by Griff Hosker
My father had recovered in the year since he had returned. Simon had been a rock. He had helped my father by riding out with him and sparring with him. It was not that my father would go to war again, we all knew that was impossible, but he needed to exercise and to have the knowledge that he could, if he had to, fight. Simon had told us of the incident in Canterbury. My father had even been hunting with us. My son and Sir Ralph had taken him to the forest to the south and west of my castle, where it edged towards Hartburn. We had hunted deer. My father had been more of a spectator but he still knew his way around the woods and the joy on his face when we returned made the whole castle and town a different place. The Christmas celebrations had been both long and loud. My father had seen almost seventy summers. As he told me, while we sipped strong wine in my solar, each day was now like the first day of his life.
As the days began to slowly lengthen he began to grow restless. He wished to know what was happening in the outside world. Henry had been to Ireland to build castles. It was a statement of his power but my father noted that he and his queen had not been together for almost two years. Sir Leofric kept us informed. He told us that Richard had spent a great deal of time in Aquitaine. Geoffrey and Young King Henry now lived in Normandy. That was something my father did not like. It was as though King Henry had given up on his sons.
Then rumours reached us that Young Henry had visited Paris. When my father heard that he became angry. I was the one who had given him the letter from Archbishop Roger. He had kept in touch with my father. He read the letter and flung it to the table.
“Your father is a blind old fool, William.”
I poured him some more wine, “How so, father?”
“Those Frenchmen we saw in London when Simon and I waited there for King Henry. They were assassins. They were emissaries. They were sent by Louis to suborn Young Henry and they have succeeded. The French plots have borne fruit.”
“That is just Henry. He is still young. He must know how treacherous the French are.”
“Geoffrey is with him and we both know what a weak fool he is. Conan died but he is not yet married. He has not attained the Duchy. He is not patient.” He then picked up the letter and waved it. “And now I read that Prince Richard and Prince Philip of France are close friends. That is all that the King needs. I should be at his side!”
“He is in Ireland and he has created this problem for himself. From what Leofric tells us the Queen is stirring up her sons.”
My father sank back in his seat. “Is my life’s work to have been for nothing?”
“Look around, father. This is a monument to you. So long as Stockton Castle stands it is a measure of your success.”
He nodded and then said, out of nowhere. “I would have great grandchildren.”
I laughed, “I have done all that I can do. I have given you two grandchildren and they are both wed. All else is in God’s hands.”
“They do not visit as often as I would like.”
“They have manors to run. You are in a melancholic mood. Soon it will be spring and when the new grass comes and the sun shines then you will feel happier.”
He smiled at me, “Each spring takes me closer to my death.”
I tried all that I could to bring him from his dark place but could not. It was Aiden who managed to bring him from the depths of despair. Aiden had been a slave and, apart from Sir Harold, had served my father the longest. He came one day, “Earl Marshal. I have a mind to ride along the river path. Why do you and your squire not come with me?”
I thought he was going to say no but instead he asked, “Is there a reason?”
“Aye, it may be cold but the new flowers are out. New growth after winter is always a sign of hope. Even though the land is cold and frozen there is life waiting to come out. Some of the animals who live by the river have had young. Let us go and see them. We will not hunt but, as two old men we will watch them. If we fall from our horses then Simon is strong enough to pick us up.”
They left the next day. They had no sooner left than a rider came from the north. It was a messenger wearing the livery of Durham. He threw himself from his horse. “My lord, the Bishop of Durham sends word that his constable at Norham reports movement across the Tweed.”
It was still just the first week of March. I thought it early for the Scots to be considering raiding but it had been two years and I had asked the Bishop to have his men watch for the Scots. I had to react. “Tell him I will bring a conroi of men to his castle on the morrow.”
When he had gone I sent for my son, Sir Morgan, Sir Richard and Sir Padraig. Norham and the Tweed was a good five days’ ride from us. Wilfred, who had been the captain of my men at arms, was like my father, he was getting old. John of Chester, Henry son of Will, Günther, Harry Lightfoot, Arne, all were getting old. They had chosen Roger of Bath as their captain. He had not yet seen thirty-five summers. I summoned him to join us too.
I would take forty men at arms and forty archers. That would be enough. When my knights arrived, they were happy to be given a challenge. The last battle had been the battle of Barnard. They had young sons and squires they wished to blood. The exception was Samuel. He wondered if they were blighted and would not have children. I think the only thing which kept Samuel and Eleanor sane was the knowledge that Ralph and Ruth had not conceived either.
“We ride to the Tweed. First, we visit Durham for I would have some of the Bishop’s knights too. Whatever trouble the constable has discovered cannot be a major attack. It may be just a local mormaer flexing his muscles but I dare not ignore the threat. If we do then they will take it as a sign of weakness. The King is having trouble with his sons. It could well be that they are testing the waters. We will not take warhorses. Each man needs two mounts. Aiden is away with my father and so we will use Edgar and Edward as scouts. Say your goodbyes. We leave at dawn. We will meet at Wulfestun.”
My two squires, Thomas of Piercebridge and Ralph of Sadberge were waiting for me as I came from the hall. “Prepare horses and war gear. We may be away for a month. We take no war horses. I will have Hawk and Goldie.”
“Will we need tents, lord?”
Ralph of Sadberge had campaigned before. “Just one. The three of us can share.”
“Aye lord.”
I then sought Edward and Edgar before telling Rebekah what we would be doing
When my father returned with Simon and Aiden he actually looked younger. He and Aiden were laughing. As he dismounted he said, “I had forgotten just how beautiful the river can be. It is a place of peace. We have done well, my son, to keep the beast away from it.”
I nodded, “Thank you Aiden I hope that while we are away you can find other places to help remind him what he has done for this land.”
My father’s face became serious, “Away?”
“The constable at Norham has reported that there are warriors gathering north of the Tweed. I take a small conroi to investigate. Fear not we will take more Durham knights with us and I do not think this will be a serious threat.”
As we entered my hall he shook his head, “I often think that the Romans had the right idea with their wall. They just failed to build it high enough.” I saw in his face and heard in his voice that he would not be going to war again. The blow to his chest had been the best thing to happen to him. It had made him slow down and realise that he had done his duty and more.
We reached Durham well before noon. The horses were fresh and we made good time. The Bishop was not there. He had been summoned by the King to London. His dean told us that the King was trying to build bridges with the Pope to get the interdict removed. I met with his constable Sir Guy d’Auxerre.
“His grace sent word for the knights who have manors along the Wear to meet you at Norham lord. He sent the message when the rider returned from your castle. They will reach Norham before you.”
“And is there any more information for me?”
“Sir Richard Bulmer is the constable. He is a doughty i
f unimaginative warrior. If he says there is danger then the Scots may well be pouring over the river even as we speak. The message he sent was that knights were gathering at Berwick and this was the wrong time of year for such gatherings.”
“Then we had best hurry.”
I had men who knew how to ride and did so without fuss. The knights I had were all young. They were of an age with Samuel. My older men at arms helped the younger, newer ones fit in well and learn from them. My archers were, quite simply, the best. They were all used to the outdoors and they ranged ahead and alongside us watching for danger. We moved so quickly that we caught up with Robert of Howden and his neighbours close by Hexham. There were ten knights and twenty-four men at arms. They soon found that we moved at a faster pace than they did!
The weather north of the wall was worse than south and I wondered, again, why the Scots would think of risking our ire. We had just left Alnwick castle when a rider from Norham found us. We had been travelling on the main coast road. We were exposed to vicious winds from the east. All of us were well wrapped in cloaks. “Lord, I am glad I have found you. The Scots have crossed the Tweed. They were heading for Bamburgh.”
“Did you pass any other Durham knights?”
He nodded, “Sir James Fitzwilliam and twenty knights took shelter in Bamburgh. There were Scots nearby. I took the inland road and then cut across. I spent the night in the woods for there were Scottish scouts. I do not think they were searching for me but I was taking no chances.”
“And Norham?”
“Is surrounded. I was sent out as soon as we saw the banners. I watched the Scots surround the castle before heading for Bamburgh.”
Sir Richard might be dull-witted but he had chosen a quick-witted messenger. “What is the size of this army that has managed to trap Sir Richard inside Norham?”
“There are a hundred knights.” He hesitated, “Lord, I was with the Bishop when he went to Rome. I recognised some of the banners. They were French. The bulk of the army is made up of men from the far north. I saw the banner of the Lord Comyn’s son, William.”
“You had better stay with us. What is your name?”
“James de Puiset.” He saw my look. “The Bishop is my uncle.”
I nodded and turned in my saddle, “Thomas of Piercebridge, ride back to Alnwick. Tell Sir Henry that the Scots are over the border. He is to prepare for a siege! Join us at Bamburgh.”
James said, “The Scots might be there already, lord.”
I waved Thomas of Piercebridge away. “Then I hope they tried to besiege it. It will be a waste of time. I think they are looking for softer targets. If Sir James and his men are in Bamburgh then we need to combine with them. We are mounted and we can use our speed.”
Thomas of Piercebridge had just rejoined us when my two scouts, Edward and Edgar, came to our rescue as we headed up the coast road and passed Seahouses. We would see the rock of Bamburgh up ahead but my two scouts had spotted Scots. The folds in the land prevented us from seeing anything. An encounter battle needs a leader who can think quickly but, even more importantly, it needs men who can react like lightning.
“Lord there are a hundred Scots ahead. I think they are heading for Seahouses.” If Edgar said they were heading for Seahouses then that is where they were heading. He had great skills.
I had dismounted my men and they are in wait in the sand dunes. I turned, “Squires stay with the horses. Knights and men at arms with me.” Ralph of Sadberge brought me a spear and my helmet. I spurred Goldie and we leapt up the road. I turned and saw that my household knights and James de Puiset were with me as well as my men at arms but the other knights of Durham were still organising their men.
The road, which had been made by the old people of this land was not straight and followed the contours of the earth. Sand had blown over its surface and deadened the sound of hooves. Neither side would hear the other. We dipped into a hollow with steep dunes to our right and scrubby moorland to our left. We were not in a line but I was flanked by Sir Morgan and my son. The other three were just behind us followed by Roger of Bath, John of Chester, Henry son of Will and my household knights. As we crested the rise I saw the Scots just ahead. We were less than fifty paces from each other. I recognised a banner. It was the Mormaer of Dunbar. We had no banners and we were cloaked. They would not know who we were.
I lowered my spear and spurred Goldie. My son and former squire emulated me and three spears headed like and arrow for the lord of Dunbar. Even though they outnumbered us the Scots made the classic mistake; they hesitated. They slowed. We hit them when we were galloping. I pulled back my arm and thrust it at the knight who was still drawing his sword. I hit him in the shoulder and he tumbled. To my left Samuel swung his sword and it hit the Lord of Dunbar on his shield but it was so hard that he reeled. Samuel’s spurs must have raked the flank of the lord’s horse as he passed for it suddenly took off towards the moor land.
My spear was still intact and I thrust it at the man at arms on the small horse. His shield came up but the angle at which I struck him and the speed of my horse meant that he too was hit. The band of Scots were all mounted but they were on the hill ponies the Scots favoured. Hardy beasts, they were capable of carrying a man long distances but they were useless for war. When Aelric’s archers’ arrows began to descend and hit men and horses they turned and fled. Their ponies might have been hardy but they were not fast. Our horses were powerful. Even though they were palfreys we had brought the best and we soon overtook the Scots. I pulled my arm back and rammed it into the leather mailed back of a Scot. As he fell his body tore the spear from my hand. I drew my sword and leaned out to sweep it into the skull of another.
Sir Morgan of Seamer, my former squire, Alf, was putting his long arms and long sword to good effect. Even when Scots tried to evade him they could not. Samuel still had his spear and he was using it with a precision which impressed me. He had such skill that he was choosing the spot to strike which would ensure that his enemy fell. As we neared the rock upon which Bamburgh stood I saw that the Scots began to flee away from the coast and across the scrub land to the west. We could not risk damaging a horse riding across such unpredictable terrain. We had broken the Scots. The ones who fled were without mail. I held up my hand and yelled, “Stop!”
I reined Goldie in and took off my helmet. Turning in my saddle I saw that the tardy knights of Durham were finishing off knots of Scots who had escaped us. Aelric and his archers were moving amongst them. My household knights were all unscathed. When they removed their helmets, I saw the joy of victory on their faces.
“We were lucky! Had Aelric not warned us then things might have been different.”
James de Puiset shook his head, “No lord there was little luck involved.” He pointed to the knights of Durham. “Your men and knights reacted as one. The Scots stood no chance.”
Roger of Bath pointed west, “Four of their knights escaped yonder lord. You want us to go after them?”
“No, Roger. Gather the horses, mail and weapons. We will seek counsel in Bamburgh first.”
Bamburgh was a royal residence. The only knight was the constable, Richard of Bayeux. It did not have a large garrison; there were but forty men at arms and ten archers who lived within the mighty fortress. It needed no more men for it rose from the land and seemed to be part of the rock upon which it was built. One gate was only accessible at low tide and the other road twisted and turned as it climbed to the south gate. An attacker would have to endure a missile storm. The castle was cunningly crafted. A ram would not be able to build up speed and could be attacked from the gatehouse and the walls which abutted it. We would have plenty of room for our men and horses and we could use it as a base from which to scour the land of Scots.
The knights from Durham were ebullient as we rode the last mile or so to the castle. We had no prisoners. My men valued their own lives above any ransom which they might have taken and the Durham knights had been too slow to react. We had horses, ponies a
nd weapons. My archers had taken the coins from the bodies. They would share the bounty with my men at arms.
Sir James Fitzwilliam and Richard of Bayeux greeted me as I entered. The Constable was older than I was while Fitzwilliam and I had been squires together with my father. “Magnificent Earl! We watched from the walls.”
I dismounted and nodded, “Thank you Sir James. What do we know about the rest of the Scottish raiders?”
As we walked to the keep Sir James said, “We were north of this castle when James de Puiset found us. I sent him to find you straight away. I hope I did right to take shelter here.”
“If there were a hundred knights then aye for you would have been slaughtered. You confirmed the numbers?”
Sir Richard said, “They approached the castle but stopped on the other side of the harbour. There were one hundred and three banners. It was hard to make out the numbers of their foot and light horse. They are camped to the north of us. We saw the men whom you slew ride out this morning. I think they had a chevauchée planned.”
I turned to Sir James. “You said Norham was surrounded.” He nodded. “Were there more knights there?”
“I saw some banners as they made their camp but it seemed to be men on foot who surrounded it. You know the castle, lord, there is but one way in and out. It does not have a large garrison but my uncle has made it hard to take.” He hesitated and then went on, “I think they just mean to keep Sir Richard and his men within Norham so that they can raid the land.” He shrugged. “I may be wrong lord.”
I liked Sir James, “No, Sir James, I think you are right. That means we need to do something about this Scottish army which squats like a toad on yonder headland.”
Richard of Bayeux said, “We do not have enough knights for a single battle.”
“Then we whittle them down and we use the land to defeat them. What is their camp like?”