by Griff Hosker
“Aye, lord!”
I went back to my horse. Abelard had watered her and our horses grazed on a verdant patch of green. I used my cloak to wipe some of the sweat and lather from her.
“Do not mount until the archers do. We need the horses to have as much rest as they can get.” I was counting on the fact that Harlech was as far from the Dyfi River as was Aberystwyth and that their horses would be tired too.
I could not see the road and I did not wish to risk moving closer and alerting them. I saw the archers pull back. It was always an inspiring sight and sound for you could hear the creak of the yew bows and see the strength it took to pull them back; their muscles knotted like young oaks. Then, without a command, they all released and the arrows soared. Each archer had a second arrow nocked even before their first had begun its downward trajectory. I heard the first arrows strike as the third flight took to the air. Some arrows hit metal but my archers used bodkins and the arrows would cause wounds. Some struck horses and I heard the screaming of animals injured by a missile which drove deep into their flesh. And I heard the cries of men who thought their plate and mail sufficient, it was not.
Captain Alan allowed two more flights before he shouted, “Back to the horses!”
They ran towards us and we mounted just as they did. Wheeling our horses, we left to the south and east away from the enemy who were to the north and west. They would have to climb the mound and then pursue us. The climb would weary their already tired mounts. Captain Alan rode next to me. “There are ten who are wounded, unhorsed or dead. The rest will follow.”
“Then let us see who has the better horses and are the superior riders.”
This was a matter of judgement as much as anything. If we went too quickly then we might lose them initially but when our horses tired, they would catch us and if we went too slowly then they could thrash their horses and catch us. To that end, Edgar and Harold of Derby rode at the rear. If we were being caught then they would tell us. Hart was one of the best horses we had and I rode her so that she was not exerting too much effort. She still had reserves of power she could use. The horses we had taken at Bramham Moor had been good ones and so most of my men had horses which had once been knight’s horses but they were also big men. Welsh knights tended to be smaller and stockier. This would be a close call.
When we reached the road, I risked a look behind me and I saw the rebels. They were strung out as they raced across the open field we had just crossed and they were about four hundred paces behind us. I spurred Hart a little. I wanted a gap of at least six hundred paces when we forded the river to ensure that none of my men was caught. The afternoon was passing quickly and I doubted that we would reach the siege much before dark but to do that we had to lose the knights and men at arms. When we reached the river, we would have to head east and ride along its northern bank. It was there that I looked back again and saw that we had lengthened our lead and strung them out even more but none had been dropped. I saw that a couple of the horses of the men at arms were labouring. We had, however, kept our column tight and our column of twos meant that if we had to turn and fight, we would outnumber their first men and that could be vital.
I eased back ever so slightly. To those pursuing it would be imperceptible but to the two horses which were struggling it would be a slight relief. When a short time later we had almost reached the ford, which was now in sight, I saw that the enemy had closed to five hundred paces.
“When we reach the ford, Captain Alan, I want you to take your men across the river first and use your arrows from the southern bank. Leave us now and extend your lead.”
“Aye Sir William! Ride!” Their horses, with a lighter load, began to stretch away from us.
“Men at arms, when we reach the wooded island in the middle of the river we stop, turn and bloody their noses. When I give the command to flee then do so! I want no heroes…Abelard!”
“Aye, lord!”
The ford had a twenty-five-pace swim followed by a long narrow island which was no more than fifteen paces wide but it was covered in shrubs and willows. When the enemy clambered out of the water they would be looking down at the bank to negotiate the passage.
I saw the ford and heard my archers splash through. The Welsh and the traitors had closed to within three hundred paces and were thrashing their weary horses in an attempt to stop us before we crossed. When we entered the water, it allowed the enemy to close with us. As I clambered on to the island, I saw that the leading Welshman was just twenty paces behind Edgar. Hart climbed wearily from the water and I rode just five paces, drew my sword and turned. I had just eight men in a line as the last of my riders struggled on to the island. We made a gap for them to pass through and then, as Captain Alan sent a shower of arrows at the men on the bank and in the water, I led my eight men at the riders who were struggling up the bank. The leading Welshman knew little about it for I lunged with my sword and it went directly into his nose, breaking it before entering his skull and killing him. My men at arms had varied success. Some of the enemy were wounded while others were either unhorsed or their weary horses baulked. I saw riderless horses in the river.
“Run!” I turned my horse and we crossed the last part of the ford which, thankfully, meant we did not have to swim. The bank was not as high and we were able to walk out.
Captain Alan said, “They have finally given up. A pity for there was some good plate there. We could be richer!”
I laughed, “We are alive and we have news. That will satisfy me. Let us dismount and walk our animals. We will sleep this night in the deserted castle at Glandyfi.”
I hung my helmet on my saddle and led a weary Hart for the last mile to the castle. We had no food but we would eat well at the siege for I intended to pick up some of the hill sheep we had seen when we headed north. The banter in the camp, as men made hovels and tried to fashion comfortable beds, told me that they were all in good spirits. As I had learned in the Blue Company, silence was the worst of indicators! You wanted men talking, even if they were complaining. Silence meant that they were brooding and that was never good in a warrior. My father had been broody!
When we reached the siege, it was noon for we had risen late and, after capturing a few hill sheep, we had ridden back at a leisurely pace. Raiding a farmhouse, we found it deserted and we ate what they had before driving off the half dozen sheep that the farmer had failed to take with him. The last couple of miles were marked by the crack of the four fowlers as they continued their work.
The Prince was both relieved and pleased when we rode in. My news disturbed him a little but he took me to the walls and proudly showed me a crack which had appeared in the wall close to the gatehouse. To me, it did not look much but he was delighted.
Over the next days, we saw a second and then a third crack appear and when five days after our return the miners fired the mine, we saw the southern tower lurch and a crack appeared at the junction of the wall. The Prince was convinced that the castle would fall within the next week or so but then he received news which necessitated a change in plans. His brother, John of Lancaster, arrived by ship to tell him that he was needed in London due to the Council and Parliament trying to take power from the King. Prince Henry was so confident that the castle would fall that he took me to one side and confided in me. “I will leave Sir Thomas here and he can finish the Welsh off. I will return to London and then we can turn our attention to Harlech. I know that your son is to be married. Take your men and ride home for the wedding and then return here.”
“I do not need to, Prince Henry.”
“I know but you and your men have done more of the fighting than any other. It is time that the Earl of Arundel earned his position as Lord of the Welsh Marches. I will see you back here by the end of October.”
It was a generous offer but it was misguided for Sir Thomas Fitzalan, while an able administrator, was no general and I wondered what would have happened had I missed the wedding and stayed at the siege. That I shall
never know.
The journey home, even though it was through the heartland of Wales, was without incident. It was late summer and the Welsh were busy with their animals and their fields. Another hard winter with tightened belts might prove to be fatal and they prepared to continue the fight. We did not know it but this was the start of the end of the rebellion. We still rode as though we might be attacked but we reached Shrewsbury without having to draw sword or nock an arrow. We still had a long way to go to reach Weedon but riding through the peaceful heart of England under summer skies was not a hardship.
It was the middle of August when we reached Weedon and I managed to surprise my wife. I think she had resigned herself to the fact that I would not attend and had grown used to the idea. My return made her weep as though she had heard the news of my death! Once she was over the shock she then began to fret and worry about my clothes and my appearance. When we had been given the manor of Dauentre the rich burghers there had looked down upon us and since then my wife was over sensitive about our appearance. She sent me to Northampton to a tailor who would make me clothes befitting a confidante of the future King.
While I was there, I spoke with my son Thomas, and told him of the siege and the cannon. “So, by the time that you return, the rebellion will be as good as over.”
“I pray to God that it is for if not then the Welsh will cease to exist. I saw skeletons that had once been men tending the fields!”
“Aye, and then the Prince and his father will turn their attention to France.”
I looked up from the excellent wine which my son’s servants had given to me, “France?”
He smiled at me, “You have given me an easy life here in Northampton, father, and I do not waste my time. There are many visitors from far and wide who pass through the town and I speak with all of them. You know that King Charles of France is mad?”
“Aye, that is common knowledge but he is hale and hearty too.”
“Yet he has but one son, the Dauphin, and the country is ruled by a council headed by his wife Queen Isabeau. It is she who rules the land and, it is said, the Duke of Burgundy, John the Fearless, is her lover.” He shrugged, “That is immaterial but what you may not have heard is that John the Fearless had the King’s brother, the Duke of Orleans and a potential King of France, murdered in the street by fifteen of his hired men. The new Duke of Orleans was so incensed that he sought the help of the Duke of Armagnac and now there is a civil war between Burgundy and Armagnac. The victor will rule France.”
“And that is all very interesting but what has it to do with England and Prince Henry?”
“It was Louis of Orléans who took much of Gascony and it was he who supported the Welsh rebellion with knights.”
“Then with his death, that threat is gone.”
“Father, King Henry has a claim to France through his grandsire, King Edward and remember that Louis of Orléans challenged King Henry to single combat when King Richard died. There is bad blood between the house of Orléans and King Henry and his son. Much of Gascony is now French.” He looked at me, “Surely you can see that Prince Henry is an ambitious king.”
I suddenly realised that I had been so keen to protect Prince Henry that I had not looked beyond his charisma and personality. I confess I liked him and, perhaps, I had been blinded to his ambition. “It is no sin to wish to claim your inheritance.”
My son spoke quietly, “You are right, father, but all that I am saying is that when Wales is subdued then the house of Lancaster will look to France and you, I fear, will not enjoy the peace of grandchildren for you will be needed to claim back Gascony and England’s French lands.”
I gave a rueful laugh, “I come home early and you greet me with such news!”
“I am my father’s son and I do that which you would do; I speak the truth and I also know that such a venture would also result in Harry and me also going to war. I am an English knight and I will fight for my country but the thought of an extended war in France does not fill me with joy. I am not one of these knights who seek glory and booty. I am content with what we have.”
I nodded, “And I thank you for your honesty. We will speak with Harry about this but not your mother. Let us not worry her.”
“Harry and I have spoken of this. We have known for some time about this possibility but until the northern rebels were defeated and Wales reclaimed then there could not be another war. Now that Aberystwyth is almost ours, I thought you should know.”
The news soured my preparation for the wedding of my son. What should have been a joyful time was marred by the prospect of a war in France. King Richard had been a king who sought peace and perhaps he had lost Gascony by his fears of a domestic rebellion but it would take a huge army to reclaim Gascony and that would incur such costs that Parliament might withhold the funds. Would the Earl of March, held in Windsor, be touted as a rival to the throne?
Fortunately, my wife drove all such thoughts from my head as she chivvied and chased me to ensure that when we rode north it would be in a manner befitting the Sherriff of Northampton and the man who had protected two kings of England!
Sir Humphrey Calthorpe was a rich and powerful man but he had no castle and that explained how the Sherriff of Nottingham had been able to make his life miserable. However, his hall was magnificent and large enough to accommodate all of my family. It was partly built of stone but there were elements of the original wooden hall. We were made more than welcome when we arrived for Sir Humphrey was grateful to me for the service I had performed and, I think, was pleased that his daughter was marrying into a family which held such power. For myself I did not make much of such matters but, as we rode north, my sons and son in law were at pains to point out the power I held.
“The King gave you Northampton, father, and that is the key to the defence of London from the north. That alone tells the rest of England the esteem in which he holds you.”
“But, Thomas, I am just a Sherriff. There are dukes, earls and viscounts with more power than I have.”
Harry laughed, “I have spoken with your men father, who did the King send to watch north? Who did Prince Henry entrust with the prosecution of the defence of the Marches? He has only left the young Earl of Arundel at Aberystwyth because the rebellion is almost over and he seeks to strengthen his position in London! Sir Humphrey knows this.”
Perhaps I could not see that which was obvious to everyone else.
The celebrations and the ceremony lasted a fortnight. The two ladies were determined to make much of the marriage and Sir Humphrey was happy to spend his coin. For my part I found Elizabeth to be the perfect partner for my son Harry. He and Thomas were totally different. Harry was the lively one with a wicked sense of humour. His bride, Elizabeth, was clever, witty, but she was also quiet and thoughtful. The combination seemed to work. Added to that, the fact that they appeared to me to be totally in love with one another helped. That was not always true in such marriages.
One poignant part was that there was a spirit in the church and in the hall which none could see but my family felt. Mary was there. She and Harry had been close when they had been growing up and when Harry had first come to war with me it was he who was greeted first by his little sister. It was not just me who felt her presence. Eleanor spoke to me on the wedding night. She snuggled in to me and there were tears on my shoulder.
“Why the tears, wife? Surely this is a happy day!”
“The happiest and yet I felt sweet Mary in the chapel.”
I shivered, “You felt her too? I thought it was just me.”
“She is with God; I know that but this day was hers too. She would have loved Elizabeth and they would have been as sisters.”
“Mary would have been wed herself by now.”
“Yet she and Elizabeth would still have been close and all of the family would be happy.”
It was October by the time we headed home and I was keenly aware that, having promised the Prince to return, I would have a day at home
at the most for I had to return to Wales. I did not want to go but I was a man of my word and I would obey. My men had all had some time at home and they had made the most of it. All were now married, even the older ones. Each had a smallholding on my estate at Weedon and they, too, went reluctantly back to Wales. We were a quiet and sombre band of men who rode to Shrewsbury and prepared to ride to Aberystwyth. It was there we received the unwelcome news that far from reducing the walls of Aberystwyth the Earl of Arundel had been forced to fall back to Bristol. The Welsh had won. Sir John Talbot was back in Shrewsbury and he was bitter.
“Sir William, I wish that you had not returned to England! We might have won but Sir Thomas would not heed my advice nor that of Sir John Oldcastle! He knows numbers and can count but he is no general. We told him to assault the walls while we had the men but he did not and when some men deserted then others followed and our numbers became too few. He would not allow Sir John or me to do as you did and watch the north. When Glendower himself led men south we could not face them and the Earl took the cannons and the men back to Bristol and Sir John and I fought our way back here. I lost good men because of Arundel.”
I felt as though I had been punched by a giant. I could barely breathe. We had been so close to victory and now it had all been taken from us. “And does the Prince know?”
“I sent him word as soon as we began to load the cannons. He will be here within a day or two. I am pleased that you are here for I would not face his wrath alone. I let him down.”
The Prince had that effect on soldiers. You fought for the man as well as the title.
The Prince and his brother Thomas arrived at the start of November and his scarred face was as black as thunder. All else were dismissed and the two princes spoke to Sir John and to me. I was there, I suspect, as a witness to the words which would be spoken. Prince Henry did not enjoy berating a commander before a junior.
“So, Sir John, tell me all and leave nothing out. Know that I have spoken with the Earl of Arundel already and so I know what occurred. I seek the truth for I am angry.”