Flodden, p.8
Flodden, page 8
“I must first visit with a friend in Knowsley but I will call in on the way back.”
“We will be here. We heard this inn was a good one and we will leave early in the morning and hope to be north of the Ribble by evening.”
I had done the journey and knew that he had chosen the wrong time to make the journey. Snow had not yet come in this part of the world but once in Westmoreland and Cumberland, his horses could expect to have to wade through drifts. Ned had good news when I visited with him for his wife, Rosemary, was with child. Ned had been paid, as we all had, by the county for our services at Threave and he had used the coins wisely. I did not stay long but left a gold crown to help with the child. Ned was one of my men and the bond was a tight one.
I dismounted at The Griffin and left White Star with the ostler, Matthew. He was one of my hobilars and would look after White Star well. John and his two companions were seated at a table and had just finished their meal when I entered. John introduced the two men and I instantly forgot their names for John looked as though he had news to impart.
“You remember, Stephen?”
“Of course.” Stephen, Sam and I were inseparable when we had served as Sir Edward’s billmen.
“He has been made captain of five hundred and has been commissioned to go with King Henry to France next year.”
“So King Henry finally goes to war. The rumours have abounded for some time.”
“He does. As he is now paying for the men then he must intend to fight. Emperor Maximilian has now joined the papal alliance and France could rue its decision to oppose the pope. There was a sea battle off Brest at the end of summer and, although we won, Sir Edward Howard was killed. King James has renewed the alliance with France. It will not be long before war comes to the borders. Already there is unrest.”
The news disturbed me but I recognised the cunning of Sam and I nodded, “You hope to use the unrest to get your wool at lower prices.”
He nodded and his broad grin told me that I had hit the mark, “The price for salted meat will rise and the farmers may well be willing to kill off some of their animals early to take advantage of the high price of salted meat and to be less of a target for raiding Scots. They cannot steal dead animals, can they?”
“A clever piece of business if it works. I take it you will be up around Carlisle and Hexham?”
He nodded and drank some of the ale before him, “We will and then we will cross to the west and take a ship from Newcastle back to Hedingham. We hope to have our skins with us and be home for Christmas but if not, we will still have a good New Year.”
I drank a pot of ale with them and we spoke of Sam and Stephen. “Give my old friends my best wishes. Tell Stephen,” I shook my head, “if he is the captain of five hundred then I need tell him nothing. I wish him well.”
I walked White Star the half a mile back to my hall. As I had not been asked to the muster then I would not be going to France but if King Henry was taking the best of his army to fight the French, then who would be watching the northern borders? Our rescue had shown me that the defence of the north was thinly spread. When I rode from Ecclestone to Lathom I passed many farms and each one teemed with men working them. We produced crops in this fertile part of England that needed many men to labour. The raising of sheep on open fells needed only a couple of shepherds. When war came it would be the men of Lancashire and Cheshire who would be called upon to stem the attacks and fields and animals would be untended. There was little point in bringing it up before Christmas but I knew that I would have to ensure that as much work was done before the call for the muster came. War was generally fought in the summer months. Spring was the time for sowing and Autumn the time for harvesting. Summer meant long days spent with an eye on the weather. I began to plan the crops we would sow. I needed crops that could be harvested in October or could be picked by women. I smiled, as I stabled White Star. When I had been King Henry’s spy, living in the court of Burgundy such thoughts would have been far from my head.
Ralf’s injury had improved. He still limped a little but he no longer winced when he walked. The wound had been a chastening experience not only for him but the rest of the men who had come with us. Ralf’s breeks had not been any defence against the bolt. While Ralf would be able to use plate armour when he led my hobilars his men would need protection. We had knee-length leather boots made for them. I used my own treasure to pay for them but as they were made by my tanner in the village it cost me little and the extra protection was worth it. The leather jack that they wore was also lengthened so that two pieces of leather, rather like a man at arms fauld, covered their thighs. It did not impair their movement and Ralf was happier knowing that they were better protected. Not all of my hobilars had helmets but my travails and battles had resulted in a collection of various helmets. A visit to Lathom also resulted in the steward finding old swords, spears and helmets gathered after the Viking raid. Considered too old-fashioned for most professional soldiers, my warriors for the working day welcomed them.
While I was there, I learned that Earl Stanley would be joining the king in France and he would not be returning to Lathom in the foreseeable future. Sir Edward would be the one commanding the levy from Lathom. For that reason, the steward was happy for me to ransack the armoury. Weapons and armour had changed in the last years. The swords and mail that had gone to war at Bosworth were now considered out of date. Lighter swords with basket hilts were becoming more popular. Helmets were now changing too. I cared not for even an old pot helmet, or old fashioned sallet could protect my billmen and hobilars. I knew who our enemy would be, the Scots, and that they were wild fighters. We might have more skill but my men’s heads needed protection and the helmets would guarantee that. The result was that, as Christmas approached and we drilled on the green, my men looked more like the company of billmen that Stephen led at Hedingham and less like the levy that they were.
The last practice was the Sunday before Christmas and my archers, hobilars and billmen paraded before Ralf and me. John rode with the hobilars and James, standing close to Ralf and I, looked enviously at the young man who had become part of our family. Despite the rain which pelted down, the sixty men of Ecclestone looked as professional a force as I had seen at the various battles I had been involved with.
“Men, I shall not see you for a fortnight while we enjoy the celebration of the birth of Christ but you have all earned a break from parading and practising in such conditions. I will not keep you longer. Go and enjoy an ale at the inn. I have put money behind the bar so that you may all have a drink on me.”
They cheered and we parted. As they left and the four of us headed back to my hall, I hoped that my father, looking down from heaven, would be proud of me and what I had achieved. I had almost ruined my life but something had changed me and made me into what I hoped was a better leader.
We celebrated Christmas well. We slaughtered three geese and one of the old sows who had stopped giving birth and we all dined in my hall. We filled the table. John had long since stopped feeling uncomfortable in the presence of those he saw as his betters. That was down to my children. Jane had brought them up well and they did not see themselves as any better or worse than anyone else. Ralf, too, was happy to be part of my family.
After Grace and as we tucked into the food which made the table groan, Roger, seated next to me said, “You are lucky, James, or perhaps made better decisions than I did. The Christmases my wife and I enjoyed, before you came into the family, were quiet and boring.” He leaned closer to me and spoke conspiratorially, “Mary liked to invite those she thought important, priests, lawyers and the like. Their conversations were dull beyond words.” He spread his arm around, “this is the kind of Christmas a man should enjoy. I fear that such celebrations will make me loath to leave and return to Clifton. Even a rebuilt hall will seem lifeless with just we two within.”
“And you need not leave, Roger. You are no longer a young man. Richard cares for the estate and having fought alongside him I know that he will run your estate as well as any. Build your hall but do not feel as though you have to leave here. Your grandchildren and your daughter enjoy your company as much as you do theirs.”
“Then you have put my mind at rest.”
It was after the feast that we gave gifts to one another. Most were homemade but I gave James, John and Walter, daggers which I had collected over the years. Jane’s eyes told me that she did not totally approve but she said nothing. The boys had carved bone and their sisters were given combs for their hair as were my wife and their grandmother. To me, they gave a finely made scabbard for my sword. It must have taken them weeks to do. The best present, however, came from Jane. When the gifts had been exchanged, she smiled and took my hand, “And there is one more gift to give on this day when we celebrate the birth of Christ. I am with child. There will be another in this hall come the summer.”
Better news could not be conceived, everyone cheered and it made the day even better. We drank more than was usual and we were all merry and happy. I worked out that the baby had been conceived on the day I had returned from Threave. It was meant to be. I cared not if it would be a boy or girl. So long as it was born healthy with the required number of limbs and eyes then I would be happy.
The news changed us all. Mary would be on hand to witness a child being born and my other four children were now old enough to realise the changes that a baby would make in a household. It also had an effect on Ralf. I knew that his wound not only made him think about his mortality but also about the mark he would leave on this earth. I had once been like Ralf, young and single with none to worry about. Now I had children and I hoped that they would have children so that the line that Jane and I had begun would continue. He started to think about his own family. He was an orphan and had neither brothers nor sisters.
When the first snow came and he and I walked my fields to ensure that there were no animals left without shelter he spoke to me. “Captain, how did you meet Mistress Jane?” I told him. “And how did you know that you and she were meant for each other?”
I stopped and looked at him. I had never thought about that, “A good question, Ralf, and I had not thought about it before.” I rubbed my chin and said, “I liked Jane and found that I wanted to be with her more than with others. If that does not sound romantic then I am sorry. I was not brought up with tales of heroic lovers. We were just comfortable with one another.”
He nodded, “You know Elizabeth, the tanner’s daughter?”
“Aye, she is a comely girl with a wicked sense of humour.”
He laughed, “I know that to my cost. When I visited with him to arrange for the boots to be made, she took great pleasure in sending me past the place they soaked the hides.”
I laughed. The tanner used urine to make the hides pliable and he had the vats around the back of the house for the stink was awful. Elizabeth had deliberately made him endure the smell. I said nothing.
“Rather than being offended, I liked her spirit. I enjoy being with her for she makes me smile.”
“Have you said anything to her or her father?”
He shook his head, “I have nothing to offer a young maid, Captain James.”
“You have, you have the stipend I give you and if you wish for land and a home then we have enough men to build you one.” I waved a hand at the snow, “Now, of course, is not the time but…”
“She might not even want me. She is the prettiest girl in the village and I know that there are others who have more to offer.”
I nodded, “Ralf, you are one of the bravest men I know. Up the Tweed and the Till, you fought as bravely as any. On the Esk, you stood alone with me and faced a warband of Scots. Are you truly intimidated by this young maid? What is the worst that could happen?”
“I could have a broken heart which is harder to mend than a bolt from a crossbow.”
“Aye, you are right there but a heart can heal and at least you will know. The longer you delay the more likely it is that another suitor will strike.”
“I have not said that I wish to be a suitor.”
I laughed, “Yes you have. Think about what I have said and if it is just a roof over your head that you worry about then do not. We can remedy that quickly but you need to decide if this is what you wish and if this is the woman with whom you will spend the rest of your life.”
That evening I told Jane what Ralf had said, “If Elizabeth played such a trick on Ralf, then it was to attract his attention. You men do not understand women. Ralf is an attractive young man. Other women in the village look at him with admiring eyes.” She shook her head at my expression of wonder, “You do not think that when we sew in my parlour we talk of cross stitching and yarn do you?”
The next day I watched Jane as she found the time to speak alone with Ralf. I did not interfere but smiled when I saw him blushing. When he joined me to practise, along with James and John I knew he had something to say to me. After we had finished sparring and while James and John put away the weapons he said, “Mistress Jane has spoken to me and her advice was sage but how do I proceed, Captain James?”
“You have two targets in this campaign, Ralf, Tom the Tanner and Elizabeth. Which one do you think you should approach first?”
“That is clear, Elizabeth for if she does not return my affection then I need not risk the wrath of Tom.”
“Then you have your answer.”
It was a week later that he plucked up the courage to speak to Elizabeth and my wife was quite right, she had been waiting for an approach. He then spoke to Tom to ask his permission to court his daughter. I think Ralf was taken aback by the fulsome welcome he received. The courting began and Jane and I knew it would just be a matter of time before they wed.
It was interesting to look at the courtship with detachment. One day James would find a bride and Eliza, my eldest, would be courted by a young man. I wondered how I would react to their potential partners. Ralf was courteous, even shy and it was Elizabeth who was the more forceful of the two. Jane knew the girl well and told me that it was a good thing. “Every marriage needs two who have differences. I know that I am quieter than you, my sweet, yet our marriage is harmonious is it not?”
I had not thought of that but she was right. “I did not think I was the louder.”
She laughed, “It all depends on what you speak of. I am not criticising. I think it was one of the reasons mother took against you. She thought you were brash and loud. You are not and she has learned the errors of her ways but Ralf and Elizabeth fit well. He might be the sharp sword but she is the pretty and well-made scabbard that will protect him.”
I was a lucky man and I knew it.
Chapter 7
Lancaster Castle 1513
The wedding was arranged for Easter. It was a propitious time. The fields had been sown and new animals were being born daily. Ralf was so popular that every man in the village had pitched in to build them a home. The land I gave him was a pleasant corner bounded by a small copse and a pond. It was not suitable for farming but his income from me would provide enough for him and Elizabeth to be comfortable. Roger gave him ten crowns. His fortune had also grown over the winter and the wool sold by Richard had yielded great profits. As he had not begun work on the new hall, he had money to spare. It was his way of thanking the man at arms for his efforts at Threave. The whole village celebrated and, unusually for Easter, the weather was benign and the celebrations spilt out onto the green. It was a perfect way for the couple to begin a life together. They looked made for each other and John and Betty looked happy that their only child had married so well.
The dark clouds appeared just a week after the wedding. I was summoned to Lancaster by Sir Edward and I knew what that meant. War.
I did not take Ralf for he and his new bride were busily setting up home. I took John and James. James because he wanted to be a warrior and John because he always looked after James. He had become a sort of big brother. James had grown over the winter and was now approaching John’s height. He was able to ride a horse rather than a pony. We did not ride armed for war but we went prepared. We had woollen hats upon our heads and cloaks wrapped around us. We all carried swords and daggers but I thought it unlikely that we would need to draw them. I also had the other two pack as I did, spare breeks. The Roman Roads we used were cobbled but the minor roads were constructed of compacted clay and soil. After a benign Easter, we had endured three days of rain that, while welcomed by the farmers, made the roads muddy and slippery. We would be filthy when we reached Lancaster Castle and I did not wish us to appear like beggars at the feast.
For James, it was an adventure and he pictured himself, I am sure, going to war with a sword and cloak. For John and me, it was something to be endured.
The first thing I noticed when I reached the castle was the increased number of men wearing the Stanley livery, the yellow and green with the eagle claw was a very distinctive one. Most were new men and until I was recognised, we were viewed with suspicion. When the steward was fetched, he had our horses stabled and we were taken to a small chamber. There was one bed and two paillasses. It might not be the adventure that James hoped it would be. We changed into clean breeks and took advantage of the jug of water, bowl and clean towels to freshen up.
“You need to know that you may well be used as servants. The squires of nobles act as such and if you are asked to serve at the table you should do so.”
“But do we get to eat, father?”
I laughed, James was a typical growing youth and was never full, “Of course, but it will be in the kitchen and you will be eating that which those at the tables have not eaten.” James’ face fell. “Do not worry, there will be plenty of it. Be kind to the cook and who knows what treats may come your way.”
It was a martial gathering. I saw, next to Sir Edward, the Earl of Surrey, Sir Thomas Howard. The earl’s two sons, Thomas and Edmund were there too. I was seated at the low end of the table with the other commoners. As I had expected my son and John were given the task of serving at table. They brought food to the commoners at the end of the table. They both looked as though they regarded the task as an honourable one and carried their platters proudly. I was seated with the gentlemen of Lancashire and Westmoreland. I enjoyed their conversations for these were warriors who would fight to protect the land in which they lived and not for the hope of enrichment. They knew, better than any, the dangers of a Scottish invasion and it was clear that all knew the Scots intended to raid. Most were keen to return to their homes to prepare their defences. Lancaster, Craven and the Forest of Bowland might be many miles from the border but the Scots could move swiftly when they chose. They had all heard of my rescue of Roger and Mary. They knew of Sir John Maxwell and feared him.
