Warlord of the North

by Griff Hosker

  I laughed, "I do not need them. With Dick and his archers I am as safe as I would be behind a wall of armour. Any who try treachery will not make two steps before they are slain."

  When we reached the castle I saw that the gates were barred and the walls lined with warriors.

  I lifted my helmet and lowered my coif so that they could see who I was and I shouted. "I have either slain or captured the men you sent. Your tower is destroyed and you have broken the peace. Robert de Brus promised me that he would not fight me. I come to tell you that I intend to make you and your people pay for the attack. If you wish your men at arms to be returned to you then the price is ten gold pieces for each one. If you do not, then no matter, we need slaves to make our castle even stronger. You have seven days to bring the coin to my castle after that do not bother."

  I did not wait for a reply. I pulled Scout around and we headed towards Sneaton and home. I had achieved what I intended and more. While we waited for the attack from the north, which I knew would not be long in coming, I would punish the De Brus clan. Harvest time was coming and I would tax them by taking what they had grown. I would seize their animals and I would burn their farms. Their treachery would be punished.

  Theobald recovered from his wounds but he would not be riding to war when war came. He would take time to heal. And there was no doubt that war was close by. We were now on a war footing. I warned Alf and Ethelred that I expected a warband from the north. My archers rode around the outlying farmsteads to warn them of the danger and to look for enemies. Aiden and his falconers scoured the woods looking for signs of spies. When my ship arrived with eight new men at arms I felt a little relieved. I could afford to leave more men at arms to guard my castle. There would be little point in destroying an enemy warband if I left my castle open for attack.

  The shipwrights had finished Ethelred and John's ship. We crewed her from the town for William of Kingston would command the tiny flotilla. With his own trained archers on board the 'Adela' would give any attacker a shock; she had teeth.

  The captives were not ransomed. Perhaps the de Brus feared treachery or did not have the money. It may have been that they were waiting for word from Robert de Brus, now campaigning with Stephen of Blois against the Welsh. Whatever the reason the men at arms now wore yokes around their necks and were tethered at night. They would be more mouths to feed but their former masters would be paying.

  At the end of the seven days I had allowed I led half of my men at arms and archers and we began to raid the farms which supplied Guisborough. We took only the lord of the manor's share. We harmed no farmer but we took half of their crops and half of their animals. If they were sensible they would tell the reeve that we had taken it all. On the second day the other half of my men, led by John continued my raids. The newly acquired labourers toiled to build new granaries and store houses. Now that the men of Cowpen had moved to Norton we used the outer bailey we had built for them. The animals were penned by the river. With a solid wall and a tower there they could be better protected.

  By the time the second week of October came there were neither crops nor animals left to be gathered from the lands to the east of us. A letter came from the Archbishop in the first week complaining of my privations. I got the impression that it had been written to fulfil an order from London. It felt like a slap on the hand, and a gentle one at that.

  We had still no word from Hexham of any danger. My archers rode, each day, to the borders of my land and beyond. I went with my new men at arms to visit Sir Hugh of Gainford. He also had spies out. I hoped that he had heard something. He had not been idle at Barnard Castle . There were new defences. The ramparts had small roofs over them so that there would be protection from arrows. When he greeted me I no longer saw the boy who had survived the massacre of his family all those years ago; I saw the man. I realised the difference when his wife showed me their new child, a son.

  "My lord this is Richard our son. He is a healthy boy."

  "Aye," Sir Hugh stroked his son's head, "I now understand much more about being a knight lord. Young Richard is a reason to fight to protect his birthright from all enemies."

  I led him away from his wife. I did not wish to upset her. "And have you heard anything about an attack?"

  "There have been scouts and spies but my archers have sent them packing. The bodies of ten lie unburied in the woods to the west."

  "And from the north?"

  "Nothing! Why, Earl?"

  "I have it on good authority that the Baron of Skipton intends to come south and attack my lands. It may be that he comes this way too but he hates me and he might see us as being weak now."

  "Do you need my help, lord?"

  "I need you to hold the west. Unless I hear from you I will put all my defences to the north." I took a deep breath. "And now I must ask a delicate question. What do you think Sir Richard of Yarm will do? He has not spoken to Sir Tristan for some time. I wondered, as he has a new grandson who has his name, if he had visited or spoken to either of you."

  "We wrote and told him and we had a letter from Richard's grandmother congratulating us but that was all. You cannot think that he would betray you, lord?"

  "I hope not but he guards the south of my land. If you hear aught from him or of any Scots, however few, in the north of your land then let me know."

  "And Normandy, how goes the war there?"

  I told him all including the death of Rolf. Like my other young knights it was a blow for they had liked him. "Then there is just you and Sir Edward left from the knights who fought together all those years ago."

  "Aye and the only other knights who yet live from those times are Sir Hugh Manningham and Sir Richard of Yarm. They are no longer true allies. I am now in the hands of the young knights I trained."

  "And we will not let you down."

  As we rode back to Stockton I looked more closely at Gilles. He had grown considerably since he had joined me. Much of that had been Alice's doing. She was fond of him. She fed him well. Wulfric had done his best to train him but that had not been a priority. The youth was brave but did he have the skills to survive in battle? Those skills would be tested soon. I looked up and I tasted, in the air, a change in the weather. In England the seasons were unpredictable; winter could be early or late. One year winter had lasted but a day. The rest had been wet and damp but we had had no snow. I could smell and feel the cold in the air. The wind was from the north. Perhaps the weather was an ally of the Scots. I spurred Scout on, the Scots were coming.

  Perhaps it was the hard ride I gave him but whatever the reason Scout was limping when we reached Stockton. Gilles' real skill lay with horses and when he saw his limp he examined him for me. His face was sad when he turned to me. "Lord your horse is old."

  "Aye, Gilles, I had him when I first came to England all those years ago."

  "He cannot ride to war again. The lameness is a sign of age. It will heal but when you need him to run hard he will not be able to. Perhaps we should...." he left unsaid the words neither of us wished to be uttered.

  "No, Gilles, Scout is as much a part of me as my armour. I will not have his life ended to save some winter feed. He stays with me in the castle. I will ride him when there is no war but he shall be looked after with Hunter, Badger and my newly acquired horse, Rolf. I will use Rolf from now on. He is younger than the others and has a little destrier in him." I went to Scout and rubbed his nose. "I shall miss this nose, Scout, for it sniffed out enemies who would have slain me. Perhaps you can teach the others how to do it." He always seemed to understand me and he raised his head and whinnied.

  The first news came to us just before All Hallows Eve. The weather had been growing colder since my return from Barnard Castle . There was no snow and no frost but the viciously cold north wind scoured the land. Oswald of Hexham, one of Sir Hugh Manningham's scouts arrived at my gate after sunset. Ralph of Wales was the captain of the guard that night and he knew him. He was admitted.

  "My lord I have
a message from my master. The Scots are coming."

  "Come to my hall and eat. You can tell me all as you do so."

  I had seen how he was almost blue with the cold. The freezing ride south had been hard. Alice laid bowls of stew and bread before him. He wolfed them down, telling me between mouthfuls his news. "We saw signs of men gathering north of the Tweed. There were camps towards Jedburgh. Sir Roger of Norham reported many men moving west along the Tweed towards the border."

  "When did this begin?"

  "At the end of September, the start of October, lord."

  I nodded. That was about the time we had apprehended our spies. "Go on."

  "Sir Hugh sent a messenger to you with the news down the Durham Road. He did not return. Sir Hugh knew that I would get through," he smiled, "I know the backways and green ways like your scout Aiden."

  "How many men were there?"

  "It was hard to estimate but Sir Hugh said expect at least forty knights."

  Forty knights meant at least three hundred in the army, perhaps more. "I will send an escort back with you."

  "You need not, lord."

  "I do for Sir Hugh must know that I have received his news. Besides I have a message for him. When you have told me yours I will give it to you. It will be spoken. We want nothing to fall into enemy hands."

  "Enemies, lord?"

  "The land between Hexham and Stockton is England and not Scotland. If the other messenger died..."

  Oswald nodded, "Aye lord. Then it means that we cannot trust those who live in Durham. I will give you the rest of my news. Sir Hugh sent men to identify those who were camped. They are led by the Earl Gospatric. It is largely those who rebelled against King Henry."

  Even as he said it I wondered why they had not thrown their lot in with Stephen. It seemed obvious to me that he would have given them back their lands if only to keep me in check. If they did not want to serve Stephen then that meant they were working for King David. He would not be breaking the peace but, if he could capture Stockton then Cleveland would be his and he would have a toehold in England. The Baron of Skipton could retake his castle and the land between Stockton and Skipton would be a dagger held at the heart of the north. Even York would be threatened.

  "Here is my message for your master, Oswald: the Empress now controls more than half of Normandy. There will come a day when he can choose once more to either serve the usurper or the rightful ruler of England. Tell him I understand his decision but I know his heart."

  "Aye lord and I would rather serve you than the Bishop of Durham."

  When Oswald was led to his quarters I summoned Aiden. "I wish you to escort Oswald back to Hexham. How many archers will you need with you?"

  "None, I take Edgar the falconer and Edward. It will help their skills and they are silent in the forest."

  "Are you certain for when you have done that I would have you find the army which is camped close to Jedburgh? They are coming here."

  "Then I will definitely take my two falconers. We will be invisible."

  They left before dawn. The four of them, by riding hard, could reach Hexham by nightfall. We would then seek out our enemies. Even as they were galloping from my gate I was speaking with Dick, Wulfric and John.

  "War has come. It is days and not weeks away. Dick, have riders go to my knights. Sir Hugh should be warned. The others should prepare to bring half of their retinue to serve with me. I want them here in three days."

  "Aye lord."

  "Wulfric, we need a garrison leaving here but I want our best men ready to ride. I want to meet this army far from our borders. I fear this is just the start. We will have a winter war."

  "Do not fear, lord, we are prepared."

  Chapter 18

  I visited Alf and warned him of the dangers. "We have improved our walls, lord, and built, as you have, both granaries and pens. We keep what we have."

  "I will leave a small garrison but I am happy now that we have enough men in the town to defend the walls."

  Alf nodded, proudly, "Thanks to Dick and his archers every man in the town can now use a war bow. We have made plenty of arrows. We are not as skilled or as quick as your archers but we can give a good account of ourselves. All of our boys have slings. If the Scots come they will find us a hard morsel to digest."

  We had a healthy population in Stockton. There were a hundred and eight men who could use bows and fifty boys who could use slings. If you kept an enemy from your walls then you had almost won the battle. I was satisfied.

  We had a flurry of snow on All Hallows Day. It was followed by an icy blast which made the snow a deadly place upon which to step. When my men began to arrive they led their horses rather than risk them slipping on the slippery stones. When all were gathered I spoke with the knights and the sergeant at arms.

  "We ride tomorrow for the north road. I have information that a band of Scots intend to use the chaos that is England to capture Stockton and begin to reclaim the land south of the Tees. We will stop them. Remember, when we fight, that we are the last true Englishmen. It may seem daunting that we, alone, must fight for King Henry's heirs but we are just the first stones which are rolling down the hill. They will gather pace and then we will become the avalanche which sweeps away the usurper and restores England's crown to its rightful place!"

  I had deliberately chosen my words and they had the desired effect. There were just twelve of us in the hall and we had had greater gatherings but the crescendo of noise which arose had never been equalled. We might be alone but we had the heart to take on anybody. When we passed through our northern gate the next day we received an even greater cheer from my townspeople. The men lined the walls, showing the world that they were armed and ready to defend their homes.

  Once we reached the Norton Road, Dick sent out his scouts. I hoped they would meet Aiden and give us a better idea of the whereabouts of our enemies. If we heard nothing else from our three advance scouts we would head up to Jedburgh. We had passed Segges' Field when Mark rode in with Edgar. "My lord, Aiden sent me. The Scots are moving south. He and Edward will keep watch on them. If Edward does not come south it means they have kept to the old Roman Road." I nodded. That meant they were skirting the Palatinate and coming through the emptier lands to the west between us and Barnard Castle. "They have taken Otterburn and put the garrison to the sword. It held them for a day."

  Phillip of Elsdon had fallen. The Bishop of Durham had neither stirred nor raised his voice in their defence. They were his people and yet they had died. William Cumin had much to answer for. "How many did you count?"

  "Aiden said he counted forty two banners and half of the army were horsed. He estimated four hundred men in total but some were just farmers. They wore no mail and they had crude weapons."

  "What of Sir Hugh Manningham?"

  "We did not see his patrols once we had left Oswald with him but there was a message from Sir Roger of Norham that Scots were massing on the Tweed."

  I turned to Sir Edward, "They have drawn Sir Hugh away to the north. It is understandable for he is the defender of the north now that I am restrained to our valley. It means they will put as much distance between themselves and Hexham as possible."

  We turned to the west. I would head for Wolsingham. If we could reach it before they did then we would use the two rivers, the Wear and the Waskerley Beck to stop them. Dick said, "Lord if we head north by west along the old greenway we can reach the confluence of the rivers in four hours."

  We headed through Auckland and we passed the old Roman fort at Binchester. Knowing that they were within two day's march of us gave added urgency to our journey. I rode Rolf, the mount I had taken from Baron Thierry. He seemed to enjoy leading the cavalcade of knights. He almost pranced. He was a different beast to Scout. We would have to get used to each other. Badger and Gilles were with the baggage train. We had spears, lances and arrows in great supply. We would use the wagons, when we emptied them, as barricades. I had no doubt we would be outnumbered.


  It was late afternoon when we reached the village of Wolsingham. St Godric had long departed and the famous Erik the Hermit had either died or simply disappeared. The village served one purpose only, to feed the Bishop of Durham. I had been hunting there before with Bishop Flambard in the forests close by the village. It was not a large place and had no defences. Dick had established sentries north of the bridge across the Wear. He had left a couple of men close to the ford which was half a mile east of the bridge.

  "Sir Edward. Have your sergeant at arms take your archers and ten of your men at arms. Stop the enemy from crossing the ford to the east."

  "That will leave us thirty men short, lord. Can we afford it?"

  "Can we afford being outflanked? We will have to use the cloth we have been given."

  We made camp south of the river. Dick had some of our archers in the forests to hunt game. We were defending the Bishop's land. The least he could do was to feed us. I sent Edgar the falconer back north to find Aiden. I needed to know exactly where our enemies were.

  The few houses in the village were to the north of the river. The beck joined the river just after the ford. Its course mean that we had the right flank of any line we chose well protected. The Roman Road was well maintained. This was the Bishop's land and, as such, cared for. An ambush from the forest would be difficult. The only place I could see which suited an ambush was just where the road crossed the ford on the Waskerley Beck. The two fords would prove crucial. Edward still worried about our division of men. "Earl what if they do not come through Wolsingham? If they head further east then we will miss them."

  I spread my arm out. "This is a good place to camp for them. They can reach Segges' field in one day if they ride hard. The alternative is to camp in the open. Here they can do as they will have done at Otterburn, they can live off the villagers but if I am wrong then we attack them from behind when they take the other road south and that they will not expect."

  "It is well that you lead for I would have waited on the road to the east."