Medieval Skirmishing with Knyghte, Pyke and Sworde

 Blood Red are the Shields Bearing the Hallowed Cross.

The year is 1173 and King Henry II of England is beset by war and rebellion. The King’s sons, Henry, Geoffrey and Richard and his wife, Eleanor are in open revolt, supported by the Kings of France and Scotland.

In the north of England, the Bishop of Durham, Hugh de Puiset, an avaricious and acquisitive prelate and nephew of King Stephen, while not openly supporting the rebels, is shrewdly exploiting the situation to extend his influence in the region. He is believed by many to be in negotiations with William the Lion, King of Scots, to turn a blind eye to Scottish raiding of the border region, in return for exemption from attacks on ecclesiastical lands.

The Arms of de Puiset

The Bishop’s quest for power knows no bounds and he will enlist the support of anyone who might assist his malevolent schemes. His nephew, another Hugh de Puiset, the Count of Bar-sur-Seine, has promised to send forces from France to support his uncle and, finally, Bishop Hugh is known to have sent envoys to Ireland seeking to enlist the support of the High King, Ruaidri Ua Conchobair, who is currently engaged in a desperate struggle with the English forces led by the Earl of Pembroke.

Currently, De Puiset’s forces are at large throughout the area to the west of Durham, including Weardale and Teesdale; taking every opportunity to plunder and persecute the local population and add to the bulging coffers of the Bishop.

The Bishop’s forces don’t have everything their own way, however. At large, in the wild dales of the northern Pennines, is Sir Hugo Flambard, a natural grandson of the former Bishop of Durham, Ranulf Flambard, who had held the office during the reign of William Rufus. Most of the descendants of Ranulf live in various degrees of ecclesiastical obscurity across the length and breadth of northern England, but Sir Hugo, a loyal supporter of King Henry and a veteran of his Welsh campaigns, is determined to bring to an end the ravaging of the Bishop and his despicable retinue.

The Arms of Flambard

Sir Hugo has gathered together a noble band of brothers, bearing the sable and golden shields of his fellowship and has the support of many of the local population who, although they may not posses the martial abilities of Hugo’s men, are prepared to sell their lives dearly in defence of their homes and families.

The leader of Hugo’s retinue is the sergeant, Jerrard Sibton, a veteran warrior who fought alongside Hugo in King Henry’s Welsh campaign against Owain Gwynedd in the year of Our Lord, 1165. At the Battle of Crogen, Hugo had been wounded by the arrow of a Welsh archer and it was Jerrard who had plucked him from certain death, at the hands of a band of Welsh skirmishers who were about to descend upon him. Over the following months, Jerrard and his Welsh wife, Aelwen, nursed Hugo back to health and the two warriors have remained inseparable ever since.

Jerrard Sibton... Captain of Sir Hugo Flambard's forces.

A group of archers, loyal to the cause of Sir Hugo.

Next time, we will meet more of the forces arrayed against each other in this fight for survival in the rugged wilderness of northern England.