A Legend of Pembroke Castle and other tales

Chapter I

The ancient castle of Pembroke was one of the most impregnable fortresses erected by our ancestors for defence amidst the barbarous frays of feudal times. It is situated upon a lofty and isolated rock, nearly forty feet in height ; the waters of Milford Haven surround the base of this craggy foundation on three sides, whilst the fourth side, or that which faces the town, is fenced by a deep ditch, protected by a barbican. At the period to which we refer, the castle was surrounded by a high embattled wall, supported by numerous bastions : the only entrance was through a lofty gateway of prodigious strength, VOL. I. B on the land side, whence a drawbridge over the deep ditch already named, lead into the principal street of the town. The wall enclosed an inner and an outward ward, of which the former con tained the round tower, seventy feet in height ; the walls of this citadel are fourteen feet in thickness, and from its battlements a beautiful view is obtained of the surrounding country.

In the inner ward were placed the state apart ments of the castle : in these chambers it is said by the tradition of the place, that Henry VII. first saw the light, although Leland, who lived near the time, asserts that the monarch was born in one of the great rooms over the gate way. " In the alter ward," says he, " I saw the chambre wher King Henry VII. was borne, in knowledge wherof a chymmeney is now made, with the armes and badges of the King." Leaving this disputed point to be settled by antiquarians, we will proceed to describe a large cavern, called the Wogan, over which the castle was placed, situated in the rock which forms the foundation of the building. Its opening over hangs the harbour, with which it communicates by a sally-port ; whilst a narrow staircase, leading into one of the bastions, connects it with the interior of the building.

The immense strength of the fortress caused it to be looked on as nearly impregnable ; for the rude Norman for tress, first raised there by Arnulf de Mont gomery, had been strengthened and extended by Gilbert Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, to render it a fitting residence for a nobleman holding royal jurisdiction ; and the successors of that famous warrior had maintained or ex tended the fortifications, until some years pre vious to the commencement of the present narrative, when Henry VI. conferred the lord ship of Pembroke upon his half-brother, Jasper Tudor. The rock on which the castle is built, is situated at the end of a narrow ridge of land, scarcely meriting the name of a promontory ; from which designation, however, the name of Pen Bro is taken. Along this neck of land runs the only street of the town, following thc direction of the headland, and only intersected bv a few dirty lanes, stretching towards thc water on either side.

It was on a bright summer morning of the year 1461, that the retainers of the Earl of Pembroke, assembled in the great hall of that b noble fortress, gathered into one anxious group, were greedily listening to the news which old Morgan, the faithful steward of the family, was announcing to them. At every moment, some new comer eagerly joined the others : now a man-at-arms strode heavily over the floor ; — anon, an anxious maiden, escaped from the upper chambers, flew lightly past, and added her timid surmises to the boiling fears which agitated every bosom, and burst from every lip. Old Morgan, the attached dependant of the Tudors, long before the imprudent marriage of Katherine, the fair widow of Henry V., had brought that family into dangerous proximity to the House of Lancaster ; — Morgan, who had carried Jasper Tudor in his arms, in the days of his vigorous and martial youth, now, with deep sorrow imprinted on every line of his venerable and time-worn face, announced to the faithful vassals of his beloved master, the disaster that had fallen upon their lord.

A battle had been fought and lost at Mortimer's Cross, and the gallant Earl of Pembroke, driven from the field, had been forced to seek safety in flight ; the army which he commanded for King Henry was dispersed, and such of his own vassals as survived the conflict had escaped through many dangers, and separately returned to their own homes. That their lord had not fallen into the hands of the fierce Edward of York, was all they knew ; they were in total ignorance of his place of refuge. But his misfortunes and their's had not ended vet ; for the forces of the Yorkists were in full march to attack them in the castle ; and Morgan now called upon every vassal who owed service to his lord, to assist in its defence against the foe, whose approach might be hourly looked for. Now, all was bustle and warlike preparation ; and it was not long before all who had been summoned, hurried to the aid of their feudal lord, with the bold alacrity which distinguished those times, when civil war had raged so long and furiously, that the retainers of the great nobles spent their lives in harness, and looked upon those brief intervals of rest, when they were able to return for a few hours to their homes, and their families, as passing moments which were soon to be again interrupted by a new call to the field.

Droves of sheep and bullocks, from the neighbouring pastures, were driven into the castle-yard, to furnish food for the garrison, so soon to be beleaguered within its walls ; hay and provender for horses and cattle ; warlike stores, comprising all the means of defence or attack, which the warfare of the age required, were brought forth from the places in which they had been stored, and conveyed wherever they were most likely to be wanted. Every preparation was completed which the circumstances required ; every soldier of that brave band was exhorted to do his duty, and if it were needful, to die in its discharge ; watch men upon the battlements were on the look-out to give the earliest intimation of the enemy's approach ; and when every duty was attended to, the faithful Morgan retired, to take the rest which his age required.

During that night of expectation, however, all slumbered peaceably, within the strong walls of Pembroke, save those who watched for the safety of the rest ; or perchance, some anxious damsel, who terrified at the near approach of danger, was rendered wakeful by fearful antici pation of the coming war. The men, accustomed to peril, and unappalled at its aspect, slept in utter forgetfulness that a foe was near, satisfied that the earliest signs of his approach would be announced by the watchers, whose vigilance protected their slumbers. And their confidence was fully justified ; for every soul of the garrison was already afoot, and in full preparation for the events of the coming day, when the horns of the warders, announced from the embattled walls, that the enemy was in sight. Each man hastened to the post assigned him ; Morgan hurried to the walls, where the rising sun shone brightly over the varied landscape that lay beneath ; and far as the eye could reach were seen the gleaming corslets and glit tering spears of a long line of armed men, advancing in a regular and serried line along the road.

Though fear was a stranger in the old soldier's breast, it was not without deep anxiety that Morgan beheld the lengthening line, still winding on, longer and deeper as it advanced ; and the brightening light, as the distance lessened, showed the banners of the approaching army. Most of the chivalry of York was there ; banners that had shone on every battle-field since their Norman sires first bore those famed devices to our shores ; and Morgan recognised the leader of that brave army, as the Knight of Ragland showed his banner in the van. With an anxious heart, but deeply determined never to yield, whilst resistance was possible, Morgan retired from the battlements; nor was he alone in his anxiety and his resolution, for every soldier within those walls shared his determination, and was as well acquainted as himself with the danger that threatened them ; for the flower of Edward's army was approaching to the attack.

Morgan hurried off down the staircase which led to the great hall, on the first floor of the castle, a vast chamber, whence many doors opened in every direction. He passed through one which led to a long corridor, at the end of which was the entrance to a suite of large and stately rooms. After crossing several vacant chambers, he knocked at a door, and was instantly admitted by a young lady. Several other damsels apparently of rank and station occupied the room, and all rose in anxious haste as the old man entered, to ask what they dreaded to hear. " Tell us, good Master Morgan, pray tell us, is the enemy in sight ?" burst from many lips, as the steward appeared. " The army of the Yorkists, led by the Knight of Ragland, is even now in sight, and within a few hours it will be beneath our walls.

Be of good cheer, ladies, your defenders are stout of heart and strong of arm ; and many a knight and squire that now bears him gallantly in that proud array, will be stark and cold ere the old walls of Pembroke yield admittance to them. But our first care must be for the young Earl, and I am come to beg good Mistress Hoel to remove him to the garden chambers, where no missile from without can reach. So with your leave, ladies. I will speak to her." " Do so, good Morgan ;" and the steward passed on. As Morgan entered, a youthful matron rose hastily to meet him, anxious like the other ladies, to ascertain the news of the coming fight ; but before she could convey her fears in words, a child, who was busily engaged with some toys, in a further corner of the room, seeing Morgan rushed forward, and flung him self joyfully into the old man's arms.

He was a noble boy, of five years old ; tall for his age, and strongly built, with a countenance of great b intelligence. It was Henry Tudor, the young Earl of Richmond. " Morgan ! dear Morgan ! do let me see the fight ! Pray take me to the battlements ! You know my kind uncle promised that I should see the next fight." " Ay, my good lord, but lack-a-day, your noble uncle is not here, and I dare not do what he has promised. However, I will take you to the battlements to see the army before it draws near, and then we will go, if so please you, to the garden-chambers, where you will have more space to play." Morgan explained to Mistress Hoel his wish to remove the young prince to a safer place ; and she accordingly took him thither, with her young companions, the attendant ladies of the Countess of Richmond, who had left them with her son when she quitted the castle.

Meanwhile the siege commenced, and slowly pursued its tedious course. The setting sun cast its rich light over the battlements and the surrounding country, illuminating the hills and the waters of the haven ; and thither the men who were not on duty went for air and re creation after the toils of the day, before the evening meal ushered in the hour of rest. On the evening in question, two soldiers were thus wiling away the time which hung heavily, shut up within the walls. They talked of passing events ; of the altered fortunes of their lord ; of the many chances of the long war, which had so powerfully influenced their lives, in common with those of all who followed the greater nobles. Tudor, half-brother to King Henry, had necessarily taken a prominent part in behalf of the sovereign to whom he owed his honours and possessions.

Now the star of York was in the ascendant, and Jasper Tudor was a wanderer, perhaps an exile. " Knowest thou, Morres," said one of the men-at-arms to his companion, as they strolled along, " knowest thou, good Morres, that Mor gan can hear no tidings of my lord. One of his trustiest scouts returned this very evening from a long search in all the haunts where the hunted Lancastrians have been wont to seek shelter in bad times like these ; but none saw him after he left the field — yet his body was not found amongst the slain, and some say that he was seen riding off when the day was lost, followed only by two squires." "Ay, the fair days of Lancaster are past; the cruel Edward now rules the land, and our good King Henry is cast aside. But this is of little moment to us; war is our calling, and but for the strife of these kings and nobles, we might even return to the plough — a pastime little to my mind.

But, in truth, I grieve for our lord, who was a kind and good master to his vassals, and I yet trust to see him return amongst us." " I would so too ; but men say he must have left the country, and sought refuge with the Duke of Brittany ; and if so, indeed, he has done well, for unless he could have found his way back here, he would not be in safety within the seas." 11 " Well, his good castle at least is safe, and if better days arise, and he return, he will find all in readiness to receive him — ay, and with a right hearty welcome ! But, Jones, there is a question I have long wanted to ask thee. Be fore we were shut up within these walls, like so many mice in a trap, didst thou by chance ever turn thy steps to the wood, on the other side the haven ?" " No, Morres — not I. I am not well disposed for moonlight walks in a lonely wood.

I like best to stroll through the town and see the lasses, after their work is done, chatting mer rily before their doorways ; or else I am nothing loath to accompany pretty Alice, when she goes forth to seek Elfry the pedlar, to buy gear for the ladies." " Ay, ay, I know thou hast an eye that way, but whilst thou art minding such fooleries, I tell thee that I have seen something that bodes no good." " What hast thou seen, good Morres ? Has a ghost scared thee in thy rambles in that dis mal wood, thou art so fond of?" " Worse, Jones, far worse ; I have seen a false, bad man in very flesh and blood." " Out on thee, friend ! Is that all ; why, I see ten such, every time I look around me. If such a trifle scares thee, thou wilt do well to use thine eyes very sparingly ; for times must change greatly, ere thou wilt look far without seeing that same sight again."

"Nay, but I tell thee, what I have seen, bodes us no good." " Well, then, be brief; and if it must be told, even let us hear what it is, has frightened thee out of the little wit that nature gave thee." "Well then, I will tell thee. I was straying through the wood, some time since, when I heard a rustling sound amongst the trees, and turned about, but could see nothing. However, I kept watch as I walked on, and presently I thought I saw a crouching figure, that sought to avoid me, creeping through the trees. I pretended to take no notice, and hummed a tune as I went to avoid suspicion. The fellow thought I had not perceived him, and when he fancied himself out of sight, went on his way. Resolved to see who was hiding so near the castle, I took a short cut to cross his path, and coming on him suddenly, whom thinkest thou I met, face to face, as I now see thee ?"

" How can I tell — some of thy former loves perhaps, wandering in the spirit, having first broken their hearts of flesh for love of thee." " Fool, did I not tell thee, it was a man ; and no other than that desperate knave, Thomas, the wrecker, whom our lord caused to be flogged, and cast forth from his lands, for having first plundered and then murdered some shipwrecked wretches, cast on shore by a tempest." "The murderous thief! is he returned ? I thought he had escaped beyond seas. Yet I cannot see that this bodes ill to us, though to himself it may prove a fresh introduction to the lash and the dungeon, if he be caught prowling about within the good lordship of Pembroke." " And he will but get what he deserves. But that man is ever bent on mischief; and when he was punished, he vowed deep and dire revenge.

If he has put himself in danger again, by coming within Pembroke's reach, he has some evil design, to make him run such a risk. He has not exposed himself to a second taste of the whip, which he relished so little before, without some intent." " I know not how that may be ; but I con fess I cannot see what he, or any other knave like him, can do to injure us, mewed up within these goodly walls, with plenty of stout ale to keep out fear, and the means of renewing our supply as long as we will. Thomas, the wrecker, will not bethink him of storming the tower alone, I presume ; nor even of leaguing with our foes, who need not so reputable an ally. So, calm thy fears, good Morres, and we will even defy thy hero, Thomas." "I know not — but I have dreamt of him three times, since I first saw him — the fellow's foul visage haunts me.

I have a foreboding that he will work us ill." " Then let him work, and the foul fiend go with him. Meanwhile 'tis the hour of supper, and he shall not spoil my appetite to-night."

Chapter II

The siege pursued its course with little prospect of a speedy termination, for, in that age, the want of artillery necessarily rendered the attack of a strongly fortified place a serious and difficult matter, the result of which de pended more on the supplies and resources of the besieged than on the skill of the besiegers. Little more was, in fact, in the power of the army without than to endeavour to surprise or starve the garrison : for arrows and cross-bows might in vain assail the strong walls of a Norman tower ; and it was not an easy matter to approach the fortifications, either to scale their height or to force the gates. Whilst every means was employed that could be brought to the assault, we will leave the brave defenders of Pembroke to their task whilst we endeavour to recal to those whose memories may be unfaithful to the histo rical biography of the period, the connection which linked the perscmges of our tale with the fortunes of England.

When the issue of the long and fatal civil war of the Roses had placed the house of York upon the throne, and the two last descendants of the legitimate race of Henry IV. were in captivity or exile, the only remaining prince in whose veins the blood of Lancaster still flowed, was the infant Earl of Richmond. His father, Edmund Tudor, married Margaret Beaufort, the heiress of the Somersets, those descendants of John of Gaunt, whose seditious efforts to supplant the lawful representatives of the great Edward Plantagenet, had filled England with trouble and confusion. Thus a claim, which the clearly defined laws of modern times would have cast aside, as unworthy of consideration, not only called forth doubt and strife, but finally succeeded in placing upon the throne the illegitimate descendants of Catherine Swinford, although the act of parliament which legitimated those princes, expressly excluded them from the succession.

Yet, after the crimes of the princes of the house of York had left them without a representative, save Clarence's young and imbecile son, the Earl of Warwick, Richmond's claim was supported by the Lancastrian party ; and even before the extinction of his own race, King Henry VI. had prophesied that the crown would one day rest upon the head of his infant nephew. For the young Countess of Richmond, a widow, though scarcely then sixteen, carried her son to receive the good king's blessing ; who laid his hand upon the child's head and said, " This pretty boy will wear in peace the garland for which we so sinfully contend." And there is little doubt that his mother, con stantly keeping in mind the prophecy of the royal martyr, did not suffer ambition to slumber in the breast of her son, himself sufficiently disposed in after years to profit by the lofty hopes which a large party in the state were prepared to uphold.

Meanwhile the siege proceeded ; the Yorkist army had possessed themselves step by step, and house after house, of the town. It con sisted, as we have said, of a single street, running along the narrow headland, at the end of which arose the castle. Some fortifications there were, though no longer complete or in good repair; still the walls that Strongbow raised to protect the town, enabled the towns men to protract their defence, and they only yielded to their invaders when resistance was no longer possible, and then retired into the castle, or escaped across haven, as the circumstances rendered advisable. The besiegers were in full possession of the town, and had advanced beneath the walls of the castle ; but still they seemed no nearer the attainment of their object, for the well-defended moat protected the gate from their reach, and the prodigious strength of the towers that flanked it, filled with vigilant and experienced combatants, lest them little chance of subduing the fortress, unless the supplies within should fail.

Even the hope of this tedious method of victory was but faint ; for the Knight of Rag land, the leader of the invading force, was well acquainted with all the resources of the place, amongst the most valuable of which might be reckoned the fact that, however closely invested on the land side, provisions, and whatever was needed for the defence, could at all times be conveyed to the castle by water ; and that too under the very eyes of the besiegers, who had little power to prevent the vessels, on the shores of the haven, from rendering this assistance to their lord in the hour of need. Armed bodies of the Yorkists constantly guarded the shore, and watched every boat that put off from the land with jealous care. Still the besieged, strong and fearless, showed no tokens of want and no intention to yield.

The mighty walls still frowned stern defiance on their assailants, without one stone having been displaced, or one defence weakened by the obstinate and length ened siege. The experienced commander well knew that he had wasted much time without making any progress ; and that there was no prospect of his ever attaining the desired object, unless acci dent, or stratagem favoured him. But the Knight of Ragland was unaccustomed to defeat ; and scorned to turn away from an attack, baffled by vassals, in the absence of their lord. Nor did the generals of Edward of York much care to announce to their fierce master, that they had failed in an expedition, undertaken at his com mand. He resolved then, to use redoubled patience and vigilance, and not to leave that shore until he had conquered the towers which had defied him so long.

Meantime the garrison within did not lose courage : there seemed no danger of their being compelled to surrender the lordly abode of their absent master, into the hands of his enemies. In spite of the utmost watchfulness without, they were constantly supplied with everything they required ; if the vessels near the town were driven away or taken prisoners, it was an easy matter for the fishermen on the opposite shore to cross the haven in the dark nights, when no eye could see, no force could prevent them, and deliver their freight within the walls of the castle. A postern gate admitted them into the Wogan, and thence to the courts above. This system might be carried on for ever, and old Pembroke, in spite of all the efforts of its assailants, might maintain its ancient reputation of being impregnable.

Affairs were in this situation — the hopes of the besieged, high and unchilled — the chances of success to the assailants hourly diminishing, as the provisions of their army failed, and sup plies, with difficulty extorted from the neighbouring peasantry, grew more and more scanty. Discouragement, too, began to prevail; and murmurs might be heard amongst the men, when they thought their leaders too far away to hear their complaints. Late one night, when the moon had nearly disappeared from the heavens, a man, closely enveloped in one of the cloaks worn by men-at arms, at that period, his head covered by a dark hood, stole out of one of the small houses of the town, in which the Yorkists had lodged them selves, after driving out the inhabitants. He looked carefully around, to be sure that he was not watched ; and then stealthily took his way down one of the narrow alleys, that led from the principal street, to the haven.

When he reached the water side, again looking cautiously about him, to ascertain that he had not been followed, and that no one was near, he gave a low whistle. A man started up from a small boat, which lay close to the shore, and silently assisting the new comer to step in, he pushed noiselessly from the quay, and with muffled oars, began to row swiftly across the creek. When they had proceeded in total silence far enough from shore to be certain that they were not overheard, the man spoke to his companion, at the oar: " Art thou sure, Gwillan, that he expects us, and will be in waiting ?" " Ay, noble sir, I warned him of your com ing, and he will not fail you." They rowed on in silence, until the creek was crossed, and the little bark stopped at a low, wooded inlet, where the water ran up between two shelving banks.

The rower steadied the boat, whilst his companion jumped ashore ; and then, led the way through a thicket, until they came upon a pathway in the wood. This he followed for a short distance, until they reached the door of a small cottage, or rather hut ; and after listening to ascertain that all was quiet within, he gave a low signal, which was in stantly answered. The door was opened by a man, carrying a lantern in his hand, which he shaded with a corner of his vest ; flinging the light for a moment on the face of the man who stood before the door, and having recognized him, he beckoned them both to enter the low passage, and carefully closed and secured the door. He then led the way into a little kitchen at the back of the cottage, and pulled forward a wooden settle for the accommodation of his visitors.

The first stranger bent his stately head, as he passed the low and narrow door, and flinging off his hood and cloak, disclosed the armour and golden spurs of a knight ; nor was the eye of the host slow to recognize the dragon crest upon his helmet, as the Knight of Ragland strode into his dark abode. " I am come," he said, " in compliance with thy request, as I am told that thy scrupu lous nature requires the security of a knightly oath for thy protection, ere thou canst resolve to betray thy master ;" and although the motive which led him there, was to profit by the meditated treason of the vassal, a smile of scorn curled the haughty features of the knight, as he addressed the miscreant before him. A momentary flash of anger crossed the low browed and sinister face of the fisherman at the taunt ; but recollecting the promised reward, he smothered his rage, and answered calmly : " If the oath of a knight be too sacred a pledge to bestow upon a vassal, our bargain is easily dissolved.

If you need not my services, I can live on without your reward. But my treason, as you are pleased to call it, is revenge VOL. i. c for dire injury ; what better cause leads you to seek the destruction of the innocent, you know best. I know that treachery in a belted knight bears not so foul a name ; men call it stratagem, or worldly wisdom." " Peace, base churl ! bandy not words with me. My man has told me that thou art willing to engage in the enterprize he spoke to thee about, if I give thee my word that thy reward is sure ; and that I will protect thee from Tudor's vengeance, if he return again. Is it not so?" " It is, so please you," said the man in a sullen tone. " And what certainty have I that thou wilt not lead me into a snare, or betray my followers to death ? Speak, fellow." " None, Sir Knight.