THE OUTLAWS OF ENNOR
Michael Jecks
Copyright © 2003 Michael Jecks
The right of Michael Jecks to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
First published as an Ebook by
Headline Publishing Group in 2014
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN: 978 1 4722 1977 0
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
About the Author
Also by Michael Jecks
Praise
About the Book
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Map
Glossary – Nautical and Historical
Cast of Characters
Author’s Note
The Islands – Names Then and Now
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Author’s Final Note
About the Author
Michael Jecks gave up a career in the computer industry to concentrate on his writing. He is the founder of Medieval Murderers, has been Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, and helped create the Historical Writers’ Association. Keen to help new writers, for some years he organised the Debut Dagger competition, and is now organising the AsparaWriting festival for new writers at Evesham. He has judged many prizes, including the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. Michael is an international speaker on writing and for business. He lives with his wife, children and dogs in northern Dartmoor.
Michael can be contacted through his website: www.michaeljecks.co.uk.
He can be followed on twitter (@MichaelJecks) or on Facebook.com/Michael.Jecks.author.
His photos of Devon and locations for his books can be found at: Flickr.com/photos/Michael_Jecks.
Also by Michael Jecks
The Last Templar
The Merchant’s Partner
A Moorland Hanging
The Crediton Killings
The Abbot’s Gibbet
The Leper’s Return
Squire Throwleigh’s Heir
Belladonna at Belstone
The Traitor of St Giles
The Boy-Bishop’s Glovemaker
The Tournament of Blood
The Sticklepath Strangler
The Devil’s Acolyte
The Mad Monk of Gidleigh
The Templar’s Penance
The Outlaws of Ennor
The Tolls of Death
The Chapel of Bones
The Butcher of St Peter’s
A Friar’s Bloodfeud
The Death Ship of Dartmouth
Malice of Unnatural Death
Dispensation of Death
The Templar, the Queen and Her Lover
The Prophecy of Death
The King of Thieves
No Law in the Land
The Bishop Must Die
The Oath
King’s Gold
City of Fiends
Templar’s Acre
Praise
‘Michael Jecks is the master of the medieval whodunnit’ Robert Low
‘Captivating … If you care for a well-researched visit to medieval England, don’t pass this series’ Historical Novels Review
‘Michael Jecks has a way of dipping into the past and giving it that immediacy of a present-day newspaper article … He writes … with such convincing charm that you expect to walk round a corner in Tavistock and meet some of the characters’ Oxford Times
‘Great characterisation, a detailed sense of place, and a finely honed plot make this a superb medieval historical’ Library Journal
‘Stirring intrigue and a compelling cast of characters will continue to draw accolades’ Publishers Weekly
‘A tortuous and exciting plot … The construction of the story and the sense of period are excellent’ Shots
‘This fascinating portrayal of medieval life and the corruption of the Church will not disappoint. With convincing characters whose treacherous acts perfectly combine with a devilishly masterful plot, Jecks transports readers back to this wicked world with ease’ Good Book Guide
About the Book
The sixteenth novel in Michael Jecks’s medieval Knights Templar series.
On their return home from a pilgrimage to Spain in summer 1323, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Bailiff Simon Puttock’s ship is hit by pirates and a terrible storm. As the ship breaks up, Simon is swept overboard, disappearing from sight. Resurfacing on the island of Ennor, he must put aside his fears and investigate the murder of Robert, the island’s hated tax collector, at the behest of master of the castle, Ranulph de Blancminster.
Meanwhile, washed up on the other side of the island, Baldwin begins his own investigation of the very same murder. As the friends dig deeper, they become embroiled in a bitter rivalry between the two island communities. Can they uncover the truth in time to prevent certain massacre?
This book is for Michael, Andrew and Simon, and in memory of Kathy; a perfect wife, lovely mother, and a generous, kind and loyal friend who is deeply missed by all who knew her.
It is also in memory of Hattie; a devoted and much-loved companion.
Acknowledgements
This book has been enormously difficult to research and I have to thank too many people to mention them all, but in particular I must say how grateful I am to Richard ‘Publican’ Penny for his boundless enthusiasm and for giving me the idea of a story set in the Scilly Isle. I must also thank Professor Ian Foster of Coventry University, who generously pointed me in the right direction at the very outset.
Many books helped me, too. Among them were The Scilly’s Archeological Heritage booklet published by the Cornwall Archeological Unit, Mike Salter’s The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Folly Publications, 1999), and R. L. Bowley’s The Fortunate Isles (Bowley Publications, 1996 edition). C. C. Vyvyan’s The Scilly Isles (Robert Hale, 1956) was interesting, although it
is rather outdated now, and I must mention, once again, Norbert Ohler’s excellent The Medieval Traveller (Boydell & Brewer, 1995).
However, the book which was easily the most important to me was Charles Thomas’s Explorations of a Drowned Landscape: Archaeology and History of the Isles of Scilly (Batsford, 1985). This magnificent piece of work will enlighten you about the Scilly Isles, both geologically and historically.
Two other books may be of interest. Maryanne Kowaleski (Professor of History and Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies, Fordham University, Bronx, New York) is well-known to all historians who look into the world of medieval Devon, and I can thoroughly recommend her book The Havener’s Accounts of the Earldom & Duchy of Cornwall 1287–1356 (Devon & Cornwall Record Society, vol. 44, 2001). For more information on the trials of Tedia and her husband, I recommend Marriage Disputes in Medieval England by Frederik Pedersen (Hambledon & London, 2000), which goes into more detail about Tedia. Sadly (or rather, horrifically!) the situation in the story here has not been embellished. The woman’s name was Tedia Lambhird, her husband was John, and they suffered in their miserable marriage for a good four years. The tests described are as detailed in their court case. In order not to spoil the story, I have left further discussion of the unhappy couple until the end of this book (see Author’s Final Note, page 395).
The Outlaws of Ennor was also helped on its way by the staff of Ottakar’s in Norwich, who gave me and my companions in The Medieval Murderers such a good evening, together with a great deal of assistance with books. Thanks to Lizz, Sarah and Vicky for so generously giving up their Sunday evening to host the event.
There is one last acknowledgement which has to be made. In the final week of printing, I had a major computer disaster, and my most grateful thanks go to Philip Duley and Nichola Bunker of Kyocera-Mita for services well beyond the call of duty.
To you all – my sincere thanks!
Glossary – Nautical and Historical
Abbey Since AD981 Tavistock Abbey had owned the northern parts of what was then known as Ennor. It is likely that at this time, the Scilly Isles were all one land mass, one big island, and that only later did it separate as the sea rose. From that time, the northern islands became the Abbey’s, administered through the Priory of St Nicholas.
Clinker The sides of ‘clinker-built’ ships were constructed with overlapping long planks or ‘strakes’. Each strake was laid with the overlap at the lower edge on cogs (see Cog below) and most ships, other than hulks (see Hulk below), which curiously had the overlap at the top edge. The gaps between each strake were filled with a fibrous material known as ‘caulking’. This would be made more watertight by smothering it in tar.
Cog A medieval vessel with a flat bottom, straight stems fore and aft (rather than bowed), and clinker-built sides. These boats were particularly common in northern climates, less so in the Mediterranean.
Gather-Reeve The men involved in the administration of a district like Ennor could have many responsibilities. The ‘gather-reeve’ was effectively the rent-collector, or tax-man.
Glebe An area of land given to the Church for the support of a local priest.
Grapnel A set of three or four large metal hooks lashed or welded together and attached to a rope so that when thrown, they would invariably snag. They were used to help board ships.
Halyard The rope used to raise or lower the yard.
Havener An official of the Earl of Cornwall who administered the revenues from the seas. He took the rents from those men who were happy to pay, in order to collect the Earl’s income at seaports; he imposed fines on those who grabbed what they could from wrecks; and he ran the Earl’s maritime courts, taking the profits for the earldom, among other duties. It was a post unique to Cornwall, partly due to the length of coastline, and partly because of the privileges enjoyed by it.
Hogged When a ship was ‘hogged’, she drooped down fore and aft, showing that her inner strength was gone.
Hulk A vessel in which the strakes met at the topmost level of the ship’s side (the sheer) rather than at a stem. On hulks each strake overlapped on the upper edge, not the lower.
Keel This ship had a keel, stems, and clinker design which met at stems fore and aft. She had a rounded bottom, and was the same shape as a ‘Viking’ longboat.
Priest’s Mare A cleric’s concubine.
Ratlines Rope steps, spliced into the shrouds to allow sailors to climb up to the sail.
Sheer The topmost edge of the hull.
Sheet A rope attached to the sail’s bottom corners. By controlling this, the angle of the sail to the wind can be altered, thus giving greater manoeuvrability.
Shroud A rope running from the top of the mast to the ship’s side, giving side-to-side strength supporting the mast itself.
Stay Running from the top of the mast to the front or back of the ship, these ropes gave the mast strength fore-and-aft.
Cast of Characters
Pilgrims and Travellers
Baldwin de Furnshill A former Knight Templar who is now the Keeper of the King’s Peace in Crediton. Baldwin is travelling homewards after a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Simon Puttock The Bailiff of Lydford Castle in Dartmoor, Simon joined his friend Baldwin on pilgrimage, and is looking forward to taking up a new position in Dartmouth on his return.
Sir Charles of Lancaster Although he was once a proud knight and supporter of Earl Thomas of Lancaster, since Lancaster’s death Sir Charles has become a wanderer. He met Baldwin and Simon in Galicia, and is now returning to seek his fortune in his homeland.
Paul Squire and general man-at-arms to Sir Charles, Paul is glad to be on his way home.
Gervase Master of the Anne, Gervase is an experienced and wily captain of his ship.
Hamo Only young, Hamo is learning his trade as a sailor. For now, when there is a supercargo, he acts as cabin-boy and steward to the master.
Jean de Conket A Breton, Jean is a determined and resourceful leader of his pirates. Desperate for a successful voyage, he is reluctant to give up his prize.
Inhabitants of the island of Ennor
Ranulph de Blancminster Master of Ennor Castle, and tenant-in-chief of the islands, Blancminster is the most powerful secular man on the islands. Trouble brews between him and his counterpart on St Nicholas, the Prior, when they dispute territory or responsibilities. Ranulph is responsible to the Earl of Cornwall for Ennor, Agnas, Geow and Anete, but holds jurisdiction over the Arthurs, the Guenhelys and other outlying islands not owned by the Church.
Thomas Sergeant to Ranulph, Thomas is his most senior official. Over the years he has won a position of power over the secular islands.
Robert of Falmouth The gather-reeve of Ennor, Robert is as unpopular as any taxman must be, largely due to the reputation given to him by his master, Thomas.
Walerand Once a petty thief, he was forced to run when he drew a knife on a priest in the local church. Now he has a position in Ranulph’s castle, but he is ambitious and craves power and money.
William of Carkill The former chaplain of St Elidius, William is now responsible for the small church of St Mary’s on Ennor, but his loyalties remain with the poor folk of the islands, not with Ranulph and his men.
Hamadus Old fisherman, and now sexton to William at St Mary’s.
Inhabitants of the island of St Nicholas
Tedia A woman who adulterously falls in love with Robert, the gather-reeve.
Isok Tedia’s husband; one of the island’s most capable fishermen and a clever mariner.
David As reeve, David is the leader of the vill in which Tedia lives. He too is a capable seaman.
Brosia The bored wife of David, Brosia is narcissistic and not averse to a little dalliance with other men.
Mariota Tedia’s widowed aunt.
Priory and other Religious
Cryspyn The Prior at the priory of St Nicholas, Cryspyn holds a senior position, effectively owning the whole of the islands of St Nicholas,
St Elidius, St Sampson, St Theona, Arwothel and Bechiek. He holds these lands under the authority of the Abbot of Tavistock.
Luke The chaplain of Tavistock Abbey’s little chapel on the island of St Elidius, Luke was sent here as punishment for his grave offences in England and Ireland.
Author’s Note
Anyone who has walked on the Scilly Isles cannot fail to be struck by their beauty. The isles have a strange, welcoming tranquillity which does not exist elsewhere. Certainly the atmosphere is marvellous for a holiday. It feels as though you are stepping back in time to a quieter, more peaceful era.
In large part the attraction of the islands is their emptiness. The Scillies have had a checkered history; some islands were evacuated – sometimes willingly, sometimes with whole populations forcibly removed and sent away, although not always by humans. The elements have often played their part.
Research shows that the Scilly Isles have progressively reduced in size as the sea has overwhelmed them. They are not a fixed group of rocks in the middle of the ocean, they are an ever-changing mass, with the sea occasionally washing over them and devastating huge swathes. This is not the place for a dissertation, but Charles Thomas’s book on the subject is essential reading for those who are keen to learn more. The evidence suggests that the Scilly Isles were once one larger mass, probably called ‘En Noer’, or ‘The Land’ in old Cornish. Over time, the sea encroached and flooded the lower plains in the middle of the island, until now we have a scattering of islands set about a shallower central pool. For a suggestion of how the islands may have looked, see the map on page xviii.
It is always a delight when research leads to new ideas. Charles Thomas’s book led me directly to the connection with poor Brother Luke, the survivor of Belladonna at Belstone (Headline, 1999), and instantly I formed an idea of his continuing adventures. At the same time, I had recently read Frederik Pedersen’s book about marital disputes in medieval England, and the startling nature of Tedia’s marriage and subsequent divorce seemed to tie in with that subplot.
The Outlaws of Ennor: (Knights Templar 16) Page 1
