This year Queen Margaret came out of France with 52 ships, with Frenchmen and some English men in the ships. And they landed in Northumberland; it was seven days before All Hallows-tide. And there she took the castle of Alnwick and put it full of Frenchmen. And then she returned to Scotland by water. And there arose such a tempest upon her that she forsook her ship and escaped with the boat of the ship. And the ship was sunk with much of her stuff and three great ships as well. And 406 Frenchmen were taken in the church of Holy Island. Then King Edward heard tell of this and made himself ready towards the North with many lords, gentles, and commons with him. And there he laid siege to Alnwick Castle and the castles of Bamborough, and Dunstanborough.... And Bamborough and Dunstanborough were surrendered by Sir Ralph Percy and Sir Harry Beaufort, late Duke of Somerset, to the king's will, with the condition that the said Ralph Percy should have the keeping of the two castles, Bamborough and Dunstanborough. The said Sir Ralph Percy and Sir Harry Beaufort, late Duke of Somerset, were sworn to be true and faithful as true liege men to our king and sovereign lord Edward IV. And they came to Durham, and there they were sworn before our king.... And then the aforesaid Ralph Percy returned again to Northumberland and had the keeping of the said two castles according to the agreement. And the said Sir Harry Beaufort abode still with the king, and rode with him to London. And the king made much of him; so much so that he slept with the king in his own bed many nights, and some times rode hunting behind the king, the king having about him not more than six horsemen at the most, and yet three were men of the Duke of Somerset, The king loved him well, but the duke thought treason under fair cheer and words, as it appeared.... But within short time afterwards Sir Ralph Percy by false collusion and treason allowed the Frenchmen to take the casstle of Bamborough from him.... And then King Edward made Sir John Ashley captain of the castle, and Sir Ralph Gray constable of the said castle of Alnwick. And within three or four months afterwards that false knight and traitor, Sir Ralph Gray, by false treason took the said Sir John Ashley prisoner and delivered him to Queen Margaret and then delivered the castle to the Lord Hungerford and unto the Frenchmen who accompanied him; and by this means he put the king our sovereign lord out of possession. And then after King Harry that was, and the Queen had come to the King of Scots, Sir Pierre de Brezé, with 80,000 Scots, laid a siege unto the castle of Norham, and lay there 18 days. And then my lord of Warwick and his brother the lord Montague laboured to rescue the said castle of Norham, and so they did, and put both King Harry and the King of Scots to flight. And Queen Margaret with all their counsel, and Sir Pierre de Brezé with the French men, fled away by water with four balingers; and they landed at Sluys in Flanders, and left King Harry that was behind them, and all their horse and harness, they were so hastily pursued by my lord of Warwick and his lord of Montague, and those who accompanied them.
And this same year about Christmas that false Duke of Somerset, without leave of the king, stole out of Wales with a private following towards Newcastle, for he and his men were leagued to have betrayed the said Newcastle. And in the way thither he was noticed and was nearly taken beside Durham in his bed. But he escaped away in his shirt and barefoot and two of his men were taken. And when his men knew that he had escaped, and his false treason was discovered, his men stole from Newcastle as very false traitors, and some of them were taken and lost their heads for their labour. And then the king had knowledge of the false disposition of this false Duke Harry of Somerset. The king sent a great fellowshp of his household men to keep the town of Newcastle, and made Lord Scrope of Bolton captain of the town; and so they kept it surely all that winter. And about Easter next after the Scots sued unto our sovereign lord the king for peace. And the king ordained commissioners to meet with the Scots.... And then the Lord Montague took another way, and made to be gathered a great fellowship and went to Newcastle and so took his journey towards Norham. And on the way thither they met that false Duke of Somerset, Sir Ralph Percy, Lord Hungerford, and Lord Roos, with all their company, to the number of 5,000 men at arms. And this meeting was upon St Mark's Day, and that same day Sir Ralph Percy was slain. And when he was dead all the party was discomforted and put to rebuke; and every man fled. And then my lord of Montague took his horse and rode to Norham, and fetched in the Scots, and brought them unto the Lords Commissioners. And there was concluded a peace for 25 years with the Scots. And the 14th day of May next afterwards, my lord of Montague took his journey towards Hexham from Newcastle. And there he took that false Duke Harry Beaufort of Somerset, Lord Roos, Lord Hungerford, Sir Philip Wentworth, Sir Thomas Findern, with others.
William Gregory. "Chronicle of London" in Historical Collections of a Citizen of London in the Fifteenth Century. (London: 1876), p. 218-223.
|
