The land, particularly in the river valleys, was rich and closely farmed, with a number of villages at regular intervals- most of which still bore the marks of the Welsh invasion the year before. The road was dry. High cloud kept the summer day from becoming too warm. Making good time, Alan decided that rather than stop at Hereford they would push on the further 9 miles to the west along the River Wye valley to Staunton, where they arrived an hour or so before dark, after 14 hours on the road.
Dirty, sweaty, sore, stiff and tired, the men dismounted and walked about to stretch their legs. In the time since Alan had last been here the villagers had completed building the Hall, barracks and stables. The protective ditch had been dug, the earthen rampart constructed from the spoil of the ditch and revetted with turf to make a nearly vertical earthen wall which was about half completed, as were the eight small wooden towers. The gate and the drawbridge over the ditch were complete and in place.
In the Hall the window shutters were open to let in the breeze and the last of the light- Alan and Anne had no intention of ordering expensive window glass for what was a rough but adequate frontier outpost- and where they didn’t themselves reside. Robert, Warren the archer and Leofwine the huscarle were in the Hall. Ledmer was leading the mounted Wolves on a patrol up the Wye towards Hay-on-Wye on the border.
Robert reported that the border had been unusually quiet and that there had been no reports of movement of warriors in the upper reaches of the Wye Valley from the spies that they had recruited in Hay-on-Wye and Rador. Training of the villagers of the manors as militia spearmen, swordsmen and archers was progressing well. The thirty Welsh bows ordered from Cardiff had arrived, the bowmen were starting to become moderately proficient and the fletchers had made a reasonable supply of war-arrows.
Alan advised his seneschal that a further supply of swords and helmets, from his share of the spoils of the northern campaign, would be arriving by wagon in a few days, which would complete the intended outfitting of the militia, giving fifty each of spearmen, swordsmen and archers- most of the adult male population of the four manors. The weapons Alan was providing were similar to those used by the Welsh, mainly taken from them in the raid made by Alan’s men earlier in the year and the recently concluded expedition. Only Alan’s mounted men-at-arms and huscarles, ten of each being stationed at Staunton, were provided with chain-mail armour. The militia would fight unarmoured in the manner of the Welsh or the English fyrd, or themselves fashion armour out of thick boiled leather.
“I’m glad things are quiet,” commented Alan, taking a pull from a quart of ale to wash the dust of the road from his throat. “That means that the rest of the men I brought from Essex can go home. They’ll be needed for the harvest in a few weeks, and that’ll cut down the amount of supplies we need to bring in here. Today is Tuesday. They can leave on Friday the 13th and will be back home in three days. We’ve got 70 ponies now. I’ll leave 40 here, so you can move your infantry and archers quickly. The others can go to Thorrington, or more likely Wivenhoe and Great Bentley. You’ve already got 25 chargers and hackneys for your men.”
“There is some news that probably hasn’t reached Chester yet,” commented Robert. “Three of Harold’s bastard children who fled to Ireland returned last week with a raiding party of Irishmen and landed near Bristol. Godwin Haroldson was in charge. They raided the shipping in the channel and in Bristol harbour on the Avon and tried to take the city. The locals repelled the attack- they didn’t want anything to do with him and the thegns and fyrdmen led the fight. Then the raiders moved down the coast in their ships to Weston, sacked and burnt that village and then moved up the River Axe, about four miles south of Weston. That was one of Gytha’s old manors, so perhaps they thought they may get a better reception there. Eadnoth the Staller caught up with them there and beat them in battle, but he was himself killed leading the fight. Tovi the sheriff was also there, as was Eadnoth’s son Harding, and they pressed the fight after Eadnoth fell. The Haroldsons then packed up and went back to Leinster in Ireland. Gytha departed at the same time, apparently with several boatloads of treasure and household goods.”
Alan gave a small sigh on hearing the loss of his friend, one of the few remaining influential Englishmen and who, as confirmed by his actions, had been loyal to his oath to the new king. “So we’re likely to be having the Irish continue to raid the west coast,” he commented.
“That won’t affect us much up here,” replied Warren. “They’re unlikely to go up the Wye past Gloucester.”
The bulk of Alan’s men departed east several days later, one of the three carts previously brought west with them returning under escort carrying the armour and heavier equipment. Thirty of the archers and infantrymen now rode ponies, and the twenty Wolves rode their chargers. To avoid attention they split into four groups, one of which included the wagon. Three groups were on horseback and one on foot. No danger was expected but they took to the road with weapons handy.
Alan spent another week checking the progress of training of the fyrdmen and was well satisfied with the work that Robert, Warren, Leofwine and Ledmer had achieved, and was confident that if the occasion arose that his men would be equal to the challenge. He also spent time visiting each of the manors, talking to the head-cheorls at Monnington, Bobury, Staunton and Norton Canon, visiting each to inspect the repair of damage from the Welsh invasion the previous summer and how the current harvest was progressing.
The grain was standing high and thick and, absent any heavy rain or high winds, the harvest promised to be good. As most of the livestock that had been stolen had been replaced when Alan had in his turn raided the Welsh, full granaries would restore his manors to relative affluence- although most of the remainder of western Herefordshire would not be so lucky and shortage of livestock and grain would continue to cause hunger in most of the shire during the coming year. The suffering of the other villages on the border meant that Alan’s manors would receive a high price for any produce they sold. The fishery at Bobury had been repaired and dried fish were being sold to the merchants in Hereford. The repairs to the water-mill at Monnington would be completed in time for it to be used for grinding grain after the harvest.
Satisfied that all was as well as could be, Alan rode east for home with Edric, the six remaining Wolves and his servant Leof.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Thorrington Late June 1068
As he rode past the fortifications and through the gate at Thorrington Hall Alan felt conflicting emotions. He was glad to be home, but heavy-hearted that four men who had ridden out with him did not ride back. Three would not be returning, and the fourth was now a cripple who would return when fit enough to travel. The men had been young and only one was married, with one child. Alan didn’t look forward to visiting the widow and telling her the lie that her man had died painlessly and easily, for he had died screaming in agony and trying to push slippery entrails back in place after he had been disemboweled by a spear. At least the men who had returned the previous week had brought the news and Alan didn’t have to watch a welcoming face turn to fear at the absence of a loved one. The widow would be given employment in the Hall kitchen, at least until she found herself another man- and longer still if she wished. Hugh had already trained a reserve of additional men and the Wolf troop would be brought back to strength by the end of tomorrow, although they would need to train together for several weeks to build the instinctive movement and trust that is needed in battle.