Conquest

A few days after the Danes had left, Hereward’s intuition that Prince Osbjorn was a man of honour was confirmed. A small chest arrived containing two handfuls of English gold — a significant sum of money, sufficient for a knight to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

It also contained a message in Latin:

Accept this gift to your cause. May it serve as my personal Oath to your Brotherhood.

Osbjorn, Prince of Denmark

Hereward drew great strength from the Prince’s message. Even though he and the Brotherhood were alone on a small island, isolated in a remote corner of a land where few were prepared to rally to his cause, Osbjorn’s testamonial reinforced his belief in the justice of his crusade.

The Brotherhood continued to send its bulletin to all England’s earldoms, monasteries and burghs: peace and justice for all under a wise and fair King.

With the defences of Ely well under way, Hereward met with Martin, Einar and Alphonso to discuss what to do about the women and girls. First of all, they decided that the orphans of Bourne should be recognized as full members of the family, meaning that there were now eleven non-combatants to worry about. Secondly, after much soul-searching, it was agreed that the women and children must escape to Aquitaine as soon as the situation in Ely became untenable.

A boat would be secreted away on the north side of the isle, in a place known only to them. It would be fully provisioned and checked regularly. At any time from when William’s attacks began, they would be ready to leave at only a moment’s notice. At the last minute, Edmund, Edwin and Gohor would be told of the plan and ordered to join them. Einar, Martin and Alphonso would execute the escape as soon as they feared the family was in imminent danger.

When the strategy was explained to the girls, it was Gunnhild who asked her father the obvious question. ‘But, Father, what about you?’

Then Estrith. ‘It sounds like you’re staying, no matter what.’

They both started to shed tears of exasperation, exhausted by the endless fight their father was engaged in.

‘You said we would go home soon.’

‘Very soon, you said.’

Hereward was at a loss to know how to answer his girls, hoping to avoid the conclusion they had already arrived at. ‘You are going home soon, just as I promised.’

They shouted their response in unison. ‘But you’re not coming with us!’

‘I’m sorry, but I must do this; for you, for your mother and for all good people everywhere.’

Maria and Ingigerd took the girls away to try to comfort them.

Hereward turned to the three men. ‘When the time comes, get them away. Don’t hesitate, and don’t look back; think only of them and your own children.’

Einar spoke for the three of them. ‘Nobody else has to die to prove the justice of our cause; it is undeniable. This damned crusade must have driven you insane if you can even think about letting the girls go while you remain here.’

His loyal friends looked at Hereward, each knowing in his own heart that Hereward’s mind was made up and that nothing would deflect him from his course of action.

29. The Siege of Ely

Over the next few weeks, and as Easter of 1071 approached, something remarkable began to happen on the Isle of Ely.

First, entirely alone in the middle of a bleak, cold afternoon and with no personal belongings to speak of, a man appeared on the causeway who could easily have been the father of most of the defenders and the grandfather of many. He had no military experience, but carried a battle-axe that had belonged to his father, a former housecarl with the old Danish King, Harold Harefoot. He said he had heard the call to join the Brotherhood and had walked from Essex to take the Oath. Two brothers from Mercia came three days later. Next came a group eight fearsome-looking men from Richmond and the valley of the Swale, who had escaped from William’s cull of the North. They had heard that Hereward and his men had rescued Edgar the Atheling from his plight in Swaledale and felt it was their duty to join his cause.

At first it was a trickle of men, then it became a constant flow and by May it was a deluge rushing to join the Brotherhood. They came with and without weapons; some came on horseback, but many walked; some brought money, but most came with only what they wore or carried. The majority were trained soldiers, a few had land and wealth and an important number were artisans: carpenters, blacksmiths, chandlers and shipwrights. As each man took the Oath, his name was added to the Roll of Honour of the Brotherhood.

In addition to the survivors of the original contingent that Hereward had met on the River Ribble almost two years earlier — men like Gohor, Brohor the Brave and Wulfric the White — were added the names of new followers: Leofric the Black, Alveriz, the son of a mason from Spain, Azecier, a good friend of Alveriz, Matelgar, Alsinus, Wulric, Ailward the White, and Hugo, a Norman priest born in Rouen but with a parish near Winchester.