glossary
Buskins-boots
Chevauchée- a raid by mounted men
Courts baron-a court which dealt with the tenants' rights and duties, changes of occupancy, and disputes between tenants.
Crowd- crwth or rote. A Celtic musical instrument similar to a lyre
Fusil - A lozenge shape on a shield
Garth- a garth was a church-owned farm. Not to be confused with the name Garth
Groat- An English coin worth four silver pennies
Hovel- a makeshift shelter used my warriors on campaign- similar to a ‘bivvy’ tent
Marlyon- Merlin (hunting bird)
Mêlée- a medieval fight between knights
Pursuivant – the rank below a herald
Reeve- An official who ran a manor for a lord
Rote- An English version of a lyre (also called a crowd or crwth)
Vair- a heraldic term
Wessington- Washington (Durham)
Wulfestun- Wolviston (Durham)
Historical Notes
The clan Eliot did exist but I have fictionalized their activities. There were many border lords who raided both sides of the border. The most famous examples are Hotspur and Douglas as well as the Armstrong clan. The route from Bellingham to Hobkirk is now under Kielder Water. I used the map of 1868 to chart the progress of the Earl and his men. The Earl of Fife was the leader of the most important clan in Scotland but his activities have also been fictionalized. He is an amalgam of many other characters. King Henry did go to Gascony and spent some time away from England. He arranged a marriage to the 11-year-old Eleanor of Provence and he built up alliances against the French. As far as I know, he did not appoint an Earl Marshal of the North!
Books used in the research:
The Crusades-David Nicholle
Norman Stone Castles- Gravett
English Castles 1200-1300 -Gravett
The Normans- David Nicolle
Norman Knight AD 950-1204- Christopher Gravett
The Norman Conquest of the North- William A Kappelle
The Knight in History- Francis Gies
The Norman Achievement- Richard F Cassady
Knights- Constance Brittain Bouchard
Knight Templar 1120-1312 -Helen Nicholson
Feudal England: Historical Studies on the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries- J. H. Round
English Medieval Knight 1200-1300
The Scandinavian Baltic Crusades 1100-1500 Lindholm and Nicolle
The Scottish and Welsh Wars 1250-1400- Rothero
Chronicles of the age of chivalry ed Hallam
Lewes and Evesham- 1264-65- Richard Brooks
Ordnance Survey Kelso and Coldstream Landranger map #74
The Tower of London-Lapper and Parnell
Knight Hospitaller 1100-1306 Nicolle and Hook
Old Series Ordnance Survey map 1864-1869 Alnwick and Morpeth
Old Series Ordnance Survey map 1868-1869 Cheviot Hills and Kielder Water
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Griff Hosker
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