English Knight

by Griff Hosker

  A week or so after the bone fires we held our meeting and Garth rose. He had obviously had instruction from my father. “We are coming towards the end of the year and we need to make decisions.” He looked directly at me. “This manor is a poor one and until now your father has used his own coin to keep it going. It is your inheritance he is spending. Unless we can find a way of making an income from the land then we will run out of money in five to ten years.”

  I saw my father smile as my mouth dropped open. “Do not worry yet son, just listen to the steward.”

  “We will need to invest coin in animals. When the markets open in the spring we will travel to Yorkshire to buy cows and cattle. We will also hire drovers and herdsmen to watch over them.”

  “How does that create an income?” This was all new to me. I was a knight. Why did I need to worry about cows?

  “We can use their meat. Their milk we can drink and use to make cheese and butter. Their hides we can tan. Their young we can sell. Your father does not tax the tenants heavily; in fact he barely taxes them. Father Peter has told us that they would be able to buy cows and cattle from us if we had them for sale. Once they have the beasts then we can tax them more heavily and generate an income. We are investing for your future, my lord.”

  I nodded, “We need men too. If the Norman raiders come again we need to be stronger.”

  My father shook his head, “We need an income first. If we hire men then they must be paid. When you stop paying them they become a problem.”

  “But Branton and his men do not receive pay.”

  “They are oathsworn. They are the most valuable of men, my son. You have just Harold at the moment but eventually your name will attract others who wish to serve you.”

  I was not certain I could be that patient.

  Garth coughed and continued, “And we need a mill. In the spring we will buy wheat seed although we have been told it will not grow here Father Peter seems to think it will. With a mill we can sell our surplus flour to our neighbours.”

  Wulfstan spoke for the first time, “Neighbours is a word which suggests friends. I have seen little friendliness from our so called neighbours.”

  “You may be right but I am hopeful that we may discover friends to the south. We all believe that King Henry put us here for a purpose. One day we may discover what that purpose is.” My father was a patient man; I was less so. “And we will try to encourage those who pass through our lands to stay. There are many trades which we need in addition to a miller; we also need a moneyer as well. I dare say we can buy slaves to make cheese and butter.”

  “I need a falconer!”

  For some reason that made them all laugh. Wulfstan shook his head, “That is probably the last thing that we need. I suggest you send Aiden, in the spring, to see if he can get you a hawk chick. He has a way with animals and he may be able to train one.”

  William spoke too, “We now have enough stone at Stockton. We could lay the foundations for your castle before it becomes too cold for the mortar.”

  I became excited. “We should make a start then?”

  Garth nodded, “After the services on Sunday I will find out which men are available for labour.” I gave him a quizzical look. “Each of your father’s tenants has to provide a certain number of days labour depending upon their holding. The ones who live in Stockton, such as Alf may well give more time as it is in their interest for a castle to be built.”

  I looked at William. “And how long will it take for it to be built?”

  In my mind I envisaged weeks or months and I was disappointed when he said, “It will take years before it is fully completed but it should be defensible within a year.” He spread his arm around the hall. “It will certainly be stronger than this.”

  “Good then we will go tomorrow and lay the foundations out.”

  My father nodded to Ralph, “Ralph will go with you. He helped to construct some of the forts on the borders when we served the Emperor.”

  It was a cold and damp day when we reached Stockton. William did not seem put out by the weather. “We just need to peg out the lines of the walls and the tower. But I need to know both the shape and the size.”

  I looked at Ralph and Wulfstan for help. I had seen other castles but I had neither served in one nor attacked one. Wulfstan said, “A large square tower in a bailey with a curtain wall would be my suggestion.”

  Garth nodded. “There is plenty of room here and the wall can surround the smith and the other buildings. The river means that one wall does not need to be big. We could get away with one large gate.”

  William nodded, “That will save stone. And how big would you want the tower?”

  “Not too big; we will not have enough men to defend a large one.” Wulfstan was always a realist.

  William wandered to the river and waved Ralph over. They spoke for a while. When they returned Ralph said, “William has had a good idea. If we build the castle yonder in the bend of the river then we only need a curtain wall across the neck of land. We would dig a channel for the river so that the castle would be protected by water. That would save much stone and speed up the building process. He thinks that we could have a ground floor for the animals, a first floor for your hall and your quarters in the third floor.”

  “And the kitchens and servant’s quarters?”

  “Separate from the hall.” I gave him a questioning look. “You do not want fire near to your home.”

  I was so engrossed in the laying out of the castle that I did not notice it was drawing on to dark. I reluctantly mounted my horse and followed the others back to Norton. It was on the journey back, with the wind and rain howling around my shoulders that I realised how much I had changed. The cold and the wet did not bother me. I no longer yearned to be with the rich and spoiled aristocrats of Constantinople. I was happy living in a hall with an earth floor and no hot baths. I had become English.

  The long, cold winter passed faster than I would have possibly imagined. This was mainly due to my days being filled with training, hunting and building. I also spent as much time as I could with Wulfstan building up my body. I had, as Wulfstan said, been lucky. My combats had been short but I had been exhausted by them. I knew that more testing encounters would come and so I also toiled with the huge stones which William used to build my castle. He had a crane built to lift the stones and I joined the others to haul and lift the massive stones into place. Wulfstan told me, one night as we headed back to Norton, that I had gained the respect of not only the men at arms but villagers too. I was not a pampered knight and they liked that.

  One side effect, however, was that my armour became tighter and I was forced to visit Alf one cold morning around Candlemas. I went in my heaviest cloak to keep out the biting wind which whistled in from the east. He smiled more these days.

  “What can I do for you, my lord?”

  “I am afraid my armour is a little tight. I could just loosen the ties but that would mean it would no longer be a tight, protective fit. Could you add some scales?”

  He held his hand out and examined the armour. He nodded his approval. “This is well made war gear my lord. It is far superior to the mail armour I have made before.”

  “Are you saying you cannot repair it?”

  He stared at me, “My lord I am a good smith and if it is made of metal then I can fashion it. I just need to examine it and work out how to fit it. Could I have it for a couple of days?”

  I smiled, “So long as the Scots do not raid then aye.”

  He looked seriously at me, “My lord, it is not the Scots who are the problem.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He put the armour down and came closer to me. “I hear things. Riders passing through assume that the black smith is either deaf or stupid and I am neither. Olaf hears things and we talk during each evening. The men of Hartness sheltered those raiders who came last harvest time. They did not come from Scotland. They landed at St Hild’s and took shelter with the Baron De
Brus. He is their kinsman.” He saw the look on my face. “Aye my lord, the sooner you get this castle finished the happier we shall be.”

  “William the mason is working as hard as he can.”

  “I know my lord and he is doing a fine job.” He hesitated; now that he had begun to talk to me he seemed to have much to say. “Will you abandon Norton?”

  I shook my head, “My father is happy there and that is where the church is. No, I will come here and live.”

  “Will you have enough men to guard it, sir? No disrespect meant.”

  I was less prickly these days. I smiled, “None taken. No, I will not but the castle will not need a garrison for another year. Until then it will serve as another refuge in addition to Norton.”

  “Then we shall have to find souls who wish to live here and to fight for you sir.”

  “Are there such men?”

  He held up the armour. “This has given me an idea, my lord. There are iron workings south of the river. With the extra coins we have from your father, God bless him, I can afford to take on more workers. If I can make armour like this I can charge more than I can for mail. Those workers will be tough men and they can fight too.”

  “Good then I will tell my father of your good offices and if you hear of other craftsmen we can employ them too.”

  I looked at the river. “It is a shame that someone has not had the idea of building a ferry and transporting men across. It would save a long journey down to the ferry at Yarum or the bridge at Persebrig.”

  It was though a light had been lit in his eyes for he rubbed his hands together. “And I know the very man for that, my lord.” Enigmatically he left it at that.

  When I told my father my news he did not seem surprised. “We have much to do in the spring, my son. I have written a letter to King Henry to tell him of our progress and to inform him that we are building a second castle at Stockton.”

  “You have not accused De Brus have you?”

  He laughed, “I have an old head on my shoulders, Alfraed, it may not be wise but it is has experience. No, I have merely pointed out certain events and left it to the king to make a judgement. He struck me as a clever man.” He patted me on the back. “And I like your ideas for Stockton. Perhaps when you are there you can charge the ships for landing. Even a few pennies each landing would pay for men at arms and that is what we will need.”

  “Have you heard something, father?” We did not have many visitors who passed through our lands but enough to keep us informed of events outside our manor. I was rarely there and so I had to get my knowledge second hand.

  “There are rumours that many of the barons to the north of us are unhappy with King Henry spending so much time in Normandy. No one has said anything which is tangible. It will be interesting when the king’s tax collectors come north. We will pay but I am not certain about some of the other barons.”

  “What will the king do?”

  He shrugged, “I know the king is a clever man but I do not know if he is as ruthless as his father. William the Bastard would have slaughtered them all and sent loyal barons north. I hated William but I had to admire his strength.”

  “What was Harold Godwinson like? Would he have made a better king?”

  He nodded and his eyes looked watery, albeit briefly. “He was a hard man but he knew how to laugh and to live. His problem was that he lived amongst treacherous men. Even his own brother, Tostig turned against him. And he did not have the castles which now cover the land. You have shown a greater wisdom than I could ever have imagined in deciding to build a bigger castle to the south of here. You are a new kind of knight. You are an English knight but you have brought ideas which are fresh. That is how this land will be tamed and controlled. That and a strong right arm.”

  That evening as I lay in the hall listening to Osric snore I reflected on that. My father was a Saxon but I was not. I was English and that was different to all the other knights who surrounded us. I would have to make them all remember me.

  Chapter 14

  By the time the early flowers risked the chill cold of the north east we had a tower built which was as tall as Wulfstan. William began to build the gate and once that was completed then the villagers would have a refuge. I was desperate to move in but I knew that it would still be under construction for another year. Of course the work would be a little slower from now on as the men who had worked on it would be needed on their land. It was, however, a start.

  Leaving Garth with Branton and his men my father took the rest of us south to Yorkshire to visit the markets. We took spare horses and plenty of coins. None of us liked leaving Norton so barely defended but there were many things we needed to buy. Once across the river Egbert and Athelstan took the road to York. They had a letter to send and they would see what could be purchased there.

  We headed towards Northallerton which was just a few hours journey down the old Roman Road. Alf’s older brother, Ethelred, now operated a ferry and for a couple of pennies we had saved an hour’s travel. We now all bore the same coat of arms on our shields but, remembering Sir Tancred, I regretted not having surcoats to match. The Gonfanon which fluttered above us was held by Harold. It told all we encountered who we were. We would need squires too.

  The hills rose steeply to the east as we headed south west. Northallerton nestled in the fine farmland of Yorkshire. This was good wheat land and the manors hereabouts were rich ones. We expected to see fine castles and well armed knights. However we saw comfortable manor houses and prosperous farmers only. We did not see any castles as we headed south but we saw a deserted motte and bailey at Brompton. It showed that this part of the land was peaceful. It was a mere twenty miles from our manor and yet there was a world of difference. We saw many farms and they were built of stone rather than wood. Prosperity was evident everywhere.

  It had been the font of all knowledge, Alf, who had told us when the market was being held. Olaf was his brother in law and, between them, they knew all that was necessary.

  There was just an old wooden wall around Northallerton and no castle. While Ralph and my father headed for the animal auctions Wulfstan and Osric took the rest of us to the place where slaves and hired men were congregated. Wulfstan had an eye for slaves and Osric and I just watched. Poor Harold had been left with the horses and was missing the excitement of a market day in Northallerton. My father bought six female slaves. That seemed a great deal to me but he did not pay much. I would ask him later about his choices. Three were under twenty while one had some grey hairs. There must have been something about her which my father recognised as a talent which would be useful to us. He had spent some time with Faren and Father Peter before we had left Norton. He knew what skills we needed.

  We found six herders, all of whom were younger than I was and we hired them too. Things were going well. While Osric took them back to Harold, Wulfstan and I cast our eye over the unemployed soldiers. They were just gathered around the table which was serving ale. I noticed that few of them had full beakers and they sipped carefully. The exceptions were two who were roaring drunk. I did not need Wulfstan to tell me to avoid those two.

  We stood for a while and studied the rest of them. I beckoned over the girl who was serving drinks and asked for two barley beers. When they came I asked, quietly, what Wulfstan was looking for.

  “I am not bothered about a man’s clothes. He can fall upon hard times through no fault of his own. I do not mind a man with scars on his face. It shows he has faced danger but anyone who carries an injury is no good to me but the first thing I look at is a man’s weapons. They should be the best thing about him. A warrior who does not care for his weapons is no warrior. I have already whittled down our choices to four.”

  He finished his ale. “Come I have seen enough.” He gave me his serous look and wagged his finger. “Just watch and listen, my lord.” We wandered over to them. I noticed that they did not talk but looked in the bottom of the ever emptying beakers. He stood facing five men who were se
ated at a roughly hewn log table. “Would you men like a drink?”

  One looked up eagerly and said, “Aye sir.”

  “And the rest of you?”

  One, who had a badly scarred cheek nodded and said, “I can always use a drink but I only accept if I know the man or what I have to do to earn it.”

  The other three all nodded too. “Good. You need only listen to me to earn the beer.” Wulfstan nodded to the girl. He took a coin from his purse and handed it to the girl. “Bring these men beers.” When she had gone he said, “I am Wulfstan and I fight for Baron Ridley of Norton. It is a small manor north of the Tees. I am seeking men to serve in the castle and to fight for the Baron.”

  Even I could see that Wulfstan’s words had struck home. Their eyes brightened and they leaned forward. Their spokesman smiled. He pointed to the three men closest to him. “I am Edward of Derby, this is Alan my brother’s son, Scanlan of Doncaster and Richard of Whitby.”

  The warrior eager for ale piped up, “And I am Wulfric of Colchester.”

  Wulfstan smiled and shook his head, “I am not offering you work.”

  “Why not? I can fight as well as they can.”

  “You might but I hire no man whose sword is rusty and lies at his feet like a discarded bone. Have a drink on me but if you wish work then look to your tools. You are either a warrior or a drunk.”

  Anger flashed across his face and he looked to be ready to fight for he was drunk. However, he was not drunk enough to risk the wrath of the giant who towered over him.

  The ale came and Edward asked, “How much are you paying, sir, and what about weapons?”