“I’ve been told about 300 ships and probably 3,000 men- although I doubt they’ll bring that many ships,” replied Herfast. Alan frowned. “Yes, I know that the numbers don’t match,” continued Herfast. “To have 300 ships should mean at least 8,000 men, hence my thoughts on the number of ships. 100 ships is a more likely number- still a very significant force. That would still cause us considerable trouble. I’m sure that Swein won’t want to make a very large contribution to what he would see as a speculative venture. My information is that he’ll be sending two of his sons and not coming himself. Even if his loses two sons he probably wouldn’t notice. He’s a man of commendable vigor and he has enough sons to crew a longship! As to your offer, I’ll put it to the king. No chance of gifting them, I suppose?”
“I don’t need any dispensations for recent transgressions and I thought that if he pays at least a nominal amount for them he may take more care of them than the last lot I gifted him, which he allowed the Danes to burn! Longships may be made of wood, but they don’t grow on trees!”
King William was apparently prepared to allow events to unfold without taking pre-emptive action, which Alan found somewhat surprising given the king’s usually impatient nature. What didn’t surprise Alan was the skinflint king had declined to buy the ships even at a discounted rate of?50 each, which was less than half their value. Instead the king had offered to waive the military and financial obligations for both Alan’s land and that of Anne, and eventually a ten year period had been agreed. Alan knew that he was being cheated, as William was fully aware that Alan intended to maintain a strong military presence in both Hereford and Essex which, in case of real need, would be available to the king.
As Herfast had indicated likely, the Danes arrived towards the end of summer, landing on the Humber at Grimsby within easy striking range of York on the 20th August, just after the Feast of the Assumption of St Mary. They’d first harried the east coast and attacked the ports of Sandwich, Ipswich and Norwich, destroying many English ships.
Destruction and looting of the English ships appeared to have been the principal reason for the earliest attacks. Swein Estrithson had indeed stayed at home and sent his brother Osbjorn, his two sons Harold and Cnut, and Christian, the bishop of Aarhus. They’d been met by the Aetheling, Earls Cospatric of Bernicia and Waltheof of Huntingdonshire, thegns Maerle-Sveinn, Siward Barn, Arnkell, the four sons of Karli and a host of Northumbrians. Included in their numbers were many English from the south. These included Brctsi of Foulton from Tendring Hundred, and from further afield Aefwold the abbot of St Peter’s Holm and his men Eadric and Rungulf, Aethelsige the abbot of St Augustine’s at Canterbury, Skalpi who was a thegn with lands in several shires but mainly Essex, and many men.
King William, who had been hunting in the forest of Dean when he had received the news, had sent out warning messages to his lords but didn’t move immediately. The two castellans of York had replied that they could hold out for a year if needed. Again, Alan found the lack of prompt response unusual, but thought that the reason may well be that the Earls Edwin and Morcar had still not committed themselves either way and had not joined their forces with those of Cospatric or with the Danes. Alan mused that perhaps the situation on the continent with the revolt in Maine was perhaps influencing King William’s actions in the north of England, as the loss of his southern buffer against Angevin aggression would make it imprudent for William to seek reinforcements from Normandy.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The North September 1069
In Essex the geburs of the village were busy in the late autumn heat with their post-harvest tasks. Grain was being threshed on the stone-flagged village threshing-floors, men wielding flails high overhead and striking hard. Periodically the women and older children would collect the resulting mixture of grain and chaff to winnow by tossing into the air to allow the wind to blow the dross away.
The autumn ploughing had been delayed to allow the villagers to harvest the salt that had now accumulated in the saltpans located on Alresford Creek, Barfleet Creek and on the estuary itself, this being one of the more urgent tasks as it was the principal cash-crop for the region and one long soaking rain would again turn the dried salt back into brine, with the loss of the entire year’s harvest. The gathered salt was then cleaned, bagged and taken to the salt-house owned by Alan for storage and later processing. The women of the village were also busy in the evenings drying and preserving fruit and making jams and pickled vegetables for use during the winter, while most of their menfolk spent their time after sundown at the village tavern.
Within a few weeks the Autumn Killing would commence, when the livestock which the village had not sold but would not be able to feed over the harsh winter would be slaughtered and the meat smoked, dried or pickled. All knew that Michaelmas, the 29th of September and the next Quarter Day when taxes and rents would be paid, was fast approaching, causing some concern as those with financial obligations rather than the simple provision of labour days sought to accumulate the goods and funds required to pay their obligations
Those in the New Hall at Thorrington were also busy, but on matters of war and not agriculture.
Herfast had sent the men requested by Alan. As required, they were stout, reliable men and all fluent in Danish or Norwegian. Alan had eighteen suitable men of his own who were prepared to leave home indefinitely and pursue the fight against the Danes. Many of these men had been refugees from the slaughter of the Danish raid in Lexden and Winstree Hundreds two years before and were anxious to do what they could to achieve some retribution.
It was Wednesday 23rd September, two days after their departure on the Feast of St Matthew the Evangelist, when Sven Knutson carefully guided the snekke Havorn towards the docks of York, with Alekrage with captain Lars Erikson at the helm following close behind. The oarsmen were singing a Danish rowing chant as they hauled at the oars. Speaking in English had been banned on the ships, with the crews being required to converse in Norse. Any breach was met by the penalty of a fine of a week’s pay.
A pall of dirty gray smoke hung over the city. As they got closer they could see that most of the city had been razed to the ground. St Peter’s Minister was a charred ruin, as were both castles. “What in God’s name has happened?” said Alan to Sven in English, earning a sharp look from the helmsman as they rowed past the still smoking remains of the two castles, one on each side of the river. “Surely the Danes didn’t burn the city?”
The taciturn Viking gave a shrug in reply and steered the ship towards the wooden wharf on the north bank of the Ouse River, just south of the still intact Ouse River Bridge. The wharf itself hadn’t burnt, although the warehouses located nearby hadn’t been as fortunate. There were no ships tied up at the wharf, nor sitting at anchor further out in the dock. With no ships or warehouses the usually bustling docklands were virtually deserted. Havorn carefully approached the wharf, the oarsmen backing water to allow a crewman to jump from the bow onto the wharf and then receive and secure the heavy mooring ropes thrown to him. Alekrage dropped anchor further out. With a brief word of instruction in Danish to Alan and the others to stay with the boat and keep their mouths shut, Sven and one other man jumped onto the wharf and disappeared off down Coppergate.