by Griff Hosker
It did not help us that we travelled through forests. Luckily, I had archers. My archers were woodsmen and they rode, not on the road, but they flanked us in the trees. It was a lonely wild place which had changed little since the time of the Romans and before. As we climbed towards the wall then there were fewer trees and it felt less suffocating. I took heart from the fact that my scouts had not returned. They would only return if they found the enemy. When we passed through the village of Brampton some of the local farmers greeted us. They were English but I had no doubt that they would doff their caps if a Scottish lord passed through. They were practical and pragmatic men. I stopped and spoke with them.
“Earl, we thought you should know that there have been Scots scouting along the wall for the last month. They are the men of the lords who live north of the wall.”
“And they have not raided?”
“No, lord. That is strange behaviour.”
“What do you do when they raid?”
The headman shrugged, “Hide what we can and wait for them to leave. After King William was defeated then it was quiet and we prospered for a couple of years but this past year they have grown bolder.”
That confirmed my suspicions. As we rode north I felt guilty. They had not raided my valley and yet both myself and the Earl of Chester, not to mention the Sheriff of Northumbria, had failed. I would see to it that we did not fail again. My father had an excuse for the depredations along the border. I did not.
We reached the bridge over the Esk and there were no Scots in sight. I sent the archers and half of the men at arms we had across the river. The servants began to erect our camp. I dismounted and leaving Ralph with the horses went with Sir Samuel to the largest house in the settlement.
A dour looking man came out and bowed. “I am Angus son of Malcolm. I am the headman, lord. How may we serve you?”
In this part of the world you did not risk angering any lord. From the man’s eyes I could see that he hated us all but he had a village to think of. “We will not be here long but I should warn you, Angus, that there is an army at Gretna and your village may become a battlefield.”
He looked due south. “We have kin just three miles south. We will go there.” With that he turned and went back into his house.
As we walked back to our horses I said, “Do you not think that strange, Harold?”
“Aye, lord. He could have gone west to where he would have the protection of Lord Douglas. Gretna is as close and he knows there is an army there. Did he fear that his own people were as great a threat as we? Why did he not go north? Does he fear Balliol too?”
By the time we reached our horses Aiden and Edward had returned. “Lord, the Scots are still where they were but their numbers have increased a little. There are five more banners.”
I wondered at that. Five more banners were little enough. It might add twenty men at most to the army. What were they waiting for? “Is there any sign of King William’s banner?”
“No lord.”
By the time the camp was erected and we had withdrawn most of our archers and men at arms across the river Masood and Edgar had returned. It was almost dark by the time they did so. “Lord Balliol has moved. He and his men are now camped at Booth Castle. There are another twenty banners with them.”
That was worrying. Booth Castle was further south than Balliol’s original camp. Had I been wrong? There was a road which ran north of the wall and would take them to the New Castle. It would eliminate Morthpath, Warkworth, Alnwick and Norham. Had I been outwitted? The Sheriff, like the Bishop knew the threat but I had stripped the Palatinate of its knights. The Scots could cross the river anywhere and sweep down to my valley. I had a dilemma. I had too few men to do anything save hold the bridge. Until the knights and retinue of Durham arrived then I was pinned in place.
I sent Ralph for some parchment, goose quill and ink. I did not tell him where to seek such items but, a short while later, he returned. I saw that the goose quill was freshly plucked and that the parchment had writing on one side. It was a list from the church. It was the names of men who had failed to provide service to the priest. The ink was still alive. He had, in a small leather pouch, a dozen beetles.
He smiled. “I will find something in which to put the ink. I pray it is not a long missive, my lord!” Ralph was resourceful. He would make the ink for me. It would not be a long letter. I needed to warn the Sherriff of the potential danger. He needed to rouse the men along the wall and block the crossings of the Tyne. I took out my dagger and sharpened the quill. I was not happy about writing in red but my predicament dictated my actions.
The next morning, I sent Edgar and Edward east to the New Castle. They would be there by the end of the day. We gave them two spare horses. Then we awaited the arrival of Sir John and the knights of Durham. I would not just wait for Lord Douglas to come.
“Sir Harold you stay here with Sir Phillip and the bulk of the archers and half of the men at arms. I will take the rest and we will go and speak with this Douglas.”
Gone were the days when Sir Harold might have questioned my judgement. He nodded. “I will send Tomas ap Tomas and a few archers into the forests. We might as well have food and I will embed some stakes on the far side of the river.” I was confident that we would have a secure bridgehead when we returned.
It was less than four miles to Gretna. The Scots must have known where we were and yet we had seen no sign of scouts. Samuel asked, as we rode, “Do we go to provoke a fight, lord?”
I saw that Ralph was leaning forward to hear my words. “In truth I know not. We have just ten banners here but my banner alone should intimidate this Douglas. When we cross the River Sark it will be like throwing down a gauntlet. I would have you look at the knights who are close to this Douglas. The Scots wear old fashioned armour. I would have you look to see if any look French.” He nodded.
He rode next to Sir Ralph and it was good to hear them discussing the Scots and how we might defeat them. These two were the future. When they married they would be tied by marriage. They were now tied by war and were truly brothers in arms.
With Masood and Aiden ahead of us I feared no ambush. However, our numbers meant that we were spied before we reached Gretna. I heard horns as the Scottish camp was roused. I held up my hand and we stopped. The men at arms formed two blocks on either side of us. Henry Warbow and Tom the Fletcher dismounted and stood close to me. They would guard against any treachery. I had my helmet hanging from my cantle and my shield was hanging across my left leg. Lord Douglas would see that we were not here for war.
Thirty knights headed for us and I saw the rest forming up behind. The wild men of the islands and the levy were being herded into lines by the knights. I smiled. My father and I had a reputation for cunning and for tricks. The Scots would see just ten banners but they would assume we had more men close by. They would be wary.
I had met Lord Douglas after the failed invasion some years earlier. He had been one of the captured knights who had been ransomed. He was about my age. I knew that he had resented the ransom for it had impoverished his family. I had heard that he had had to raid the Hibernians to regain that which he had lost. For a noble knight like Lord Douglas that was nothing short of brigandage.
He stopped twenty paces from us. Like me he had no helmet upon his head. I saw that he was flanked by the Mormaer of Dumfries. There were also two other knights I did not recognise. They looked to be French. “This is Scotland, Earl William. Why do you break the treaty that was made?”
“Why do you gather an army here close to Carlisle? This is not a peaceful gathering is it? At best it looks like a chevauchée and at worst an invasion. I hear that King William has allied himself with the French. That is a dangerous thing to do. King Henry might choose to punish Scotland for such a rash act.”
“Then why is he not here or his Warlord? Why is it the whelp he has sent?”
I felt the indignation ripple through the men behind me. I held up my hand. Words woul
d not cause me hurt. I waved my arm behind me. “I am here with my household knights to tell you to disperse this army. We have slaughtered enough Scots to weary of such exercise. There is little ransom to be had. You have two days to disperse or you will be punished.”
Now it was the turn of the Scots to show indignation but they were more vocal. Lord Douglas’ face darkened. He pointed a finger at me. “You have until dawn to quit your camp and crawl back into England. If you do not then we will drive you hence!” I watched as the two French knights leaned in to speak to Lord Douglas. They did not want this.
I turned and rode away without giving an answer. It was an insult to the Scots and was deliberate. Besides which I had made my ultimatum and they had given theirs. I wanted them to wonder if I would return to England or not. I said nothing to my men as we rode the few miles to our camp. I was planning my strategy.
I stopped just four hundred paces from the bridge. “Wilfred take the men at arms back to the camp. The men will be fighting tomorrow.”
He understood what that implied, “Aye lord.”
I pointed to the woods to the north of the road. “We will put my archers in there. Aelric is more than capable of evading the Scots if my plan fails. I turned and pointed to the stream which emptied into the Esk. “There we will put stakes.” I dismounted and, leaving the road walked to the ground just to the south of the road. As soon as I did so my foot sank up to my ankle. It was ground which had clay beneath the surface. It would hold the water. “Ralph, you are the lightest of us and wear no mail. See how far the bog extends.”
My squire walked and I saw the mud sucking at his feet. The bog was forty paces wide. When he was on dry ground again then he waved.
“Where Ralph stands now we will wait with our knights and half our mounted men.”
Sir Tristan said, “You do not hold them at the bridge? It worked last time.”
“And last time they had fewer of these half-dressed savages. Did you not notice the numbers? They would swim the river. We force them down the road. Our archers will drive them into the bog and there Sir Philip’s archers will finish the job. I will draw them to me. When they cross the stream with their knights then we will hit them. If they threaten to overwhelm us then we pull back through our men at arms and archers and gather behind them. Familiarise yourself with the ground. I will go and explain to Sir Philip and Sir Harold my plan.”
I included Wilfred and Aelric in my discussions.
“We will keep a reserve in the village. They will be knights. I intend to have Sir Samuel and Sir Ralph lead them.”
“Have they the experience, lord?”
“No Aelric but I can trust them. I know not the knights from Durham. The knights of Durham have yet to arrive. I need two knights who will not flee if things go wrong. Both are clever. I will leave with them ten archers and twenty men at arms. Wilfred choose twenty of our best men. If the Scots do not do as I expect then it will be up to them to extricate us from danger.”
Sir Harold said, “You are asking a great deal from two young knights who have barely won their spurs.”
I nodded, “I know and it weighs heavily upon me but I need all of my experienced men to face the Scottish knights. Aelric and Sir Philip have your archers embed stakes next to the river. Let us make it hard for them. Then you will need to make the woods safe for your archers, Aelric.”
When my knights returned from their inspection of the ground I took Sir Ralph and Sir Samuel to one side. “You must wait and hold the bridge. You will not be given a command when to unleash your men. That will be your decision. You will not have many men but it will be sufficient for the task. If we are in danger of being flanked then it will be up to you and Aelric to enable the army to cross the bridge.”
“That is a great responsibility.”
I nodded, “If you feel you are not up to it Sir Ralph then speak and I will ask others. There is no shame in admitting that it is too great a task. That is what Sir Harold thought.”
He coloured, “No lord. We are honoured that you trust us.”
I smiled, “Sir Ralph when you marry my daughter I will be trusting you with more than this pathetic piece of bog in Scotland!”
Sir John and the Durham knights did not arrive until shortly before sunset. I could tell, from Sir John’s face, that he was less than happy about the late arrival. He shook his head, “I am sorry Earl William! These are not warriors. They are pampered flowers! They rise late and stop frequently.”
“It is not your fault and you are here. How many did you bring?”
“There are eighty knights and forty mounted men at arms.”
It was not enough but it would have to do. I explained what I intended and how I perceived the battle unfolding. I then gathered the knights around me. They were not happy. I think they had expected to be staying in a hall. My household knights had bemused looks upon their faces as I addressed them.
“The knights of the Palatinate are being given a chance in this battle to show that they are worthy of the title knight. For myself I have seen little or no evidence of any knightly virtue.” I saw the shocked looks on their faces and I dared them to question my words. They did not. “Tomorrow the Scots will attack us. They have more men than we do but we will prevail. We will do so because all of you will obey my every command. The Bishop gave you to me to lead. I count that as an oath and I will treat harshly any man that I believe breaks that oath. You have all arrived late and that means that you will not be able to survey the battlefield. The knights will form the front rank and will bar the progress over the beck. My men at arms will form the second rank.” I saw the knights exchange looks. That would not suit.
One of them, I recognised the livery as that of Middleham, said, “And what of the men at arms we brought?”
“They will fight dismounted behind us. My plan is simple. We draw the Scots to us and we drive them back. If we fail to do that at the beck then we withdraw behind the men at arms and archers. When they have bled enough we mount our second horses and make a charge.” I looked around their faces. I do not know what they expected but it was not this. “I would get some rest for we will be in position by dawn.”
My archers had hunted food and there was a stew for them to eat. I saw that the new knights were less than impressed with the fare. I cared not. I was fetched by a sentry late in the evening. It was Sir Hugh’s man Cedric, “Lord, we have been to Langholm. The Scots are gone. They are heading west.”
“For the New Castle?”
“No, lord, for our castle, Barnard Castle. I sent Oswald to warn Sir Hugh.”
“Thank you. There is food.”
He said, “With your permission, lord, when I have eaten and my horse is rested I will ride back. The castle is my home too.”
The scout’s attitude contrasted with that of the Durham knights. I had no doubt that there were some of the knights who were warriors but there were not enough. I went to Sir Harold and Sir John. They were my lieutenants. “I fear I was right. Balliol marches on Barnard. We have to fight this battle tomorrow, win and then go east to relieve the siege.”
“Sir Hugh will hold.”
I nodded, “But we have been outwitted.”
“No, Earl, we have not for you predicted this. You are your father’s son.”
“That is good of you Harold but it does not feel that way to me.”
I prayed that night for I knew we needed God’s help. I had less than twenty knights on whom I could rely and the rest might try to flee at the first hint of trouble. I was well awake before cock crow and I made water before Ralph dressed me for battle. I sought out Samuel and Ralph. I was pleased that they had not needed rousing. Sir John and my other knights were busy rousing the Durham knights.
“If any knight tries to flee then stop them. You do so anyway you have to. They do not use the bridge.”
Sir Ralph nodded, “Thank you for the trust, lord. We will not let you down.”
“I know and the men at arms you command
are my best men. Whatever you have to do then you will be backed up.”
Aelric led the forty archers who would be in the woods. He said nothing but his grin and his wave told me that I had nothing to fear from him. He and his men would do their duty. Sir Philip’s captain of archers, Peter of Derby, led the rest of our archers to their place. Wilfred had already taken the men at arms. I had heard raised voices and the smack of fist on flesh. If the men at arms were reluctant to fight then Wilfred was the one who would change their mind. Soon, the ones left in the camp were the knights and their squires. I mounted Volva. Ralph led Lightning across the bridge to wait with the other squires and the spare spears behind the archers. He handed my banner to John of Norton. He was a solid man at arms and he was reliable. My squire would need to be with the horses and the weapons. I mounted and said, “We ride!”
We made our way through the archers and the men at arms. Wilfred and the others shouted encouragement to us as we passed. When we reached the stakes, which were just four paces from the beck I had my knights ride up and down to churn up the ground. Then we moved back to the men at arms just a hundred paces from the water. My archers had the range. I dismounted and walked to the edge of the bog. Wilfred had echeloned his line so that it also faced that flank. We both knew that the fiercest fighting would be there.
“You are happy with what you need to do Wilfred of Stockton?”
“Aye lord. We are ready to hew wild men and slaughter knights!”
I returned to my horse and mounted. The sun was already a thin line of light in the east. We now awaited the Scots and the battle.
Chapter 3