The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts
1587

Previous | Next

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The two brethren hauing thus obteined this victo|rie, went on further into the countrie of Northum|berland, and brought the same wholie to their subiecti|on, insomuch that all the north parts were at their cõmandement. Upon this they meant to haue gone towards London with the like attempt in the south parts, if the extreame and hard winter which chanced that yeare,A sharpe win|ter, an enimie to warlike en|terprises. had not staied their enterprise, as it did king William from assailing them; who hearing of all their dooings in the north countrie, would else full gladlie haue set vpon them. In the meane time, the Danes wintered in Yorkeshire,The Danes where they wintered. Hen. Hunt. Polydor. betwixt the two ri|uers Ouse and Trent; but so soone as the snow be|gan to melt, and the yce to thaw and waste away, king William sped him with great hast toward his enimies into Yorkeshire, and comming to the riuer of Trent, where it falleth into Humber, he pitched his tents there, to refresh his people, for his enimies were at hand. The daie following he brought his ar|mie into the field to fight with the Danish princes, who likewise in battell araie met them. Then began a right sore and terrible battell, continuing a long space in equall balance, till at length in one of the Danish wings the Norman horsemen had put their enimies to flight. Which when the residue of the Danes perceiued, and therewith put in a sudden feare, they likewise fled. Harold and Canutus with a band of hardie souldiers that tarried about them, retired backe (though with much a doo and great dan|ger) vnto their ships. Edgar also, by helpe of good horses, escaped into Scotland with a few in his com|panie. Earle Walteof, who had fought most manful|lie in that battell, Matth. Paris. & slaine manie Normans with his owne hands, Hen. Hunt. was reconciled into the kings fauour: but the residue were for the most part taken priso|ners, Wil. Malm. and killed. William of Malmesburie writeth, that king William comming at that time into the north parts, besieged the citie of Yorke, and putting to flight a great armie of his enimies that came to the succour of them within, not without great losse of his owne souldiers, at length the citie was deliue|red into his hands; the citizens and other that kept it, as Scots, Danes, and Englishmen, being constrei|ned thereto through lacke of vittels. Sim. Dunel. Other write, how the Danes, being loden with riches and spoiles gotten in the countrie, departed to their ships before the comming of king William. Here is not to be forgotten,Earle Ed|wines lands giuen vnto A|lane earle of Britaine. that (as Iohn Leland hath noted) whilest the Conquerour held siege before Yorke, at the ear|nest request of his wife Quéene Maud, he aduanced his nephew Alane earle of Britaine, with the gift of all those lands that sometime belonged vnto earle Edwine, the tenor of which gift insueth:

Ego Gulihelmus cognomine Bastardus, do & concedo tibi nepoti meo Alano Britanniae comiti, & haeredibus tuis in perpetuum, omnes illas villas & terras, quae nuper fuerunt comitis Eadwini in Eborashira, cum feodis militum & alijs libertatibus & consuetudinibus, ita liberè & honorificè sicut idem Eadwinus ea tenuit. Dat. in obsidione coram ciuitate Eboraci: that is, I William surnamed Bastard, doo giue and grant to thee my nephue Alane earle of Britaine, and to thine heires for euer, all those townes & lands that latelie were earle Eadwines in Yorkeshire, with the knights fees and other liberties and customes, so freelie and honourablie as the said Eadwine held the same. Giuen in our seege before the citie of Yorke.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The earle of Britaine, being a man of a stout sto|mach, and meaning to defend that which was thus gi|uen to him,Castell of Richmont. built a strong castell néere to his manor of Gillingham, and named it Richmont. The first originall line of the earles of Richmont (that bare their title of honor of this castell and towne of Rich|mont (as Leland hath set downe the same) is this: Eudo earle of Britaine, the sonne of Geffrey, begat three sonnes, Alane le Rous, otherwise Fregaunte, Alane the blacke, and Stephan. These three brethren after their fathers decease, succéeded one another in the earledome of Britaine; the two elder,Earle of Bri|taine. A|lane the red and Alane the blacke died without issue. Stephan begat a sonne named Alane, who left a sonne, which was his heire named Conan, which Co|nan married Margaret the daughter of William king of Scotland, who bare him a daughter named Constantia, which Constantia was coupled in mar|riage with Geffrey sonne to king Henrie the second, who had by hir Arthur, whom his vncle king Iohn, for feare to be depriued by him of the crowne, caused to be made awaie; as some haue written. But now to returne where we left touching the Danes. Simon Dun. Simon Dunel. affirmeth, that Harold and Canute or Cnute the sonnes of Sweine king of Denmarke, Matth. Paris maketh men|tion but of Sweine and Osborne whom he cal|leth brethren. with their vncle earle Osborne, and one Christianus a bi|shop of the Danes, and earle Turketillus were gui|ders of this Danish armie, & that afterwards, when king William came into Northumberland, he sent vnto earle Osborne, promising him that he would permit him to take vp vittels for his armie about the sea coastes; and further, to giue him a portion of mo|nie, so that he should depart and returne home as soone as the winter was passed. But howsoeuer the matter went with the Danes, certeine it is by the whole consent of writers, that king William ha|uing thus subdued his enimies in the north, he tooke so great displeasure with the inhabitants of the coun|trie of Yorkeshire and Northumberland, that he wasted all the land betwixt Yorke and Durham, so that for the space of threescore miles, Wil. Malm [...]. there was left in maner no habitation for the people, by reason where|of it laie wast and desert for the space of nine or ten yeares. ¶ The goodlie cities with their towers and steeples set vpon a statelie height, and reaching as it were into the aire: the beautifull fields and pa|stures, watered with the course of sweet and pleasant riuers, if a stranger should then haue beheld, and also knowne before they were thus defaced, he would surelie haue lamented: or if any old inhabitant had béene long absent, & newly returned thither, had séene this pitifull face of the countrie, he would not haue knowne it, such destruction was made through out all those quarters, whereof Yorke it selfe felt not the smallest portion. The bishop of Durham Egelwi|nus with his cleargie fled into holie Iland with S. Cutberts bodie, and other iewels of the church of Durham, Simon Du [...] where they tarried three moneths and od daies, before they returned to Durham againe. The EEBO page image 8 kings armie comming into the countrie that lieth betwixt the riuers Theise and Tine, found nothing but void feelds and bare walles; the people with their goods and cattell being fled and withdrawne in|to the woods and mountaines, if any thing were for|gotten behind, these new gests were diligent inough to find it out.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 In the beginning of the spring, king William re|turned to London, Anno Reg. 4. 1070. and now after all these troubles, began to conceiue greater hatred against the En|glishmen than euer before; Polydor. so as doubting that hee should neuer by gentlenesse win their good willes, he now determined by a harder measure to meete with them; insomuch that he banished a great num|ber, other some also (not a few) he spoiled of their goods, those especiallie of whom he was in hope to gaine any great portion of substance.

Previous | Next