Malvern Chase

Malvern Chase W.S. Symonds Malvern Chase Table of Contents Malvern Chase...........................................................................................................................................................1 W.S. Symonds................................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1. THE ANCIENT FAMILY OF HILDEBRAND DE BRUTE, WHERE THEY LIVED, AND HOW THEY CAME THERE...............................................................................................................................................2 Chapter 2. THE MEET AT THE HOLLY BUSH PASSTHE BOAR HUNTAN UNIVITED VISITOR............9 Chapter 3. LORD EDWARD OF MARCHTHE PREDICAMENT AT WAINLODE HILLTHE WITCH OF ELDERSFIELD AND HER MEDICAMENTS................................................................................................18 Chapter 4. LORD EDWARD OF MARCH AT BIRTSMERTONHANLEY CASTLE.......................................27 Chapter 5. THE TRIALS OF ARCHERS ON THE MERE OF LONGDUNETHE STRANGER ARCHERTHE MIRACLE PLAY AT THEOCSBURY.......................................................................................32 Chapter 6...................................................................................................................................................................40 A DILEMMA THROUGH NECROMANCYTROLLOP AGAINROBIN OF ELSDUNE AND MARY OF ELDERSFIELDTHE WHISPERING GALLERY................................................................40 Chapter 7. MASTER SNAKES, THE WITCHFINDERTHE ADMINISTRATION OF DISCIPLINE BY ROBIN OF ELSDUNETHE EARL OF MARCH AT GLOUCESTER CASTLE...............................................48 Chapter 8. THE RIDE AFTER RECRUITS FOR THE WHITE ROSEBULL−BATING AT LEDBURYBRANSHILL CASTLETHE SHADOW OF THE RAGGED STONENEWS OF THE BATTLE OF WAKEFIELD....................................................................................................................................56 Chapter 9. ON THE MARCHHEREFORDTHE REVIEW AT WIDEMEREMASTER VAUGHANTHE SHADOW HOUND.................................................................................................................65 Chapter 10. WIGMORE CASTLE AND THE DUTCHESS OF YORKTHE SKIRMISH AT BRAMPTON BRIANTHE BATTLE OF MORTIMER'S CROSSNARROW ESCAPE IN KINSHAM DINGLE.................73 Chapter 11. AFTER THE BATTLEIVVAN IVVANSCHANGES AT HOMELORD EDWARD, KING OF ENGLANDSIRE JOHN CARFAX OF CASTLEMERETONBESSIE KITEL AND SIRE JOHN........................................................................................................................................................................81 Chapter 12. STRANGE VISITORS AT BIRTSMERETONTHE SNEEZE IN THE SECRET CHAMBERTHE FLIGHT TO BRISTOLCALVERLEY AND BESSIE..........................................................89 Chapter 13. KING EDWARD AT WINDSORMISTRESS ELIZABETH GREYGRAFTON GRANGE−ST. FOOLS DAYOUTLAWS IN MALVERN CHASECALVERLEY IN SORE STRAITSMARY BOLINGBROKE AFTER THE HERBS ON THE MALVERNS...........................................95 Chapter 14. CASTLEMERETON LAMBSTHE ATTACK UPON THE KEEPBESSIE KITEL A BRAVE LASSTHE RESCUETHE TOWER OF LONDONTHE QUEENTHE KING−MAKERTHE CORONATION FEASTNO TIDINGS OF ROSAMOND.................................................................................104 Chapter 15. MASTER VAUGHAN'S LETTERHAMME CASTLETHE CASTLE OF SUDELEY AND WHO WAS THEREDAME DESPENSERTHE ESCAPE FROM THE FIGHT OF BANBURYSLOP'S HOLE AND LORD RIVERSTHE LAST OF SIRE ANDREW TROLLOP......................................................112 Chapter 16. THE STRANGE EPISODES OF THE YEAR OF GRACE 1469THE BATTLE OF THE NIBLEY GREENTHE KING MAKER AT THE ABBEY OF THEOCSBURYMASTER VAUGHAN AT PAYNE'S PLACETHE IDES OF MARCHTHE KING−MAKER KINGCHRISTMAS AMONGST THE HOLLANDERSGLADSMORE HEATHTHE MARCH TO MEET QUEEN MARGARETTHE MARCH BEFORE THE FIGHT AT THEOCSBURY.........................................................................................121 Chapter 17. THE BATTLE OF THEOCSBURYTHE BLOODY MEADOWAN UNEXPECTED MEETING AT LINCOLN'S GREENTHE SCENE IN THE ABBEYPRINCE EDWARDQUEEN MARGARET AT PAYNE'S PLACEAT WORCESTERTHE WEDDINGKING EDWARD AND QUEEN ELIZABETH AT GREAT MALVERNTHE SHADOWTHE END..................................................133 i Malvern Chase W.S. Symonds This page copyright © 2002 Blackmask Online. http://www.blackmask.com • Chapter 1. THE ANCIENT FAMILY OF HILDEBRAND DE BRUTE, WHERE THEY LIVED, AND HOW THEY CAME THERE. • Chapter 2. THE MEET AT THE HOLLY BUSH PASSTHE BOAR HUNTAN UNIVITED VISITOR • Chapter 3. LORD EDWARD OF MARCHTHE PREDICAMENT AT WAINLODE HILLTHE WITCH OF ELDERSFIELD AND HER MEDICAMENTS. • Chapter 4. LORD EDWARD OF MARCH AT BIRTSMERTONHANLEY CASTLE • Chapter 5. THE TRIALS OF ARCHERS ON THE MERE OF LONGDUNETHE STRANGER ARCHERTHE MIRACLE PLAY AT THEOCSBURY • Chapter 6. • A DILEMMA THROUGH NECROMANCYTROLLOP AGAINROBIN OF ELSDUNE AND MARY OF ELDERSFIELDTHE WHISPERING GALLERY. • Chapter 7. MASTER SNAKES, THE WITCHFINDERTHE ADMINISTRATION OF DISCIPLINE BY ROBIN OF ELSDUNETHE EARL OF MARCH AT GLOUCESTER CASTLE. • Chapter 8. THE RIDE AFTER RECRUITS FOR THE WHITE ROSEBULL−BATING AT LEDBURYBRANSHILL CASTLETHE SHADOW OF THE RAGGED STONENEWS OF THE BATTLE OF WAKEFIELD. • Chapter 9. ON THE MARCHHEREFORDTHE REVIEW AT WIDEMEREMASTER VAUGHANTHE SHADOW HOUND. • Chapter 10. WIGMORE CASTLE AND THE DUTCHESS OF YORKTHE SKIRMISH AT BRAMPTON BRIANTHE BATTLE OF MORTIMER'S CROSSNARROW ESCAPE IN KINSHAM DINGLE. • Chapter 11. AFTER THE BATTLEIVVAN IVVANSCHANGES AT HOMELORD EDWARD, KING OF ENGLANDSIRE JOHN CARFAX OF CASTLEMERETONBESSIE KITEL AND SIRE JOHN. • Chapter 12. STRANGE VISITORS AT BIRTSMERETONTHE SNEEZE IN THE SECRET CHAMBERTHE FLIGHT TO BRISTOLCALVERLEY AND BESSIE. • Chapter 13. KING EDWARD AT WINDSORMISTRESS ELIZABETH GREYGRAFTON GRANGE−ST. FOOLS DAYOUTLAWS IN MALVERN CHASECALVERLEY IN SORE STRAITSMARY BOLINGBROKE AFTER THE HERBS ON THE MALVERNS. • Chapter 14. CASTLEMERETON LAMBSTHE ATTACK UPON THE KEEPBESSIE KITEL A BRAVE LASSTHE RESCUETHE TOWER OF LONDONTHE QUEENTHE KING−MAKERTHE CORONATION FEASTNO TIDINGS OF ROSAMOND. • Chapter 15. MASTER VAUGHAN'S LETTERHAMME CASTLETHE CASTLE OF SUDELEY AND WHO WAS THEREDAME DESPENSERTHE ESCAPE FROM THE FIGHT OF BANBURYSLOP'S HOLE AND LORD RIVERSTHE LAST OF SIRE ANDREW TROLLOP. • Chapter 16. THE STRANGE EPISODES OF THE YEAR OF GRACE 1469THE BATTLE OF THE NIBLEY GREENTHE KING MAKER AT THE ABBEY OF THEOCSBURYMASTER VAUGHAN AT PAYNE'S PLACETHE IDES OF MARCHTHE KING−MAKER KINGCHRISTMAS AMONGST THE HOLLANDERSGLADSMORE HEATHTHE MARCH TO MEET QUEEN MARGARETTHE MARCH BEFORE THE FIGHT AT THEOCSBURY. • Chapter 17. THE BATTLE OF THEOCSBURYTHE BLOODY MEADOWAN UNEXPECTED MEETING AT LINCOLN'S GREENTHE SCENE IN THE ABBEYPRINCE EDWARDQUEEN MARGARET AT Malvern Chase 1 Malvern Chase PAYNE'S PLACEAT WORCESTERTHE WEDDINGKING EDWARD AND QUEEN ELIZABETH AT GREAT MALVERNTHE SHADOWTHE END. Chapter 1. THE ANCIENT FAMILY OF HILDEBRAND DE BRUTE, WHERE THEY LIVED, AND HOW THEY CAME THERE. I am one of that race which was English before William the Norman conquered our country. One of my ancestors followed Robert of Normandy to the wars of Palestine, and from plain John Birts changed his name to John de Brute. The Roman poet called the great Saxon race from whom we sprang sea wolves that live on the pillage of the world, and I fear that this was too true of their earlier history; but when the land was conquered, they soon settled down around the villages of the forest glades, or by the banks of the rivers, each settlement being independent of its fellow settlement. The Birts who assisted in the Saxon conquest of England were landholders in a land of Birch trees, and land tillers, before they crossed the seas. Their first settlement in this country was on the banks of the Severn, below the site of the ancient town of Theocsbury, at a place called Deorhyst. At Deorhyst, the religion of the Cross succeeded the pagan worship of Woden, the War God, earlier than in many parts of Saxon England, and a priory was founded in Saxon times. Here, on the conversion of the Birts to Christianity, the sacred rite of baptism was performed by immersion in the waters of the Severn, and when they died, our Edwards, or Ealdwulfs, and their Ethelgifas were laid in the grave to the ringing of the passing bell. For many years the Priory of Deorhyst acquired great and deserved celebrity among the early Christian establishments. It was rich and flourishing when the fires of the Danish invasion wrapped in flames its great wooden structures. Church and Grange were alike destroyed, and the family of the Birts had, like the Prior of Deorhyst himself, to take refuge in the dense forest which then stretched from the Malvern Hills to the Severn, and from beyond Worcester to Gloucester, and which in after times became the Malvern Chase of the haughty Norman conqueror. From old traditions handed down through long generations of the Birts, it is well nigh certain that at the time of the burning of Deorhyst, a family of Saxons had settled in a glade in the forest near to the old Roman trackway which led from Gloucester across the Malverns to Saxon Hereford. Here, too, an ancient Christian church was built of forest oaks with nothing of stone save mayhap the font, and it was called Pendyke from very early times, the church being built at the head of a dyke or trench, which was once a boundary of British tribes before the Saxons landed in Britain or the Romans either. The family who dwelt at Pendyke bore the name of Kite, and

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