Magna Carta (Border Knight Book 4)

by Griff Hosker

  The bad news that Carlisle had fallen was waiting for me when I reached Stockton. Two of Fitz Clare’s men brought the news. “Our lord barely made it out of Carlisle safely. He rode south with four men and he sent Tom and me with two others here to warn you.”

  “The others?”

  “Dead lord. We will have to serve you until our lord returns. He went to the Earl of Chester. He will bring the Scots to book.”

  “Find Ridley the Giant and tell him that you join our numbers until order is restored to England.”

  The news left us exposed. Barnard Castle had pro Scottish sympathies. The lord there, Balliol, would side with the Scots. There were no other castles west of us. Raby was a Durham castle to the north but it was Stockton which controlled the Tees. The manor of Piercebridge no longer existed. When King John had ordered the destruction of Stockton, he had taken the manor of Piercebridge for himself. Its lord had died with my father at Arsuf. Now the King’s chickens were coming home to roost. The Scots could head south and ravage Yorkshire. I sent two archers to warn Sir Ralph. He was close enough to Piercebridge to contest the crossing.

  It was November when one of David of Stanhope’s men rode in. “Lord the baron said to warn you that Baron de Clavering is heading south towards you with an army. We fought them close by the bridge over the Tyne but we were outnumbered and we lost. We retired in good order. They brought many banners. Eight knights fell and our lord was wounded. He said he was sorry that he had failed you.”

  “He has not failed me. Where is he now?”

  “Our barons retired to their castles. We are well stocked for a siege and already the ground hardens. The rebels will not eat well! The fields are empty of animals.”

  “Then return to your castle and tell the baron to remain hopeful. The Earl Marshal will not leave us without succour. I will dispute this land with de Clavering.”

  He left us on a fresh horse to return north and I sent for my knights and their men. Wulfestun, Norton, Elton and Hartburn were not strong enough to hold out against an army. My townsfolk were already warned and prepared. Our town now had two strong gates and a stone wall. King John might have prevented me from building a keep but he did not bar me from making my town as strong as it could be. While we awaited my knights’ families I sent Mordaf and Gruffyd north to watch for the rebels of the north.

  I would use our mounted men to meet them and, hopefully slow them down. I did not want them joining with the Scots. Once again, my son William wished to come with me. This time I had a more logical reason to refuse. “Your horse is not large enough and you would slow us down. When you are big enough to ride a palfrey then you may come.”

  That was an answer he could understand. My knights and their families began to arrive. They had left a token force to guard their halls but most of their archers and men at arms were with me. We had so many that we had to use the common for their horses and their camp. With just ten knights I knew that our banners would be outnumbered but we had more than a hundred and fifty men at arms and almost as many archers. The feast that night was more of a council of war.

  “We will meet them north of Thorpe at Far Layton.” There was a ridge of high ground there with the forests of Brierly which rolled towards Wulfestun to the east and the stream filled woods of Whitton to the west. Between them was open fields of, perhaps two hundred paces. We would have the slope with us and they would have to attack uphill.

  Sir Edward nodded, “It is a good place to fight and if we have to fall back then we are not far from Stockton.”

  “We will have to fall back. There were many banners. Our best hope is to slow them down and then let them break upon our walls. When Alfred sounds four blasts on the horn we fall back, in good order, to Stockton.” Good order meant that our archers would leapfrog behind us. Half would ride to the next ambush point while the other half slowed them down with arrows. That was the advantage of mounted archers. I wondered why others had not thought of this.

  “But what if they do not come that way, lord?”

  I smiled, “Fótr, the road was put there by the Romans for a purpose. It is the shortest route from the north to the south. They could head further west and cross the river at Piercebridge or even risk fording at Hurworth. Both strategies suit us for we could attack them as they crossed. Sir Ralph and Sir Peter will be waiting south of the river for them.”

  Sir William was close to his people. “If there is a siege, lord will not our people suffer?”

  “If we have to fall back then you will send riders to your folk and they can come to Stockton. The walls there are manned. I do not think that the men of the north will have siege engines. This is not a chevauchée. This is a battle to rid the land of us the enemies of the rebellion.”

  Sir Edward shook his head, “There is an irony here lord. You and I fled this land because of King John and his tyranny and yet here we are fighting for him.”

  “We fight not for the King but for England and his son. Henry is raw clay to be moulded. We fight one battle at a time.”

  The next morning, we headed north to travel the four and a half miles to Far Layton. We were at the farm of Summerville when my two scouts rode in. “Lord the men of de Clavering are camped at Bishop Middleham. They have ravaged and destroyed the Bishop’s hall. They are heading south. They will be close to Sedgefield soon.”

  They had travelled faster than I had thought. “David of Wales take all of the archers and line the ridge. If they approach before we arrive then slow them down.”

  “Aye lord.”

  “Mordaf, how many men were there?”

  “We counted fifty banners. They had, perhaps a hundred men at arms, twenty archers and sixty crossbows. The bulk of their men were the levy. They had a thousand of them.”

  “Rejoin David of Wales. We ride. Let us hope their levy slows them down!”

  We had just a mile and a half to travel. We reached the ridge and there was no sign of the rebels. David had divided the archers into two groups and they were hidden on the flanks and the fields which abutted the road.

  “Henry Youngblood, I want forty men at arms dismounted. They will be in two groups and protect the archers. Ridley, the rest of the men at arms will form up with the knights. We will have two ranks. Squires, you will be the third rank with spare spears.” Knowing that we would be fighting a battle I had brought Flame. I needed a warhorse. I dismounted and watched the road from the north.

  When they finally came, it was without scouts. They were confident. They had defeated one army. Mine, they knew, would be smaller. All those visits by Baron de Percy had been spying expeditions. He knew my numbers exactly. He would pay for his treachery sometime. I had a long memory and as Hugh de Puiset had discovered I did not forgive.

  Once we were spotted the host halted and a conference took place. De Clavering knew our numbers. He might expect some of the levy to be with us but as they knew the way I fought they would expect them to be behind me. They would have to respect my archers. I wondered what strategy they would employ to neutralize them. As they formed up I saw that they had chosen to match my archers with their crossbows, archers and levy. We had a chance. I would back my archers against any crossbowmen and our elevation gave my more skilful archers a longer range. They would be attacking us with a hundred and fifty horsemen. We would be outnumbered. We had to hit them so hard that they recoiled. That would allow us to fall back and for our archers to aid us.

  There was no talk and no preliminaries. Once they had formed their three lines a horn sounded and they began to move up the road towards the ridge. There were a couple of areas of dead ground but my archers were experienced. Our arrows fell upon their archers and crossbowmen before the rebels were in range. Men fell. I turned my attention to the horsemen for David and his archers would deal with the flanks. The rebels were four hundred paces from us. I shouted, “Forward!” and we began to walk down the slope. The rebels were still cantering. The energy was being sapped from their horses’ legs. When w
e were one hundred paces apart and the rebels were galloping I shouted, “Charge!”

  We were together in solid lines. We were stirrup to stirrup. I had intended charging the standard of John FitzRobert de Clavering but he had not led the attack. I could see that he was with his squires at the bottom of the slope. When we were fifty paces apart I lowered my spear. Some of the knights who charged us had lances and they had held them for longer than we had. I saw the ends of many of them dipping toward the ground.

  The knight I chose to hit was desperately trying to control his weary horse and raise his lance when my spear struck him in the right shoulder. His lance brushed my side. He tumbled from his horse. His body fell from my spear and I was able to ram it at the surprised knight who was following. He had an open helmet and my spear entered his skull below his nose. It was a mortal blow. The man at arms who followed was a veteran. He would not be caught out. He had a spear and I saw him pull his arm back. I used Flame’s power, speed and my control to suddenly switch to the man at arms’ left. His spear struck fresh air and my spear shattered on his shield. Flame leaned into his horse and the combination of my blow and Flame’s strength sent the rider and man at arms crashing to the ground. Mayhem ensued as the horses following fouled themselves on the horse and rider. I spurred Flame and hit a rider who had been labouring up the slope. He grasped the shaft of my spear as it entered his gut and tore it from my hands.

  There was no one between me and John FitzRobert de Clavering, Lord of Warkworth. “Alfred, with me!” Drawing my sword, I galloped towards the baron. There were no warriors between me and him, there were just servants. They ran at my approach. On the flanks the levy had been halted by my archers and were wavering. My knights and men at arms were engaged in a bloody mêlée behind upon the road. The battle hung in the balance. I shifted the balance. The baron had two squires and two men at arms with him. Only a madman would risk charging five men with just two.

  The Lord of Warkworth did not see two men charging at him. He saw the standard with the gryphon. He saw the man who had captured King William and defied a king. He saw me and he chose to flee. His two men at arms rode to face me as the baron, his standard and his squire fled. I was travelling so quickly that I had little time to think. As the man at arms spear smashed into my shield my sword hacked across his chest and bit through to the bone. The baron had a twenty-pace lead on me and Flame had charged for almost half a mile. I would not catch him. I turned to see Alfred ram my standard into the face of the other man at arms. As the man at arms reeled I turned and brought my sword across his back. His arms flew in the air and his back arced. Mortally wounded he tumbled from the saddle.

  The levy had seen their lord leave and they fled. As they ran my archers cut them down. Their knights and men at arms saw the flight on their flanks and they fled. At least those who could disengage fled. The rest yielded. They had been beaten and when a leader left you then it was time to surrender.

  I took off my helmet and sheathed my sword. Clasping Alfred’s arm I said, “Thank you, my son. That was bravely done!” There would be no recall. There would be no need for an orderly fall back. The rebels had counted on a quick victory such as the one against Durham and they had failed.

  Chapter 12

  The King comes North

  We had six captured knights. Twenty men at arms had surrendered. They did so because of my reputation as a fair man. King John would have had their hands lopped off for defying him. We sent our wounded and our dead back to Stockton while my archers mounted their horses and rode after the fleeing rebels to ensure that they did return home. Sir Fótr was the most seriously wounded of my knights. He had a badly gashed calf. Father Abelard was with us and he used fire to seal the wound. It would be an ugly scar but none save Maud would see it. He returned to Norton along with his wounded.

  Sir Edward pointed at the captured banners. “No de Vesci nor de Percy.”

  “They seek power. They are both looking for more than that which lies in the north. They will cling to Fitzwalter like leeches until they gain some estate in the south. We fight for England and they fight for what they can get out of it. I read the charter. It does little for the common man nor the ordinary lord. It serves to enhance the position of the twenty-five counsellors. Our position remains the same. We have gained little but we have lost nothing. My hope lies in the future King of England.”

  It was dark by the time we returned home. Maud had gone back to her husband. The threat was gone and my knights could safely return to their halls. Poor William was the unhappiest in my hall. While the rest rejoiced in the lack of casualties and the removal of the threat he was annoyed that he had missed what others were calling an easy battle. It had not been easy. It had hung in the balance. The enemy had been badly led. If de Clavering had been at the fore with his men they might have prosecuted their attack and overcome us. My reckless charge could have been halted. Five to two might have ended the threat of Stockton but my reputation was as big as my horse and men feared me.

  A week later news arrived from Sir Ralph that they had met and defeated a force of men heading south from Barnard Castle. They had three knights to ransom. The knights we had captured had been ransomed within three days. News had reached their families that King John was coming. If he had the power then they might lose their estates and their lives. I had no doubt that Sir Ralph would also be paid quickly.

  At the end of November news reached us that the Earl of Chester had retaken Carlisle and defeated a rag tag Scottish army. King William and his son were at Din Burgh where they were building up a larger army. He had learned that the English were hard to defeat; even when they were led by a bad king. Riders came from the Earl Marshal to keep us informed of the progress of the royal army. I learned that Prince Louis had sent knights to help Fitzwalter and I began to fear that the French would, while the King was in the north, invade in greater numbers. We did not relax our vigilance nor did we stop preparing for war.

  After the knights had been ransomed I gathered the captured men at arms. They had been treated fairly since the battle but had been kept under guard. None had tried to escape. My own men at arms and archers had spoken with them. Some knew each other from the campaigns against the Scots. I gathered them all in my outer bailey. I had Father Abelard with me. We had had a seasonal change in the weather. The first heavy frost had coated the castle in a white hoar shimmering cloak of ice.

  “You were all captured because your leaders left you. Your leaders were rebels. That does not make you rebels. You were following your lords. Your lords are not here and so I ask you a question. Who will swear that they are not a rebel and will support King John and his son Henry? If you refuse you will not be punished. At least not by me. Every man has the right to choose who he follows.”

  “And if we choose to reject rebellion then what will happen to us?” The solitary voice belonged to a sergeant who wore the livery of de Percy.

  I pointed to the gate, “Then you can leave and head south. There are barons who seek good warriors. I know you, Roger of Hauxley. You are a good warrior. A lord would be lucky to have you in his retinue. Your poor judgement in choosing de Percy should not be held against you.”

  I saw him smile and men laughed.

  He nodded, “Lord, you are right. Suppose a man chose to follow you; what then?”

  “A fair point.” I pointed to Ridley the Giant. “There is my captain. He is the one who chooses his shield brothers. You swear an oath to me but it is Ridley the Giant who commands my men at arms. Should any of you wish to follow my banner then when you have sworn speak with him. His word is final.” I saw Ridley nod.

  In the end it was not surprising that all chose to swear and all but five asked to join my retinue. The five who did not join us, left my castle and crossed the river. I suspected that they would become brigands or bandits. Ridley told me, later on, that those five would have been rejected by him anyway. Their lord had died and he had not been from the north. His manor had been clo
se to Norwich. I was relieved that we had no prisoners for when King John arrived he would not be in a merciful mood.

  By Christmas the King was at Nottingham. Although the south east was held by the rebels and the French were pouring men into England the King was capturing castle after castle. I was kept informed, not by the King but William Marshal. He knew that I was the key to holding the north. I did not relax my vigilance. Just because we had defeated the rebels of the north and the Scots did not mean that all was well. King William and his army were still poised. I wondered why he had not come south. All that I could think of was that he was waiting for the rebels to begin another attack. It was then I remembered our campaign against his own rebels. The King of Scotland lacked confidence. This offensive was his son’s idea. The old lion had passed his best years and it was the young cub we needed to watch.

  January brought two things, snow and the King. He did not stay with me. I was not offended. After all he had tried to eradicate Stockton Castle before now. He did call to thank me for my defence of Lincoln and the defeat of the rebels. It was hardly gracious but we did not like each other. He carried on to Durham. He was a careful man. He had brought his wagons with the crown jewels and the regalia of state. He feared for his position. The Earl Marshal and Prince Henry did stay with us much to the delight of my wife and Aunt Ruth. Prince Henry was as yet untainted by his father’s action. Both made a great fuss of him as did my daughters Rebekah and Isabelle.