A Clash of Lions
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Map
Dramatis personae Accompanying Merrivale
In Kent and London
The Percy family and relations
The Disinherited
Northern lords and their followers
Ecclesiastical figures
Merchants and traders
Scots
French
I
1 The Narrow Sea, 3rd of September, 1346 Midday
Hargate, 3rd of September, 1346 Late afternoon
2 Crayford, 5th of September, 1346 Afternoon
3 London, 6th of September, 1346 Afternoon
London, 7th of September, 1346 Morning
Lambeth Palace, 8th of September, 1346 Morning
Westminster, 9th of September, 1346 Morning
II
4 Cawood, 19th of September, 1346 Evening
5 Durham, 21st of September, 1346 Afternoon
Chester Moor, 22nd of September, 1346 Morning
6 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 22nd of September, 1346 Afternoon
7 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 23rd of September, 1346 Morning
South Shields, 23rd of September, 1346 Midday
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 23rd of September, 1346 Afternoon
8 Black Middens, 23rd of September, 1346 Late afternoon
9 Chipchase, 23rd of September, 1346 Evening
Hexham, 24th of September, 1346 Morning
10 Warkworth, 24th of September, 1346 Afternoon
Newcastle, 24th of September, 1346 Evening
11 Harbottle, 25th of September, 1346 Evening
Harbottle, 25th of September, 1346 Midnight
Harbottle, 26th of September, 1346 Morning
12 Berwick-upon-Tweed, 26th of September, 1346 Morning
Harbottle, 26th of September, 1346 Late morning
13 Berwick-upon-Tweed, 26th of September, 1346 Evening
Berwick-upon-Tweed, 26th of September, 1346 Night
14 Berwick-upon-Tweed, 27th of September, 1346 Morning
Jedburgh, 27th of September, 1346 Late afternoon
15 Jedburgh, 28th of September, 1346 Evening
16 Jedburgh, 28th of September, 1346 Night
17 Jedburgh, 29th of September, 1346 Late morning
III
18 Berwick-upon-Tweed, 30th of September, 1346 Evening
Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1st of October, 1346 Morning
Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1st of October, 1346 Evening
19 Durham, 2nd of October, 1346 Afternoon
Warkworth, 3rd of October, 1346 Afternoon
20 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 4th of October, 1346 Afternoon
Saughtree, 4th of October, 1346 Night
21 Liddel Strength, 5th of October, 1346 Early morning
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 5th of October, 1346 Evening
Liddel Strength, 6th of October, 1346 Dawn
22 Liddel Strength, 6th of October, 1346 Late morning
Liddel Strength, 6th of October, 1346 Evening
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 6th of October, 1346 Evening
23 Liddel Strength, 7th of October, 1346 Midday
Liddel Strength, 7th of October, 1346 Evening
Liddel Strength, 8th of October, 1346 Morning
Liddel Strength, 8th of October, 1346 Afternoon
Liddel Strength, 9th of October, 1346 After midnight
Liddel Strength, 9th of October, 1346 Dawn
24 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 10th of October, 1346 Late morning
Arthuret, 10th of October, 1346 Midday
Arthuret, 10th of October, 1346 Afternoon
Lanercost, 11th of October, 1346 Evening
25 Lanercost, 11th of October, 1346 Night
Lanercost, 11th of October, 1346 Night
Roman wall, 12th of October, 1346 Early morning
Wark Moor, 12th of August, 1346 Early morning
26 Stonehaugh, 12th of October, 1346 Afternoon
Hautwistle, 12th of October, 1346 Afternoon
Stonehaugh, 12th of October, 1346 Evening
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 12th of October, 1346 Evening
27 Hexham, 13th of October, 1346 Morning
Chipchase, 13th of October, 1346 Afternoon
Stonehaugh, 13th of October, 1346 Late afternoon
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 13th of October, 1346 Evening
28 Stonehaugh, 14th of October, 1346 Early morning
Barnard Castle, 14th of October, 1346 Night
Hexham, 14th of October, 1346 Night
29 Barnard Castle, 15th of October, 1346 Morning
Ebchester, 15th of October, 1346 Night
Auckland, 15th of October, 1346 Night
Merrington, 16th of October, 1346 Evening
30 Merrington, 17th of October, 1346 Morning
Sunderland Bridge, 17th of October, 1346 Morning
31 Neville’s Cross, 17th of October, 1346 Afternoon
32 Neville’s Cross, 17th of October, 1346 Evening
33 The Narrow Sea, 6th of November, 1346 Morning
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Also by A.J. MacKenzie
Copyright
Cover
Table of Contents
Start of Content
To the Bonner family, with whom we almost had a tour of the battlefield at Neville’s Cross before lunch and a bottle of red wine intervened. It was warm spring afternoon just after lockdown ended, and spending time with friends seemed more important than historical research. We’ll get there one day!
Anglo-Scottish Borders, 1346
Dramatis personae
Accompanying Merrivale
Simon Merrivale, herald to the Prince of Wales and queen’s envoy to the north
Mauro, his servant
Warin, his groom
Diccon, his groom
Tiphaine de Tesson, Norman noblewoman and daughter of an executed rebel
Peter de Lisle of Chipchase, the herald’s apprentice
In Kent and London
Reginald, Lord Grey of Hargate
Lady Grey, his wife
Lady Mary Grey, his daughter and wife of Sir Richard Percy
Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England
John Stratford, Archbishop of Canterbury and president of the council
William de la Pole, banker and merchant
John Pulteney, banker and merchant
The Percy family and relations
Henry Percy, Baron Percy of Alnwick
Lady Idonia, his wife
Harry Percy, their eldest son and heir
Richard Percy, their younger son, currently fighting in France
John Grey, her brother, currently fighting in France
The Disinherited
Edward Balliol, claimant to the throne of Scotland, now defeated and in exile
Gilbert d’Umfraville of Harbottle, Lord of Redesdale and claimant to the Earldom of Angus in Scotland
Lady Joan, his wife
Jamie Hall, hobelar from Redesdale, in Umfraville’s service
Thomas Clennell of Hesleyside, claimant to the Lordship of Selkirk in Scotland
Thomas Wake, Baron Wake of Liddell
Walter Selby of Biddlestone, captain of Liddel Strength
William Selby, his son
Robert de Lisle of Chipchase, father of Peter de Lisle
David Harkness of Blackfell
Northern lords and their followers
Ralph Neville, Baron Neville of Raby
Thomas Rokeby, High Sheriff of Yorkshire and royal commander in Berwick
Tom Rokeby (Young Tom), his nephew
John Coupland, border la
ndowner
John Stryvelyn, keeper of the castle at Berwick
Roger Heron, Stryvelyn’s deputy
John Croser (Kalewater Jack), hobelar in Heron’s retinue
Eckies Nickson, hobelar in Heron’s retinue
Eustace de Manenghem, Lord Rowton
Ecclesiastical figures
William de la Zouche, Archbishop of York and Warden of the Marches
Thomas Hatfield, Bishop of Durham, currently with the army in France
Hugh de Tracey, treasurer of Durham Priory
John of Bridekirk, prior of Hexham
Gilbert de Tracey, formerly the king’s banker, now a canon at Hexham Priory
Oswald of Halton, Dominican friar
John of Bothcastle, prior of Lanercost
John of Eskdale, abbot of Jedburgh
Alexander Seton, preceptor of the Order of Saint John in Scotland
Merchants and traders
William Blyth, merchant of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Oliver Woodburn, man-at-arms in Blyth’s service
Adam Murton, alderman of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Egidia Murton, his wife
Kristoffer Tielt, Flemish merchant resident in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
John Brotherton, merchant of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Henry Cheswick, merchant of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Oppicius Adornes, banker in Bruges
Scots
David II Bruce, King of Scotland
Niall Bruce of Carrick, his half-brother, illegitimate son of Robert the Bruce
Patrick Dunbar, Earl of Dunbar and March
Agnes Randolph, his wife, Countess of Dunbar and March and Lady of Mann and Annandale
Lady Mora of Islay, shieldmaiden in the service of the Countess of Dunbar
Somairle of Mann, man-at-arms in the service of the Countess of Dunbar
John Randolph, Earl of Moray, brother of the Countess of Dunbar
Sir William Douglas of Liddesdale
James Craig, Master of Kinross
Archibald Graham, Lyon Herald
John Graham, Earl of Menteith
William Murray, Earl of Sutherland
Robert Keith, Marischal of Scotland
French
Rollond de Brus, Norman nobleman and cousin of the Scottish Bruces
Guy Dampierre, Count of Béthune and Lord of Hamilton in Scotland
Yolande of Bohemia, Countess of Béthune, his wife
I
1
The Narrow Sea, 3rd of September, 1346
Midday
The wind picked up halfway across the short crossing from France to the Kent coast, and the horizon of grey-white cliffs and cloud-speckled blue sky rose and fell at speed. Simon Merrivale stood firmly on the deck of the roundship Grace-Dieu, braced against the buffeting of the lively waves. The warm rays of a late summer sun shone on the little flotilla of ships ferrying a number of Englishmen, and at least one Frenchwoman, along with their horses and baggage back to England.
The travellers were a somewhat mixed group. Some had been sent by King Edward III to take home the news of the great victory at the battle of Crécy a week earlier; others had sought permission from their king to return and look after urgent personal or estate business. Merrivale, perhaps uniquely, had been sent on a secret and sensitive mission for the king. He was not, at least in name, one of the king’s own servants; his official master was Edward, Prince of Wales. But, as Merrivale had observed several times in the past few months, when a king called, a prince’s servants still jumped to serve.
If he was honest, Merrivale thought, it suited him very well to be away from the prince’s entourage for a while. The prince and his friends were very full of the spirit of victory. A young man who had begun the summer uncertain and awkward with the reins of power had been transformed into a battle-hardened commander, who felt invincible and was flexing his muscles.
As the prince’s herald, Merrivale was one member of the household who found this tedious. The regular drinking and gaming that accompanied most evenings had little appeal for a man half a generation older than most of the prince’s court. So when King Edward requested his presence, Merrivale had greeted the invitation with some enthusiasm, albeit tempered by the knowledge that the king usually had more than one scheme in mind at any one time.
* * *
‘Come in, Merrivale,’ the king had said. They were in the royal pavilion in the middle of the camp on high ground overlooking the town of Wissant, which the army had reached earlier in the day while making its leisurely way north from Crécy.
The king gestured towards a bench. Normally one stood in the royal presence. Mmm, thought Merrivale, if he wants me sitting down, I really do need to watch out.
Edward III was, like his son, still flush from his recent victory. His short coat speckled with fleurs-de-lys sparkled in the sunlight coming through the walls of the tent, and his manner was even more confident than usual.
‘So, Merrivale. Do we think Edward de Tracey’s death means an end to the plotting against us?’
Merrivale had given this question a great deal of thought in the days following the battle. ‘Honestly, sire, I do not. Even though many of those on the French side perished, I cannot feel comfortable that all the tendrils of this plot are cut off. It had supporters in several parts of Europe, and some of the plotters will be keen to continue. They have a plan that they hope will bring them power and riches. Despite what happened at Crécy, they are unlikely to forego it.’
‘I agree,’ said the king. ‘Therefore, I am sending you back to England to track down any more of these tendrils, as you call them.’
‘What about my duties with the prince, sire? Is he aware that you require my services?’
‘Yes, yes, of course. My son can do without his herald for the moment, and I have need of your knowledge and skills. It is highly likely that Tracey had co-conspirators at home, working against us. We need to hunt them down and we need to do it promptly, before the attacks from the north begin.’
‘Attacks?’ Merrivale asked.
‘The Scots will launch against us soon, we can be certain of that. It is part of their pact with the Valois adversary, to raid from the north while most of our men are in France. I need you to go to London and meet with the queen and council, describe the plot as you have uncovered it and work with them to rid England of this cancer. We have enough enemies outside the country, we don’t need them inside as well.’ The king took a sip of wine from a cup standing at his elbow. ‘Where do you intend to start once you land in England?’
Nothing like making up plans on the spur of the moment, Merrivale thought. ‘I would start with de Tracey’s family, sire, especially with his brother Sir Gilbert, the banker. His position would provide ample opportunity for fomenting plots and he has the funds to support them. Of course, he might be completely innocent, but even so he may know something that will be useful.’
The king nodded. He knew Gilbert de Tracey well; the banker was one of the most prominent men of commerce in London, a merchant of the Staple and a force to be reckoned with. The king himself had borrowed money from Tracey on a number of occasions. ‘Agreed, that is a good beginning,’ he said. ‘My formal messengers to London are preparing to leave, but I would like you also to carry some special letters to the queen on this affair. As you well know, you may depend on her wise counsel in all matters. She has already seen your reports on the summer’s events. You shall have special passes as usual to speed your journey, and the Grace-Dieu is in port at Wissant, ready to take you across to England.’
‘Yes, sire. There is one small matter, however. If I am to return to England I am reluctant to leave the Demoiselle de Tesson here without my protection. She has been under my care since Carentan, and has no family here to support her. I want to take her with me to England for her own safety.’