Conquest (39 page)

Hereward interrupted Edmund’s account. ‘Is no one gathering the men together and organizing them?’

‘We are trying, but it is difficult. We lack a leader. Sir, we need you back in England.’

Edmund finished by describing Edith’s attempts to form a coherent group to begin a rebellion. Edwin and Morcar had pledged Northumbrian and Mercian forces to the cause. Harold’s sons had a few hundred men in Ireland and would sail as soon as summoned. She had an agreement with the Danes that they would set sail if an English rebellion began, but there had been no commitment from the Scots or the Welsh.

‘What of the men of the southern earldoms – how many housecarls could be mustered?’

‘It is difficult to estimate. Another winter has passed and skirmishes go on all the time where men die. William has ordered searches for weapons and armour. If any are found, all men of military age in that household or village are executed. Hundreds must be in hiding, but we don’t know exactly how many.’

‘How many men are at Glastonbury, or could be available upon our return?’

Edmund, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news, gulped a little. ‘Five, maybe seven hundred.’

Everyone was shocked.

Hereward tried to hide his disappointment. ‘Not an army of biblical proportions!’ He paced around in circles, deep in thought. ‘If that is the number in the south, those in Ireland make it a thousand. Edwin and Morcar should be able to muster two thousand more. If we can attract a few sturdy men back from their mercenary endeavours overseas, we have the beginnings of an army. It depends on their quality and whether they have the stomach for the fight. Remember, things went against us on Senlac Ridge by only a few minutes and a few hundred men.’

‘You are right, sir. If you will return and lead us, we have a chance.’

‘Thank you, Edmund. Worry not, I intend to return and fight. England is too precious to me; I cannot grow old and fat here as her lifeblood drains away.’ He paused, deep in thought. ‘Would it be possible to raise the Fyrd – or, at least, some of them?’

‘Some would come but, I think, in small numbers. Besides, if many came, we wouldn’t have the resources and organization to look after them, or use them effectively; they might be more trouble than they’re worth.’

‘You’re right. Thank you for your excellent and candid report. Stay close to me over the next few months; I’m going to need men like you.’

‘I am yours to command, sir.’

‘What about you, young Edwin?’

‘I’m going to fight with you, sir … if you’ll have me.’

‘I will. Stay close to Alphonso and Einar; watch what they do, and follow their orders to the letter. Do you understand?’

‘Yes, sir.’

Hereward took a deep breath. ‘From what we’ve heard, we must make for the North of England. It is beyond William’s immediate reach and is Edwin and Morcar’s stronghold. We can sail around the south-west coast and meet Harold’s sons in Ireland on the way. The North is also a good place to meet representatives of the Danes. Einar, that is your homeland – what do you think?’

‘It is a good plan. Most of the wealth is east of the Pennines, but William may well have York under his heel by now. The same might be true of Chester, although you
could make contact with the Welsh from there. Lancaster may be too far north, but there is a settlement at a place called Preston, near the mouth of the River Ribble. Although it is isolated, it is on the westerly route to Scotland. York is due east, accessible by an ancient track through the Pennines via a hamlet called Skipton. It is a place I know well; it is where I was born.’

‘There could be no finer recommendation, Einar. We will make landfall in England at Preston on the Ribble, in the earldom of Northumbria. Edmund and Edwin, return to England as quickly as you can. We have much to do here, but we will follow as soon as we can and rendezvous in exactly one month. Tell Edith Swan-Neck to stay where she is; there are too many spies around and we don’t want to alert William. Bring only two hundred men to Preston, but be sure they are the best available; all must be trained housecarls, fit and eager to fight. We must have a small and mobile baggage train; no wives, children, camp followers of any kind.

‘Finally, and this is important, tell no one where they are going; just tell them that they are to meet me in the North to form a new army. They should expect to be away until the autumn harvest at the earliest, but that is all you can tell them. Is that clear?’

‘It is, sir.’

Much needed to be done at St Cirq Lapopie before the departure for England.

To Hereward’s surprise, not only did Martin change his mind about staying, so did the rest of the family. At an emotional gathering, Martin led the discussion and all
agreed that, having been through so much, they should face this final challenge together. Even when Hereward gave them his truthful assessment of the odds against success, they were not discouraged.

Only Cristina said anything negative – and that was about the English weather, which Alphonso had told her would chill her blood.

The bastide of St Cirq Lapopie was entrusted to the care of an estate manager, and a feast was prepared to mark the departure to England. It was a gathering tinged with doubts on both sides. The local Quercynoise feared their landlords would never return, leaving the estate to face an uncertain future, while Hereward and his family knew they were leaving behind a tranquil and happy existence to face a perilous destiny.

As they loaded their weapons and belongings on to the barge of a Lot trader to begin their journey to England, Hereward checked his astrolabe and made his calculations.

It was 8 March 1069.

Blowing from the cool heartland of Europe, a freshening gale from the Massif Central hastened them on their way. Everyone huddled together and turned their backs to the piercing gusts. High above them, flurries of snow swirled around the crags of St Cirq Lapopie as birds of prey rode the currents in search of food. Their occasional screech and the incessant chop of the water against the boat were the only sounds to be heard above the howling elements.

Hereward knew that the next birds of prey they saw would be high above the fells of northern England.

23. The Rising Begins

Hereward and his devoted followers were once more on the move and yet again journeying by sea, but this was a particularly extended excursion. They needed to avoid Normandy, so decided not to make landfall between Bordeaux and Plymouth.

After anchoring off Plymouth Sound to take on water and provisions, they were soon at sea again, on course for Dublin. There, if all went well, they would be able to plan a strategy with Harold’s sons and their supporters. As they sailed towards Ireland, Hereward thought back to the first time he had crossed the Western Sea. He and Torfida had just become lovers and, as they stood together on deck, she had given him the Talisman.

It had been the beginning of their odyssey.

Soon he would be in England once more – this time without Torfida. The pain of her absence had barely diminished over time. On occasions like this, the sharp stab of her tragic loss cut into him. He had but one comfort – his children and extended family. And just one distraction – plotting to topple William from the throne of England.

The first part of the plan did not go well. Diarmaid, Lord of Dublin, was sheltering Harold’s sons. Edith Swan-Neck had sent word that Hereward was returning to lead a rebellion. However, to Hereward’s fury, only Godwin Haroldson was there to greet him; the other two, Magnus and Edmund,
had gone hunting. To make matters worse, Godwin was less than enthusiastic about Hereward’s plans. He did not agree that Edgar the Atheling should be King, arguing that the boy had relinquished his right to the throne when Harold became monarch.

Godwin regarded himself as the rightful heir to the throne of England.

The young pretender exclaimed that his priority was Wessex, that he had many loyal supporters in Devon, Cornwall and the South West, and that Exeter would be his bridgehead into his father’s earldom. He expressed little affection for the North and suggested that it should lie in the bed it had made for itself.

Hereward, scarcely able to contain his anger, begged to be allowed to speak directly to Godwin’s housecarls, but he steadfastly refused. Finally, when Hereward asked if they could at least coordinate the timings of Godwin’s raids in the West Country so that William could be put under pressure on two fronts, he replied, haughtily, that he would consider it at the time. Hereward’s blood boiled and he stormed out, bellowing at Godwin’s callousness and stupidity.

They were at sea again on the next tide and, with only a brief stop on the Island of the Manx, were soon sailing up the Ribble to their rendezvous at Preston.

None of them had thought they would ever see England again – especially Hereward – and they were greeted by a bright, fresh spring day. Cristina smiled at Alphonso; her first sight of England was a very pleasant surprise compared with the dreary prospect that her beloved had described.

In the distance they could see the dark mounds of the
Pennines, brooding and hostile. Few people ever went there, and only tiny isolated communities were to be found along the narrow routes that snaked into the deep valleys. Above the treeline were desolate moors where no one ventured. It was a bleak world without landmarks where, in moments, a dank mist could envelop the unwary and make them disappear without trace.

As their vessel rose on to the north bank of the Ribble at Preston’s old Roman bridge and the party disembarked, Edwin and Edmund were there waiting for them. Hereward’s mood improved dramatically when he saw the contingent of men they had with them. The housecarls were assembled in squadrons of twenty and stood smartly to attention with their mounts tethered in orderly lines.

They were still the finest body of fighting men Hereward had ever seen.

‘Sir, you asked for two hundred of the best. Here they are, and our baggage train is trim, just as you wanted it. Also, sir, twenty-three thegns of England have come to join your cause. You will know many of them.’ Edmund waved towards the trees in the middle distance.

As he did so, a squadron of thegns emerged from their hiding place, knightly leaders of England’s army. They were men from backgrounds like his own; the backbone of England. He recognised many he assumed would be dead: Wulnar the Black, Starelf, Hogor, Gaenoch, Ylard, Toste of Rothwell, his brother Godwin, Broher the Brave, Alutas Grugan, Wenotus, Wulfric the White. With men like these, he could storm the walls of Constantinople.

Hereward addressed the beginnings of his new army. ‘Men, it is good to see you.’ He jumped on to a wagon so
that he could be seen and so that he could look into the eyes of all the noble men who had rallied to his cause. ‘That I am here today is a miracle – a miracle worked by my friends who fought with me on Senlac Ridge, and by Torfida, my beloved wife, who nursed me from the brink of death. Sadly, she is not here to share this day with us, but she is here in spirit, an inspiration to us all in her abiding love for England.

‘I have heard the accounts from Edmund and Edwin of what life in England has been like under the heel of Duke William. I know this monster; I have witnessed his depravity. He has blighted our land and we must rid ourselves of him and his henchmen. He uses only one tactic – the slaughter of anyone who gets in his way. He knows only one strategy – unyielding terror towards his opponents. But our ruthlessness will be greater than his, our desire for victory more powerful, our determination to triumph more overwhelming, until we rid our land of this evil tyrant.’

A great cheer rose from everyone present. Hereward’s presence was a glimmer of hope after nearly three years of oppression and brutality.

‘At the request of Edith Swan-Neck and the surviving members of the Witan, I have returned to give leadership to a revolt on behalf of Edgar the Atheling, who, by right of blood, is the true heir to King Harold’s throne.’

Another roar rang out from the assembly.

‘The Duke and his Norman lackeys have started to build mottes and baileys for their protection. That is wise; they are going to need them! But we will burn the Norman towers to the ground and slay those hiding inside like the cowardly vermin they are!’

Hereward lifted the Great Axe of Göteborg and raised it high above his head.

‘For Harold, for Edgar, for England! Our quest begins!’

Within the hour Hereward summoned all the thegns and senior housecarls to a meeting, at which everyone was assigned their tasks. The thegns were given squadrons to command and Einar was made Captain of Hereward’s personal hearthtroop, a corps of twenty who would be selected on merit. Alphonso was made responsible for all covert operations and training. Edmund was to be constantly at Hereward’s side as his standard-bearer, and Edwin would be his aide-de-camp. As always, Martin Lightfoot would act as leader of a corps of messengers.

Hereward then asked Edmund of Kent to update them on the latest military situation.

‘Sir, matters are not as positive as when we spoke in Aquitaine.’

‘Don’t worry, Edmund, our course is now set and our destiny is in our own hands. Tell us what we need to hear.’

‘Edith Swan-Neck is angry with her sons. They defy her and continue their sporadic raids in Devon. Their men are ill disciplined and they are squandering the inheritance from their father on too many Danish and Irish mercenaries who seek only plunder. The people of Exeter have risen to support them once, and paid dearly for it, when Duke William sent a squadron to punish them. Many were executed; they are unlikely to support them again.’

Hereward interrupted Edmund to ask about the Scots.

‘King Malcolm of Scotland lends support to Edgar the Atheling, and to anyone else who needs a safe haven north
of the border. He did send a large force down the west coast from Carlisle but, when they reached Penrith, they turned west and started to burn and pillage in Cumberland. We have learned not to rely on his men. There is good news in Mercia, especially Shropshire and Herefordshire, and Chester is strong in its support for us. Their leader is a thegn, Eadric the Wild. He attacks from the Welsh Mountains where he is being aided by Bleddyn, Prince of Gwynedd, and his brother Rhiwallon, Prince of Powys.’