Wolves in Armour nc-1

by Iain Campbell

  William inclined his head. “I do have a copy, thank you for the offer. Perhaps I need to read it again! What of being ‘the king of Tendring Hundred’?” he asked with a smile.

  “That’s not a big kingdom!” replied Alan. “As you said, Tendring, like England, only has one king- which is not me! Certainly I have some influence there, your gift of manors and jurisdiction in the Hundred court made sure of that. The Danish raiders provided both an incentive and an opportunity. The Hundred learned that the sheriff would not act to protect them, and when they protected themselves they won booty, mainly in weapons, that was distributed amongst those who fought. Myself and my Norman retainers have spent some time teaching the fyrd how to fight, and they’ll give a good account for themselves next time they’re in the battlefield. My men are your men, and the fyrd when next called out will do well.”

  “When next called out by whom?” asked William, tilting his head to one side in query.

  Alan smiled. “To be honest, probably by me. FitzWymarc had the opportunity in the spring to protect the shire from the Danes. He sat at Colchester and did nothing. The shire residents remember that and also remember who did take up the challenge. I have my obligations to you and also to my people. As regards fitzWymarc, there are seventeen Hundreds in Essex. If you make a full call for the fyrd, I expect my men, from one Hundred, would account for a quarter of the total who respond- and who will all be trained and properly equipped, not arriving at the battlefield with pitch-forks and scythes and no idea what to do. The fyrd fitzWymarc raises cannot protect the shire. The fyrd I raise from my Hundred can and has.”

  William sighed and said, “I’m told to beware of your political ambitions.”

  Alan laughed. “I have no political ambitions. I made my oath of homage to you. I hold eight manors. I seek no more. I don’t want to be an earl. That’s too much work and too much responsibility. I’ve been quietly sitting in my little corner of England causing as little trouble as possible, while looking after my people, Norman and English, and doing my duties as best I can. Some Normans seem to think that the law and accepted practice don’t apply to them. Even in Essex we have been hearing of Hugh fitzGrip’s pillaging of Dorset, apparently in your name as he is the sheriff, and fitzScrob in Hereford.”

  William snorted and said, “And your ‘army’ in Essex?”

  “I’m not sure that you can call 26 huscarles and 20 mounted men-at-arms an army,” replied Alan. “Most armies have more than 50 men. These are more than I can afford from the revenues of my estates, but my wife and her family are wealthy merchants and at the moment are prepared to support the military men I have raised to support the defence of the Hundred- from their money, not mine. My obligation is six men, which I can afford,” said Alan, blithely ignoring the truth. “I had to take possession of three of the manors you gave as part of my honour from the family of the previous landholder, and my men had to kill two of those who felt they had a better claim. One was killed by my Englishmen as he attacked me with sword drawn. Most of my ‘army’, led by two of my Normans, is garrisoning those three manors to keep the locals in line.”

  “My Norman lords tell me that you ‘have gone native’ and become more English than the English.”

  “Hardly! I have four Normans in charge of my troops. As you yourself know, finding Normans in the army who will act reasonably and honestly and cause their lord no difficulties is like finding gold on the beach. By definition, the Normans and Frenchmen who have come here are ambitious men seeking money and position. I don’t have a problem with that, but many men are going outside of what is acceptable behaviour even for invaders. I count myself lucky to have the four I have. As for the junior officers and spear-fodder, the English do well enough for that. I speak their language, which I need to do if I want to understand them and be able to give even simple instructions to a spearman. Even with a quite liberal policy to my geburs and thegns I find I still need the mailed fist inside the velvet glove.

  “I have preferred, in the Hundred court, claims by English against the men of Bishop William. Ordering an English servant to severely beat the steward of a neighbouring thegn who is relaying a complaint, or a Norman servant who blatantly rapes an English maid of good repute in a neighbouring village, is not acceptable to me as Justice of the Hundred court. If you expect a different approach, I’m happy enough to resign and you can appoint who you wish. Even on campaign you regularly hang those of your soldiers caught in rape- without the benefit of a trial. You forbade me to hang Normans or French, so I used the penalty you specified- blinding and castration. It wasn’t my fault that the man died after his own lord turned him out after we returned the felon to him after punishment.”

  “And you’ve taken an English wife, I hear.”

  Alan nodded and said, “I’m not alone in that, both before and after the conquest. Until the Norman lords returned with you this week, England wouldn’t have had a handful of eligible ladies from Normandy, Maine, France, or wherever. England has a surfeit of young eligible women of quality, at least 1,000 of them widows of the thegns killed at Stamford Bridge and Hastings. Most currently have a dislike for us ‘Frenchmen’, but the bartering of brides, particularly those with land, has already begun and I’m sure will gain pace now that the great lords who accompanied you to Normandy have returned.

  “I understand that there is a rush for places in nunneries by those seeking to avoid the marriages arranged for them. Arranged marriages are usual of course, but not usually in return for cold hard cash! My lady Anne was in the process of being sold off by fitzWymarc to an elderly Norman knight who has a reputation for beating his wives to death. She was reluctant to acquiesce and saw me as a viable alternative. There is some question regarding her estate of Wivenhoe, which I would ask that you resolve. Her former husband Aelfric held the manor for over ten years. He died at Stamford Bridge. He paid no laen, no rent, to anybody, but the land ownership book cannot be found and I expect that Earl Ralph the Staller will shortly be seeking an audience with you, if he hasn’t already, claiming that land is his to dispose of as he wishes. It would cause me some difficulty, and a potential conflict of my interests to you as your man, if I had to swear fealty to Ralph for Wivenhoe.”

  “You would have taken Anne to wife whether she had Wivenhoe or not?” demanded William, apparently living up to his reputation as a man who gave nothing for nothing. Alan frowned and nodded. Before he could say anything further the king continued, “Well, let’s remove that potential conflict and give the land to another needy Norman knight.” William looked closely at Alan for his reaction.

  Alan thought for a moment and then said, “That would be… ungenerous, particularly given I have already paid a Redemption Relief on the land of four times its value.”

  “I’m not known for my generosity,” rejoined William.

  As Alan paused for reflection he made a non-committal gesture with his hand. He couldn’t tell if William was being serious, testing him or enjoying himself by making an underling uncomfortable. “I had intended to raise with you a separate matter after our other business was concluded, but it may be best to raise it at this time.” Alan paused again, leaning forward with his elbows on the table and rubbing his chin reflectively with his right hand. “When we defeated the Danish raid earlier in the year we took a certain amount of booty, which in the main I distributed to the men who fought, and fought well, to earn us that victory. I’m sure that most gambled, whored or drank it away in days, but that’s the way of soldiers.

  “Amongst the booty I have eight Danish longships. I would like to keep two myself, for local transportation, but I had intended today to make a gift to you of the other six. Since 1051, when King Edward disbanded the small fleet he had, England has had nothing more than what trading ships can be requisitioned at short notice. These longboats are warships of twenty oars, ten aside, and are able to carry sixty men. If armed with cross-bows they would be a formidable force. If I did have political pretensions, I’d ret
ain these until I became the earl of East Anglia!

  “With these, you could protect the shipping moving between Dover and Calais, which would allow the ladies of the royal court to move backwards and forwards without risk, other than from storms- and if you can’t get a ship captain who can tell a storm is only two hours away he shouldn’t be in charge of the transport. If the weather is good they could sail up to London, which would be quicker and more comfortable than riding from Dover. You’d need to crew the ships of course. I don’t have the men, which is why they are laid up at Thorrington, so don’t ask me to contribute. But a levy of one man from each manor in Kent, Middlesex and Sussex, and the hiring of six professional captains, perhaps Norwegians, should take care of that. Normandy and England have no professional fighting fleet. The English are paying a massive amount of money in Danegeld for protection- it’s not just a tax. They’re not getting anything in return.

  “I sold a couple of boats in Norway after I captured them. What I have been doing in Essex, on your behalf and that of the people of my Hundred, does not come cheaply and really is a royal, or at least an earl’s, responsibility. I received?57 for each ship sold- which would be?342 for six. As proof of my loyalty, you can have the six ships for nothing. When and not if the Danes come, you’ll need them- and twenty or thirty more besides.”

  William looked at Regenbald who commented, “Having warships to escort the transport and passenger ships and the trading ships will give much heart to the nobles and their wives who are travelling in dangerous conditions. Wind, tide, storms and pirates are all something they have difficulty in dealing with. Small groups of a dozen or so people would be able to travel on the warships themselves. A naval force at Dover would also encourage the merchants to be more active as they would have better protection.”

  William gave Regenbald a flat look. “What the merchants want is not high on my list of priorities, but making travel safe between Flanders and England would be useful.”

  William was transferring his gaze to Alan when the latter interrupted and said, “You discount the benefits of the merchants too much, my liege. A successful trading voyage sees the crew spending perhaps?50 in wages and share of profits in their home town. The merchant will spend several hundred pounds buying cloth, or wool or whatever is to be exported, a substantial part of which finds its way into your coffers as taxes or other fees that you charge. Some finds its way into the coffers of your knights and is used to support their services to you.

  “Most particularly, a laden merchant ship coming into one of your ports will pay port taxes, excises, import taxes and so on of perhaps?50. Each week there will be perhaps 25 or 30 vessels arriving, from which as I said you probably receive on average?50 each. That’s over?1,000 a week to the royal treasury. That amount is four times as much as you receive from your royal estates. It’s not an amount to be discarded just because you dislike the merchant class. Money is money and it matters not where it comes from.” Here Alan was talking William’s language.

  “Regenbald, every time I talk to this man he talks sense, even if I don’t agree with him,” said the king. “I know that he’s on the Curia Regis. Put him on my Inner Council. As for Wivenhoe, forget it- the Charter will be in your hands tomorrow. I intended to reward you for your loyal actions with the grant of manors in Herefordshire along the Welsh border, with a view to keep you too busy to cause any more problems. I’ll get Regenbald to give you the details of those fiefs. Perhaps your novel ideas are worth the problems they cause and you’re better left in London. How would you treat the problems with the Welsh and with this Eadric ‘The Wild’?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve been too busy with affairs in the east. I can look at it and make some suggestions in two to three months,” replied Alan.

  “Two to three months. I thought you were going to say two to three days,” said William with some asperity.

  “The English have been fighting the Welsh for 500 years and you want an answer in a week?” rejoined Alan cheekily.

  William pulled a wry face and replied, “Yes, perhaps it’s not an easy answer.” After a pause he continued. “On a different vein, I’m having a Hunt in two days time. A big affair with lots of beaters- deer, boar and so on. You’re invited. Also, William de Warenne’s wife, Gundred of Flanders, is holding a soiree tomorrow night. I’ve given instructions to ensure that you and …Anne, isn’t it?… are invited. It appears we need to have you brought back to the fold of us Normans.”

  “I’m not sure which will require more nerve, dancing or going out where I’m likely to get an arrow in the back,” said Alan sardonically. William raised an eyebrow in question. “Hunts are notorious places for ‘accidents’. And I hate dancing,” explained Alan. William smiled sympathetically.

  Later that day, despite Alan’s objections, Owain took Alan to an armourer on Coleman Street and arranged a padded vest to be made, with metal plate inserts, to be ready the following morning. Owain was as aware as Alan of the risks of Hunts and the opportunities to dispose of opponents, and with Anne’s agreement he brooked no refusal. Alan agreed, as long as he could also wear the armoured vest to the dance. Anne refused, as she thought that the ladies were unlikely to put a knife in his ribs during the dancing. His dancing wasn’t that bad.

  The soiree was held at the Great Hall in Westminster. Just as most of the Norman nobles had accompanied him to Normandy during the summer months, now they had returned with him, many with their wives. William’s wife Matilda had not yet journeyed to England as her husband was not prepared for her to risk the winter storms even for a journey of twenty or so miles.

  Again conservatively dressed, Alan and Anne joined the short line for an introduction to William de Warenne and his wife Gundred. Gundred took Anne aside for a brief chat and then arranged for Alan and Anne to be introduced to the Normans in the party by Roger Bigod, the sheriff of Suffolk and who Alan had already met, and his wife Alice, of the de Tosny family.

  Alice was about 22 years old, took Anne in hand and disappeared with her into the crowd.

  Alan and Roger both took a cup of wine from a passing servant. Both drained them at a gulp. Alan sighed. Roger commented, “You appear to still be standing in the sun with the king.”

  Clapping an open hand on Roger’s shoulder Alan replied, “We are two honest men together. A rarity in England today! Yes, I’ve spoken to the king. I’ve been promoted to his Inner Council, where we’ll discuss a load of shite that has nothing to do with the proper working of the kingdom. Thanks for forwarding the depositions of complaint I gave to you.”

  “My job,” replied Roger briefly.

  “But not that easy! The king is aware of your actions and honesty,” said Alan.

  “You got in before I could be corrupted, and having an alternative option was beneficial. If Earl Ralph had put pressure on me before you did, who knows what I may have done? If nothing else, I can demand a higher bribe next time! By the way these two young gentlemen with me are Gilbert d’Aufay and Raoul Boutin. Raoul is a man of Richard fitzGilbert of Clare and Gilbert came with Count Robert of Mortain.” Both the men introduced were in their mid-twenties.

  “Then my visit to you was a timely intervention on my part!” replied Alan, sipping at another cup of wine that had been delivered, before clasping the arm of each of the two men he had been introduced to. “How are you two getting along? You both have fiefs?”

  Raoul nodded and replied, “I hold Haughley in Stow Hundred in Suffolk from Richard fitzGilbert, and Gilbert has a manor in Herefordshire. We were just discussing the problem of ruling a manor, and indeed a country, where every man hates you.”

  “I’m sure that the ‘king of Tendring’ can give you some hints,” said Roger with a twinkle in his eye.

  Alan pulled a wry face. “Remember two simple things. Firstly that, apart from a few slaves, all the men and women on your manors are freemen and freewomen with rights before the law- they are not villeins or serfs. Also, most of the slaves only have that sta
tus for a short period until they have paid off the debt or fine that gave rise to their bondage. Secondly, pay respect to the traditions and laws of the villagers and the English in general. Now Gilbert, where is your manor? I’ve just been lumbered by the king with four manors on the Welsh border, so it seems we’ll be neighbours of a sort.

  “My manor is at Burton, in the Golden Valley,” replied Gilbert. Both he and Raoul were agog that somebody of apparently modest mean, not mixing with the great lords, could see the gift of four manors from the king’s own hand as being a nuisance rather than the ultimate accolade that a knight could receive.

  “Your manors are to the west of Hereford, so there’s probably not much left after Bleddyn of Gwynedd and Eadric cild have been burning most of the shire during the summer and autumn. That’ll keep you busy,” said Roger with a grimace.

  “That’s the king’s idea, I think,” said Alan with a scowl.

  Roger continued, “Gilbert here was just saying that with any luck most of the English thegns won’t be able to afford their Relief and there’ll be more land parcelled out to good Normans. Perhaps earls Edwin and Morcar will fall out of favour and their lands will also be redistributed.” Here Roger pointed a finger to a small group of Englishmen who Alan hadn’t noticed so far.

  “Indeed,” replied Gilbert eagerly, as Roger and Alan gave them a nod and began to move away through the crowd.

  As they moved away Alan commented “What a fucking mess! We have people like you and me who do our job and try to preserve the kingdom. And we have the robber-barons who extort every penny they can for their own benefit, including a half-brother of the king. One senior baron, who led one wing of the attack at Hastings, decides in a huff to attack the king’s own castle at Dover, because he thinks he should have been appointed castellan, and then tries to blame the Kentishmen! Osulf of Northumbria, of the Bamburgh family, murders Copsi the king’s appointed earl, and then a month or two ago gets himself killed by bandits. And the Normans are lining up like vultures to take every manor they can. Let’s get some benefit from this evening. Can you conduct me around the room and introduce me to the various counts and nobles? I’ve seen most of them at a distance and it may be helpful to meet them socially- outside of business, as it were.”