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    The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge
    The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge
    The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge
    Ebook309 pages8 hours

    The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge

    By Skye Smith

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    About this ebook

    This is book five of the Hoodsman Series.

    It was 1070 and William the Conqueror had finally made a mistake. The news was that he was taking his army from York to Chester by crossing the Pennines in the winter. The young hoodsman, Raynar of the Peaks, raced home to the Peaks Forest. William was about to cross his peaks, his backyard, and to do that he must use the old Roman street through to Manchester.

    Raynar needed to convince the local bowmen of the brotherhood to set a trap. If all went well, William would die at Blackstone Edge.

    * * * * *

    By 1101, Edith, Queen of the English was playing matchmaker to find a husband for her sister the Princess Mary of Scotland. But whom? The elder Raynar was not about to allow the lovely young Mary to be betrothed to a rapist pig of a Norman, especially not to William Mortain, the Earl of Cornwall. Over William's dead body.

    * * * * *
    About The Author

    Skye Smith is my pen name. My ancestors were miners and shepherds near Castleton in the Peaks District of Derbyshire. I have been told by some readers that this series reminds them of Bernard Cornwell's historical novels, and have always been delighted by the comparison.

    This is the fifth of my Hoodsman series of books, and you should read the first "Killing Kings" before you read this book. All of the books contain two timelines linked by characters and places. The "current" story is set in the era of King Henry I in the 1100's, while the longer "flashback" story is set in the era of King William I after 1066.

    I have self-published twelve "The Hoodsman ..." books and they are:
    1. Killing Kings
    2. Hunting Kings
    3. Frisians of the Fens
    4. Saving Princesses
    5. Blackstone Edge
    6. Ely Wakes
    7. Courtesans and Exiles
    8. The Revolt of the Earls
    9. Forest Law
    10. Queens and Widows
    11. Popes and Emperors
    12. The Second Invasion

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSkye Smith
    Release dateFeb 19, 2013
    ISBN9781927699041
    The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge

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      Book preview

      The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge - Skye Smith

      THE HOODSMAN

      Blackstone Edge

      (Book five of the Series)

      By Skye Smith

      Copyright (C) 2010-2013 Skye Smith

      All rights reserved including all rights of authorship.

      Cover is a photo of Robin Hood's Bed at Blackstone Edge in 2007

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Revision 4 . . . . . ISBN: 978-1-927699-04-1

      Cover Flap

      It was 1070 and William the Conqueror had finally made a tactical mistake. He was leading his army from York to Chester across the Pennines in winter. The young hoodsman, Raynar of the Peaks, raced home to the Peaks Forest. William was about to cross his peaks, his backyard, and to do that he must use the old Roman street through to Manchester.

      Raynar needed to convince the local Hood to set a trap. If all went well, the Conqueror would die at Blackstone Edge.

      * * * * *

      By 1101, Edith, Queen of the English was playing matchmaker to find a husband for her sister the Princess Mary of Scotland. But whom? The elder Raynar was not about to allow the lovely young Mary to be betrothed to a rapist pig of a Norman, especially not to William Mortain, the Earl of Cornwall. Over Mortain's dead body.

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge by Skye Smith Copyright 2010-13

      About The Author

      Skye Smith is my pen name. My ancestors were miners and shepherds near Castleton in the Peaks District of Derbyshire. I have been told by some readers that this series reminds them of Bernard Cornwell’s historical novels, and have always been delighted by the comparison.

      This is the fifth of my Hoodsman series of books, and you should read the first Killing Kings before you read this book. All of the books contain two timelines linked by characters and places. The current story is set in the era of King Henry I in the 1100’s, while the longer flashback story is set in the era of King William I after 1066.

      I have self-published twelve The Hoodsman ... books and they are:

      # - SubTitle

      . . . . . . . . . . . . William I Timeline

      . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry I Timeline

      1. Killing Kings

      . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066 killing King Harald of Norway (Battle of Stamford Bridge)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100 killing King William II of England. Henry claims the throne.

      2. Hunting Kings

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066 hunting the Conqueror (Battle of Hastings Road)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100 hunting Henry I (Coronation Charter)

      3. Frisians of the Fens

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1067/68 rebellions. Edgar Aetheling flees north with Margaret.

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100 amnesty and peace. Henry recuits English bowmen.

      4. Saving Princesses

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1068/69 rebellions. Margaret weds Scotland (Battle of Durham)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100/01 Edith of Scotland weds Henry (Battle of Alton)

      5. Blackstone Edge

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1069/70 rebellions (The Harrowing of the North)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101 peace while the economy is saved from the bankers

      6. Ely Wakes

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1070/71 Frisian rebellion (Battles of Ely and Cassel)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1101 Henry collects allies. Mary of Scotland weds Boulogne.

      7. Courtesans and Exiles

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072/74 English lords flee abroad (Battle of Montreuil, Edgar surrenders)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1102 Henry collects allies (the Honor of Boulogne)

      8. The Revolt of the Earls

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1075/76 Earls revolt (Battles of Worchester and Fagaduna)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1102 Earls revolt (Battles of Arundel, Bridgnorth, Shropshire)

      9. Forest Law

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1076/79 fighting Normans in France (London Burned, Battle of Gerberoi)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1103 fighting Normans in Cornwall (Battle of Tamara Sound)

      10. Queens and Widows

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1079/81 rebellions (Gateshead, Judith of Lens)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1103 Edith made Regent (Force 5 Hurricane)

      11. Popes and Emperors

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1081 Normans slaughter English exiles (Battle of Dyrrhachium)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1104 Henry visits Normandy (Duchy run by warlords)

      12. The Second Invasion

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1082/85 power vacuum, peaceful anarchy (Regent Odo arrested enroute to Rome)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1085/87 Re-invasion and Harrowing of all England (Battle of Mantes, Conqueror dies)

      . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1104/05 Henry invades Normandy twice (Battle of Tinchebray)

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge by Skye Smith Copyright 2010-13

      Prologue

      Writing historical novels about the twenty year conquest of England by a culture of vicious slave masters, means that I must describe England as it was before the era of the Anglo-Normans. It is difficult to separate reality from all of the popular misconceptions about the era. For example, think of all of the connotations and misconceptions attached to just one phrase: Anglo-Saxon.

      Pre-Norman England was very much an Anglo-Danish kingdom. Not only were most of the nobles and lords Anglo-Danes, but also half of all the villages in the kingdom were Anglo-Danish. York was the second largest Danish city in the world, after London, and was a wealthy place because of the wealth of the Anglo-Dane farms of the Danelaw. The Danelaw was more Danish than Denmark, and larger, and wealthier, and more populated.

      I must also piece together the politics the pre-1066 North Sea. Denmark was a great power, but King Sweyn was fully busy defending it from attacks by the Byzantine trained King Harald of Norway. Flanders was a great power, but the aging Count Baldwin was sick and dying. Baldwin was also the co-regent of France because King Philip was under age, so France was being carved up by vicious Dukes such as William of Normandy.

      In 1066, not only did the balance of power begin to shift in Byzantium and in the Mediterranean, but also in the North Sea. Harald of Norway lost his life, his army, and his ships near York. While this battle weakened King Harold of England, it meant that King Sweyn of Denmark controlled the Sea. That the English and Norman armies savaged each other at Hastings was more good news for King Sweyn.

      Once crowned, the new King William expected acceptance in England, but instead there were continuous small rebellions in the South, and after securing the South, even larger and more dangerous rebellions began in the North. The key to controlling the north was controlling York, and York changed hands a few times before 1069, but then Sweyn's Danish fleet entered the Humber to help the Anglo-Danes finish William's army.

      By 1069 William must have been cursing that he ever invaded England. It had been enormously costly in Norman warriors. If he had not invaded, by now he would have used his army and his wife's claim on Flanders to make himself the Count of Flanders, and then have moved on to Paris and made himself Regent of France, until a convenient fatal accident could be arranged for young King Philip.

      Except for the invasion, by 1070 he would have been the Duke of a strong Normandy, the Count of a strong Flanders, and King of a strong France. He could have used that strength to raid the rich cities of the Byzantine Empire, which was falling apart.

      Instead his very weak army was stuck on the wrong side of the Channel and he was the Duke of a weakened Normandy, and sort of King of sort of half of England. It was lucky for him that Jarl Osbern, Sweyn's brother was foolish enough to accept a Danegeld from William in return for withdrawing the Danish fleet from the Humber.

      William chased the remaining Anglo-Danish rebels out of York and north to Northumbria. When he reached the River Tees, William had an epiphany. He realized that the North was so Danish that the Anglo-Danes would never accept him as their king. He also realized that the Tees was a very long way from York never mind Winchester, and he risked being cut off by winter storms. While William, himself, hurried back to York, he ordered his army to harrow the Danelaw as they withdrew.

      Harrowing was a 'total war' tactic, a scorched earth tactic, which William had used with great success in small areas of Maine and Brittany, and was the reason he was called 'the Conqueror' in France. The Danelaw, however, was not a small area. Villages, roofs, supplies and crops were burned. Farm animals and metal tools were stolen or destroyed. Folk who resisted were killed. Worse, the Normans did this to a thousand villages just before the winter freeze.

      The effect was complete devastation from the River Tees to the Humber. The four horsemen of the apocalypse were set loose. Those folk that were not killed by swords or burned, first starved, then succumbed to pestilence and disease, and anyone left, froze to death in the dark. In history it was called the Harrowing of the North, but in today's world it would have been called the Norman Genocide of the Anglo-Danes.

      Safe in York in 1070, William probably had no idea what the full and lasting effects of his order to harrow would be. On his death bed, it was his only command that he regretted giving. Meanwhile the control of Flanders was again up in the air and William and his army were again stuck on the wrong side of the Channel. There was a logistical problem with marching to Winchester because there was no food left on the east side of the Pennines. Instead he led his army on an old Roman street over the Peaks district to the eastern plains where there was lots of food, and another rebellion to quell in Cheshire.

      The street he chose went over Blackstone Edge, and the edge cost him half his army, and almost cost him his life and the Kingdom.

      * * * * *

      In 1101 there was a usurper on England's throne, the conqueror's youngest son Henry. The rightful king, according to treaty, was the eldest son Robert, who was just back from the Holy Land. Robert had the support of the Norman barons and the Norman church so he landed with an army in England and marched towards London to claim his throne.

      The only way that Henry could keep his throne was to win the English over to his side. His Coronation Charter, which was enacted as the Charter of Liberties, and was later rewritten into the Magna Carta, promised the English a general amnesty and pardons and the return to Knut's 'in-common' law, and rule by law, and the moot courts. He then married Princess Edith of Scotland, who was a decendant of English kings.

      When the armies of Henry and of Robert met near Alton, Henry's army was smaller and less likely to be loyal in battle. Despite having might and right on his side, Robert signed a treaty which accepted Henry as the king without a fight. Why? History ignores peasants and is vague on why Robert would just give up without a battle which he was sure to win. The only realistic answer is the Fyrd. No king since Harold in 1066 had been able to call out the English militia, but at Alton they must have come out to make sure that Edith remained queen.

      Though Robert accepted Henry as king, the Norman barons did not. Henry would spend the next five years subduing them. The Barons that gave him the most trouble were also the richest and most powerful. William Mortain was the Earl of Cornwall. Robert Belleme was the Earl of Shrewsbury.

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge by Skye Smith Copyright 2010-13

      Table of Contents

      Title Page

      Cover Flap

      About the Author

      Prologue

      Table of Contents

      Chapter 1 - Helping the King's Exchequer in Winchester, July 1101

      Chapter 2 - Drifting down the River Wharfe, Yorkshire in November 1069

      Chapter 3 - A plea for mercy in Lincoln in November 1069

      Chapter 4 - Thorold returns from York in January 1070

      Chapter 5 - Gathering the men of Sherwood in February 1070

      Chapter 6 - Gathering the men of the Peaks Forest in February 1070

      Chapter 7 - Laying traps along the street at Blackstone Edge in February 1070

      Chapter 8 - Waiting for the enemy at Blackstone Edge in February 1070

      Chapter 9 - The Norman Army crosses Blackstone Edge in February 1070

      Chapter 10 - Trapping the King at Blackstone Edge in February 1070

      Chapter 11 - Running in front of the Army down to Chester in February 1070

      Chapter 12 - Tracing a missing treasure with Gregos in Winchester in July 1101

      Chapter 13 - Preparing for the Danish fleet in Spalding in April 1070

      Chapter 14 - Messages from afar in Spalding in April 1070

      Chapter 15 - The Danish King arrives in Spalding in April 1070

      Chapter 16 - Feasting with the Danes in Spalding in April 1070

      Chapter 17 - Making a withdrawal at the Abbey in Peterburgh in April 1070

      Chapter 18 - Trouble at the Abbey in Peterburgh in April 1070

      Chapter 19 - Traveling with an Angel to Repton in May 1070

      Chapter 20 - Showing an Angel around the Peaks in May 1070

      Chapter 21 - Too many axemen in Burna, Lincolnshire in May 1070

      Chapter 22 - The surrender of Peterburgh, Huntingdonshire in May 1070

      Chapter 23 - The surrender of Huntingdon in May 1070

      Chapter 24 - The Angel in Huntingdon, Northamptonshire in May 1070

      Chapter 25 - The surrender of the bailey at Huntingdon in May 1070

      Chapter 26 - Choosing a castellan for Huntingdon in May 1070

      Chapter 27 - Hiding a King's treasure in Surfleet Lincolnshire in May 1070

      Chapter 28 - Sitting with Mary in the palace garden in Winchester in July 1101

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge by Skye Smith Copyright 2010-13

      Chapter 1 - Helping the King's Exchequer in Winchester, July 1101

      What Raynar had really wanted to tell Henry, who was now the re-affirmed King of the English, was that he was a fool. They had trapped the army of his brother Robert in the woods outside of Alton. A wood that Henry and Raynar had filled with English archers equipped with Welsh bows that could puncture armour. Henry had all of his enemies trapped. He could have killed all of the Normans who were against him today, in less than an hour, and have been done with it.

      If Raynar had been in charge of the archers, a thousand Norman rapist demons would be dead by now, but he had refused to be put in command of the archers. He had pleaded with Henry that he was too old for such a command, when in truth, he did not trust Henry's Norman barons, and wanted to be on hand to protect the man during negotiations. He was kicking himself. The lad they had put in charge of the English bowmen had actually followed Henry's orders and not one of the bowmen had taken their revenge on these murdering Norman bastards.

      Instead the Conqueror's two sons had signed a treaty that assured that Henry was the King of the English, and Robert the Duke of Normandy. All of those vicious Normans and Crusaders who had rallied to Robert in hopes of making him king, were left alive and unharmed. Henry would have to fight every one of them again in the future, again and again and again. Meanwhile they would continue to weigh heavy on the backs of the folk.

      Raynar had no choice but to smother his anger at such foolishness. Calmly, hiding his emotion, he put his hand on the King's shoulder and whispered to him, Henry, take your brother and go and celebrate this victory with Edith in Winchester. And for god's sake, send Sybilla home. Sybilla was Henry's mistress of almost ten years. He pulled his hand back and waited. Sire, with your permission I will take your queen this news. Now.

      The King waved him on, and then turned away from the peasant who had won him this day, and went back to the company of his brother and the powerful barons from both sides of the treaty.

      Raynar did not linger with the armies. He had wasted too much of his innocent youth marching with armies and fancy lords, believing that they could make a difference. It had taken him years to learn the truth that armies were always bad news, even if they were on your side. It took the events that led up to the Great Harrowing of the Danelaw, to make him swear never to help armies again.

      He went a roundabout way through Basingestoches to reach Winchester so that he would not accidentally meet any of the Norman knights from the battle, or rather the non-battle, at Alton. It wouldn't matter whether the knight had followed Henry or Robert, all those Norman knights now loathed English bowmen, and would cut off their bowstring fingers without asking whose side they were on. Even though he was still dressed in the robes of a King's tax collector, they may recognize him.

      The last time he had ridden this highway he had been taking his two Al-Andalusian friends to Henry's coronation in London. That was almost a year ago now. That had been less than a week after he had hunted and killed Henry's brother, King William Rufus, in the New Forest. Was that only a year ago?

      The differences along the highway were marked, and in more ways than that this time the highway was not crowded with traffic on the way to Henry's coronation. The children did not look hungry any more. The women were in working clothes, but those clothes were not rags. The look of desperation had gone from the villages, well, at least the roofs had been mended.

      This was probably all due to the promises made in Henry's Coronation Charter. Over the past year, the tax burden had been lifted, and the coins in use had been restored to their proper weight in silver. He made a mental note to ask his friend Gregos at the treasury, if they had any method of measuring the changes in well-being of the folk.

      When he reached Winchester the next day, he went directly to Edith, or rather 'Mathilde Queen of the English', to share the news with her. She of course had heard it already via the official palace couriers, but they had told only of the treaty, not the how or the why or the events that made the treaty possible.

      The lovely Edith was so eager for the full stories that she would not wait for him to go to Gregos's quarters to retrieve his own clothes, and instead sent word for Gregos to bring Raynar's clean clothing to her chambers. Gregos grumbled about a busy chief treasurer being used as a chamber- maid, but he was secretly overjoyed to be able to listen to Raynar's stories while surrounded by Edith's ladies-in-waiting.

      Later that night, after Edith's thirst for stories was quenched and after she had sent them away so she could go to bed, Gregos led Raynar to his humble quarters to finish a pitcher of wine. It was then that Raynar asked about measuring well-being amongst the folk.

      At the treasury, Gregos replied, we have many measures of wealth, but few of well-being. They are not the same. The book, he looked at Raynar to ensure he knew they were talking about the Domesday Book, "gives us a comparison of the England that William conquered, to the England after the conquest was complete.

      Because it lists herds and cropland and villages, the comparison could be a reasonable measure in the change in well-being. Although the book has become our bible for assessing taxes, the comparison does hint at how the English suffered under William. The kingdom was worse off after him than before him. Much worse. The tax records made since the book clearly show that the trend towards poverty continued under William Rufus. It is too early to say about Henry, but I live in hopes of a marked improvement."

      Raynar related what he had seen on the Basingestoches highway. The folk seem better off already, and Gregos agreed with him.

      It would be useful to have a measure, a measure wider than just one stretch of highway. And not just for our curiosity, but for the King as well, said Gregos. Let me ask my clerks. Perhaps there is one already, or perhaps I will have to craft one. Gregos was lost in thought about counting births or new roofs or the total size of herds. Yes, we need to do something akin to the Book. I find that the Book is completely untrustworthy in some shires. I suppose that was the fault of the different clerks and estimators in the different shires at that time.

      Raynar yawned, and then gave a snort of laughter. He shouldn't have asked such a question so late in the evening.

      It is no jest, Raynar. I was looking at the entries in the Book for some of the northern shires, and they are totally unbelievable, to the point of being useless. I mean really. A thousand villages just don't disappear. That is two hundred thousand people, ten times that number of animals. The counts are in error, but I do not know how to correct them.

      The counts are not in error, moaned Raynar and he suddenly felt dizzy and sick from the memories flooding into his mind.

      * * * * *

      * * * * *

      The Hoodsman - Blackstone Edge by Skye Smith

      Chapter 2 - Drifting down the River Wharfe, Yorkshire in November 1069

      The flooding River Wharfe floated the old boat carrying young Raynar through a flood plain that was depressing to see. There were no crops, no people, no animals, and no buildings. The mud walls of farmer's houses dissolve quickly when opened to water, and then the roof caves in and the house becomes soil again.

      He cursed all nobles and all armies, no matter whose side they were on. When would he learn to stay far away from them. He was a peasant. The armies and the nobility that led them gobbled up his help and then spat him out when they were finished with him. It was as if the nobles hated him for his competence.

      Yesterday, he and thirty bowmen had held a ford against the Norman army massed the south side of the River Aire. Held it for five critical hours, which gave most of the Northumbrian army time to escape William the Conqueror's flanking move around the Aire from the hills in the west. The English nobles hadn't even thanked him, and not just for holding the ford, but for warning them of William's flanking move in the first place

      The nobles were all so full of themselves that they were incompetent. Three weeks ago, just because the River Aire had flooded, they stopped pushing south to crush the Norman army. Because they waited, the flood got worse, their camp was wrecked, their Danish allies withdrew, and everyone got the water sickness. A sure victory over the Normans had now turned into a sure defeat, and all because of the incompetence of the English ruling class.

      Well he was finished with them. The Northumbrian bowmen who had stood with him at the ford had helped him fix up this boat, seal it, build a roof for it, and float it. He was glad of the supplies they had foraged for him, especially the extra sheepskin. Living on this damp boat for days while he drifted down the river Wharfe would be a chilling experience.

      Since he was floating downstream, the only work he did on pole or oar was to keep the boat straight and in the middle so that he was as far from either bank as possible. Unfortunately that left him lots of time with nothing else to do but to seethe at effing armies, and effing nobles, and effing Normans, and effing William the effing Conqueror.

      He had worried about passing the town of Tatecastre and its ford, but he needn't have. It was dark by

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