The Dunston Blade

by John Daines

  “They shouted to us in English,” said Harold. “Between themselves I don’t know, it wasn’t French.”

  “You maybe right John,” said Philip.

  Harold and Jeffry went and cleaned themselves while John discussed the event with Philip.

  “How did they know we were here?” pondered John.

  “There are spies everywhere,” said Philip. “With the situation worsening in France we can expect more trouble. Now you have a new King maybe things will settle down.”

  John said that he did not think so as there was no love lost between the King and Philip of France.

  They rose early the next day and Philip gave Harold a description of the operation in Flanders and they visited his warehouse. John was pleased to see Harold take an interest in what Philip told him. Later at the Inn, after a day watching out for suspicious characters, John explained more of the trading agreement he had with his contacts in Flanders.

  “Next time we come we will bring more men and pay a visit to Bruges and the Hausman family,” he said. Returning to Yarmouth they visited Lowestoft and then journeyed on to Dunston. As they neared the village they stopped in a wood and John remembered the day that a man appeared out of this wood and changed his life.

  Smoke was rising from the smithy fire as they rode on towards the Castle, Harold blew on his horn and the drawbridge was lowered and the gate opened. Gavin and Joan were pleased to see them and they sat down to a generous meal. They stayed overnight continuing on to Wymondham the next morning. Waiting for John was a message from Sir Cedric to come to London for Longshanks entombment and he needed to talk to him urgently. Harold and Edmond entreated with their father to take them and in the end John agreed. Harold was growing up fast and now, as a young man he wanted to be more involved in the running of the estate. John’s thoughts turned to what to do with Edmond, as a second son he would not become the Earl and as Gavin was installed in Dunston it left little choice for Edmond. On the journey to London John thought of the unrest there was with the Barons and Nobles relating to their new King, meeting them in London will be very interesting.

  Sir Cedric was very welcoming when they all arrived in the City, he sat for some time talking to Harold and Edmond, while Ceolwen sat on his lap. The girl could twist him around her little finger as the saying goes. The boys had always looked up to him as they knew the story of how he met their father. London appeared to be a very exciting place to the two young men, and John had to be firm in not allowing them to roam alone. After a lot of wheedling and promises of future good behaviour John agreed to take them into the City, but to make the first part of the journey by boat. They arrived at Westminster wharf and walked to the Palace, it was a hive of activity as they prepared for the Coronation. They continued on to the Abbey and paid their respects to the tomb of Edward. As it was midday they found an Inn and sat to eat and drink, the atmosphere was quite lively even at this hour. Several scruffy women approached them with offers to help them enjoy London but John sent them away, Edmond wanted the ‘offers’ explained and when Harold started to tell him John stopped him. They visited a number of shops and purchased a pair of shoes for each of them. John noticed there was still a number of sick people on the streets and soon shepherded them back to the boat. He had also noticed that two men had been shadowing them through the day. Arriving back at the house John spoke to Sir Cedric and told him of the men and extra guards were posted. As night fell and the moon slid behind clouds three boats drew into the bank at the foot of the gardens. Dark shadowy figures crept ashore and overpowered the guards one by one. They found the doors locked and barred but managed to scale the wall and up onto one of the balconies, quietly forcing a window the crept into the house. Harold woke with a full bladder and as he relieved himself he heard a noise, there should be no one up at this hour so he awoke Edmond and taking his sword he opened the door to his room. There stood two men, he shouted as loud as he could and backed into the room to give himself space to wield his sword. He parried and sliced at the two men as a third entered and joined the fight. Edmond was fending off an assailant as best he could when there was a roar from outside a clash of steel and John came charging into the room in his nightshirt with his sword slicing into the men. John’s ferocity made his sword a blur as he despatched the men in the room he went out to assist Sir Cedric and the guards in finishing off the remaining intruders in the house. Harold looked at Edmond and he said, “Never ever make father that angry.”

  Candles were brought and they inspected the men who had intruded into the house. There was one still alive, but only just and as John questioned him his eyes rolled and his life ended.

  “Who sent them?” questioned Sir Cedric, who had an injury to his chest. “I’m getting too old for this.”

  “I am not sure,” said John. “We must search them and maybe we can find out.”

  Most of them had money so they assumed they were paid assassins.

  “What about those men who followed us,” said Edmond, nursing a cut on his arm.

  When dawn came they counted the cost, five of the guards in the garden were dead and two from inside the house. The boats had gone and they could find no evidence of their intruders in the grounds. The invaders in the house however did produce some clues, one man had a purse with a coat of arms and another had a scimitar instead of the usual sword. What all these clues meant John could not figure out. He went with Harold to Westminster and talked to the Master of Arms but he could throw no light on the coat of arms except that it was not English. The Palace was full of a sense of urgency as they finished the preparations for the return of the King and his new bride.

  They embarked on their boat and went further down river to the Tower. The building was now finished and John went to the place where the Mint was located and showed them some of the coins they had taken from the brigands. One of the men there recognised a coin from France that was not used now and another coin that was used in Flanders. John’s thoughts immediately turned to the Hausman family, but why pursue him to London, and with such force? John talked at length with Sir Cedric and felt that he should be at home in case of attack there. Sir Cedric understood and said he would represent him at any of the meetings with parliament or the King. So the Ivanson family left and went home quietly early one morning and were well clear of London before John called a halt.

  “We will rest here and make an early start in the morning,” he told them. “I want to be back in Wymondham as soon as possible.”

  They made good time back to Wymondham and once they were settled John talked with Tania about the events in London.

  “I will go and talk to Aelfraed and see if he has seen much activity at the docks and people moving inland,” he said. “I will take Harold and Edmond, the more experience they have of the land the better.”

  John’s first stop on their journey to Aelfraed was at Dunston where he talked with Gavin and discussed ways they could ensure their wool reached the right hands in Flanders. Gavin told him he sent guards with every shipment and so far they had had no trouble and reached the warehouse in Flanders. Gavin wanted to accompany them to meet Aelfraed and John agreed. Aelfraed was pleased to see them but said there had been little activity from Flanders and no noticeable numbers of men coming over. His spies in Yarmouth and Lowestoft were reliable so it was unlikely any one from the Hausman family were involved. After spending the night with Aelfraed and toasting anyone and everyone, it was with heavy heads they departed the next morning. John planned to go up the coast to Shipden as he had not visited this area and was one of the far outposts of his authority. They camped near North Walsham that night and John sent Harold into the village to find out as much as he could without raising suspicion. When he returned he was able to tell them that most of the peasants were under the control of a Knight called William Baudrette whom they hated. He lived in a Castle nearer to the coast and his father had come over with William of Normandy. John had not heard of him and Sir Cedric had never spoken of him
. John looked at his men, there were not enough to take on a real battle perhaps they could just call on the man in courtesy and hope he was not willing to clash with the Earl of the Shire who was under the King’s protection.

  The next day John dressed in the best clothes he had with him and they marched on to the Castle. As they neared it Alban blew a horn and the gates were opened, John noticed there were men on the battlements with crossbows and armed men stood around the gates. They entered a Bailey and a steward came to meet them. “Who comes unannounced with an armed escort to meet Sir William?” he asked.

  “I am Sir John Ivanson, Earl of Norfolk, and I am on my way to Shipden and wanted to meet Sir William, especially as he has not accepted any of my invitations to Norwich.”

  The Steward bowed and asked John to follow him, John signalled for Harold, Edmond and Gavin to accompany him. They were taken to the hall where a richly dressed man rose when the Steward announced them.

  “This is an unexpected visit,” said Sir William.

  “As I was in the vicinity I thought it would be right to call on you as we have not met,” said John.

  “It is true our paths have not crossed, we tend to keep to ourselves out here,” went on the Knight. “I was unwell when we received the last invitation to Norwich.”

  “I hope you are fully recovered now as I intend to call us all together again soon.”

  Sir William gave a thin smile and indicated chairs for them to sit. John explained he wanted the Shire to work together so all could benefit, the Knight made no comment and asked if they would like something to drink. John could feel his coolness.

  “We won't stay, as we still have some distance to travel. Perhaps I could come again on a more formal visit.”

  “If that is your wish, you will find our taxes are up to date. I am not sure what else we would discuss.” John’s temper was beginning to rise and Harold said.

  “We must leave sir if we are to reach Shipden on time.”

  John nodded his head at Sir William and turned on his heal heading for the door. The Steward jumped out of the way and scurried after him.

  “My Lord is not in good humour today but I am sure you will receive a warm welcome on your next visit sir.”

  John gritted his teeth and strode on.

  Once they were outside and mounted John spoke to the Steward.

  “You can tell your master that next time I come here I will expect the courtesy my rank demands, and no excuses.”

  They rode out of the Castle and John put his horse to the gallup to ride off some of his frustration. Calming down as they reached their camp John was not sure he had handled that in the best way. This man could be an enemy and he did not want more of those in his fiefdom. They carried on to Shipden and made camp just outside the town. John and Gavin rode into town and hunted out the mayor. He was a small portly man who was more bluster than action and as soon as he knew who John was began to try and please him, offering rooms in his house for John and his sons. John said he would stay with his men but thanked him for the offer. During the conversation it was obvious that he was afraid of Sir William and tried to keep out of his way. He let slip that a lot of money went from the town to William in so called taxes. John managed to gather some detail of what was going on. That night at the camp John, Gavin and Harold discussed what should happen next. Harold was all in favour of going back to the Castle and confronting Sir William, but John and Gavin pointed out they did not have enough men. The final decision was to go back to Wymondham and organise a large force to come back and stop the finance of the town being looted and to put Sir William in his place.

  From Wymondham John sent messages to the Sheriff of Norwich that he would visit the City in one month’s time, this would give time to anyone who wished to petition him to be there.

  Back in Wymondham John collected a large force made up with his own men and a contingent from Dunston. Gavin was to accompany him with Stephen and Tristan but Edmond was to go to Dunston and Harold to stay in Wymondham. John explained to his two sons that it would be good experience to be in charge for the time he was away.

  They arrived in Norwich with rumours flying around as to why John had come with so many men. They camped near the Castle, with John and his captains accommodated within. Sheriff Edgar also was inquisitive as to why John was there, all John would tell him was that he was exercising his men to prepare them for any event that might happen and as he was making for the coast it would give them some sea air.

  John stayed in Norwich for some days and received many petitions he also sent an invitation to Sir William to meet him there. They attended mass at the Abbey and by his presence made it known that as the representative of the King he demanded all their loyalty.

  Leaving Norwich they marched on towards Holt where they met the son of Baron William, David. He was a pleasant young man and had taken over his fathers lands. With Alfred, son of Hugo of Fakenham, they had become prominent members of the Norwich Council. Sitting in John’s pavilion the two young men reported that everything was quiet and normal up to Sheringham but beyond that towards Shipden there was unrest in the villages and the peasants were meeting in groups. Sir William was using his men at arms to try and keep order by using brute strength and stirring up more resentment. John told them he was there to put a stop to Sir William’s tyrannical rule, they both wanted to go with him . John’s army now increased with addition of their troops. Following the coast tracks they were soon in sight of Shipden. John turned inland and they made camp in a small forest. He sent outriders to keep watch on any activity. Sitting around the fire that evening John explained their strategy for the morrow.

  “I will approach the Castle and see if we can discuss the situation with Sir William, if this fails we must cut all roads to the Castle. If he fails to meet me then we have time to lay siege to the Castle. I would rather take this strategy than an all out attack where we would lose more men.”

  At that moment the guards brought in four villagers who had walked into the camp. They explained to John that they were fed up with the way they were being treated by Sir William and wished to ally themselves to John.

  “What do you think I am here for?” questioned John.

  “Sir, with all these men I would say you are going to capture Sir William and take him to prison,” said the leader of the group.

  “Then you would be wrong,” continued John. “I shall visit the Knight as a matter of courtesy but we are on the way to Shipden to see if the port needs to strengthen it’s defences. I am aware of the friction between you and your Lord but remember your position, he is your Lord and you toil for him. If you have a genuine grievance then make a case and bring it before the Sheriff.”

  The visitors stood in silence for a moment then turned and walked out.

  “That was hard talk Sir,” said Gavin. “I assume we are still going to capture Sir William.”

  “I am going to call on him, as I said, and I shall demand a change in what is going on here. If he disagrees, which I am expecting, then we shall make him see the error of his ways,” answered John. “I don’t want those villager to go back and tell everyone that we are attacking the Castle. Secrecy is the way.”

  The following day John set up a small camp not far from the Castle and sent a Herald to Sir William to come to him and discuss development of his land. The Herald was told to tell the Knight that the Earl would not take no for an answer. John and his men waited for over two hours, during this time they were spied upon by riders from the Castle. Eventually the Herald returned and reported to John that Sir William would come to him in the afternoon. While they had been waiting John had sent for his army to come nearer but to still keep in cover. Mid afternoon saw the Castle gates open and a group of horsemen appeared followed by a large troop of foot soldiers, they marched towards John’s camp and as they approached a second, larger group of horsemen joined them from the other side of the Castle. John and Gavin mounted their destriers in full armour and John’s mounte
d Knights and cavalry came out of the trees behind him. The edge of the wood also was suddenly filled with bowmen. Sir William’s troops lined up opposite John’s camp and a Herald approached. The message from Sir William was that this territory was his and his alone and he did not recognise the authority of John to interfere. John sent the man back with a terse reply.

  ‘Yield to your Earl or face the consequences.’ With that he signalled the bowmen to prepare. John saw the Herald reach Sir William and then the line started to move towards them. The bowmen were given the signal to loose and the first flight hit the advancing troops and men fell. Horses fell too which caused chaos in the ranks of the advancing men.The next signal was for the mounted men to advance, there was just time enough for one more flight of death from the sky. The mounted men hit the front of Sir William’s troops and the slaughter began. John rode forward with the rest of his foot soldiers and when they reached the fighting it was obvious that the battle would not last long as men at the back were already running away. Gavin was fighting Sir William and they were trading blow for blow. John pushed on towards them and just as he reached the fighting pair Sir William managed to find a gap in Gavin’s armour and his sword slid in. Gavin toppled from his horse and John took advantage of Sir William’s hesitation after delivering the blow and moved in to Sir William. His sword flashed in the sunlight and found its mark, Sir William’s head flew into the men still fighting and suddenly the fighting stopped. John dismounted and went to Gavin who was laying still, he removed his helm and saw that there was no life in his eyes.

  “Take him to my tent,” said John. He remounted and called to his men to follow him to the Castle and to pick up the body of Sir William and bring it with them. They entered the Castle bearing the Knight’s body, his Steward led the way to the Hall where they placed the body on a table complete with its head. Sir William was not married, which John thought probably was part of the reason he was so aggressive. The Steward said he and his wife would see to the Knight’s burial.