[From Rushen Castle, Rigby
1927]
CHAPTER X.
THE OUTER WORKS IN RELATION TO SIEGE OPERATIONS.
HREE
stages of development are apparent in the outer works, and in each
stage the castle experienced a siege. First we have the 13th century
tower surrounded by a ravine, and probably further defended by some
sort of timber fence All a base court or Bailey. Such, roughly, was
the Castle which held out for a month against Robert Bruce in the
year 1313. The chronicle of
Rushen Abbey says that "In the year 1313 on the 18th of May, Lord
Robert, King of Scotland, put in at Ramsa with a large number of
ships, and on the following Sunday went to the Nunnery* at Duglas,
where he spent the night, and on Monday laid siege to the Castle of
Russyn, which was defended by the Lord Dungall MacDowyl against the
said Lord King till the Tuesday after the Feast of St. Barnabas the
Apostle (June 21), on which day the said Lord King took the Castle.
+
How Bruce brought the gallant MacDowyl to terms is unknown.
Starvation was hardly likely in so short a time, and cannon did not
come into practical use for some years after this. The battle of
Crecy (1346) was one of the first occasions on which they are known
to have been used, and even then they cannot have been very powerful
weapons, as they are said to have been posted in front of the English
army, while the French King placed so little value on the invention
that he would not wait for his artillery to be brought up.
Bruce possibly had a mangonel which Viollet le Duc describes as an
engine for propelling large stones from a kind of sling attached to
the longer arm of a moveable beam heavily weighted at its other
extremity; or a trebouchet which was a somewhat similar implement,
the difference being that the counterpoise was suspended from the
beam instead of being fixed upon it. These machines are said to have
been capable of throwing stones of 60 Ibs. weight to a distance of
about 250 paces.
It appears that these engines were also used for less noble
purposes than the throwing of stones. Froissart, describing the siege
of the Castle of Thim,* says: " The besiegers by their engines flung
dead horses and other carrion into the castle, to poison the garrison
by their smell; and this distressed it more than anything else, for
the air was as hot as in the middle of summer; they therefore having
considered their position and that they could not long hold out, from
the terrible stench, proposed a treaty."
And Sir Ralf Payne-Galwayt quotes a passage from Varrilas to the
effect that " at his ineffectual siege of Carolstein in 1422, Coribut
caused the bodies of his soldiers whom the besieged had killed to be
thrown into the town in addition to 2,00() cart loads of manure. A
great number of the defenders fell victims to the fever which
resulted from the stench, and the remainder were only saved from
death by the skill of a rich apothecary, who circulated Carolstein
remedies against the poison which infected the town.,'
Whether Bruce used such methods in the reduction of Castle Rushen
we know not. The fact that it held out for a month suggests that he
was not well provided with siege engines.
For the siege of an important and well-defended Castle, the most
extensive preparations were made when possible. As an instance of
this we may quote Mr. Clarke's description of the preparations for
the siege of Bedford Castle§ in 1224, of which very
full accounts are available. He says: " The preparations were both
extensive and minute, and the mandates, always described as pressing,
were issued to a vast number of sheriffs and other persons as far
South and West as Corfe Castle and St. Briavels. They require men,
money, arrears of scutage, cord, cable, iron, steel, hides, leather
for slings, twine for strings, mangonels, petraries, balistEe,
quarrells, stone shot, quarrymen, miners, carpenters, saddlers,
wagons for conveying the royal pavilions, and almonds, spice and
ginger for the royal still room. All the smiths in Northampton who
can forge quarrell bolts, or feather them when forged, are to work
day and night until 4,000 are ready and despatched. Large quantities
of wine from the royal stores in London, at Northampton, and
elsewhere are to be forwarded with speed to Bedford. Knights
performing castle guard at Lancaster are ordered up; greyhounds are
sent for for sport. The sheriff of Bedfordshire is to supply
quarrymen and masons with their levers, hammers, mauls and wedges,
and everything necessary for the preparation of stone shot for the
mangonels and petraries. Miners come from St. Briavels in the Forest
of Dean. Windsor supplies its master carpenter and his mates.
Cambridge sends cord and cable. Charcoal comes with the iron and
steel from Gloucester, and the adjacent abbey of Newnham spares a
large quantity of raw stone to be converted into shot. . . . The
siege operations included on the East front a petrary and two
mangonels, which daily battered the opposite tower; on the West front
two mangonels more upon the old tower; on the North and South fronts
were two mangonels one on each, and each breached its opposing wall.
The operations of these severe pieces of ordnance were materially
aided by two large wooden turrets, tall enough to command the whole
castle, and supported by other smaller turrets, all charged with
archers and cross bow-men. There was also the timber covered way,
known as a cat, by the aid of which miners were able to undermine the
wall, while the bowmen cleared the battlements above. These works
were thickly covered with hides, rendering them proof against fire;
and the slingers, of whom there were many, probably kept up a general
and incessant shower of pebbles upon all who dared to show themselves
on the ramparts."
The above extract shews how great an occasion the siege of a large
castle might be, but we need not suppose that the siege of Rushen was
in any way comparable with that of Bedford. In a small expedition
like Bruce's, it would have been impossible to carry all the
necessaries for the rapid destruction of a great fortress, and indeed
they would not be required. As before pointed out, the Castle we are
considering consisted of a tower with outer defences of palissading,
which could be destroyed by fire.
In such a case the favourite method of procedure was to first fill
up the surrounding ditch. This would be done with branches, gorse,
heather or other convenient materials. The same materials piled
against the palissading and fired would soon destroy the outer line
of defence. If the inhabitants of the tower still held out, an
attempt would be made to undermine the tower. Froissart related that
at the siege of Chateauceaux' the besiegers " remained a long time
before it without any success. At last, however, they brought such
quantities of great beams and faggots as filled up the ditches, so
that they could get to the foot of the walls of the castle, and
attack it with greater vigour. The besieged flung down upon them
stones, hot lime, and brands of fire, notwithstanding which their
opponents advanced close to the walls, having secured themselves by
means of large beams, so that they could mine the walls under
cover."*
The same author gives another" delightful instance of undermining
in recounting the story of the siege of Cormicy. He says that when
Sir Bartholomew Burghersh found that he could not take the castle by
assault he ordered a number of miners . . . to do their duty in
undermining the fortress.... The miners immediately broke ground, and
having lodged themselves in their mine, worked night and day;
insomuch that they advanced far under the great tower; and, as they
pushed forward, they propped up the work that those within knew
nothing of it. When they had thus completed their mine so that they
could throw down the tower when they chose, they came to Sir
Bartholomew Burghersh, and said to him: " Sir, we have carried our
works so far that this tower, great as it is, shall be thrown down
whenever you please." " It is well," replied Sir Bartholomew, " but
do nothing without my orders," . . . . The knight immediately mounted
his steed and . . . made a signal that he wished to have a parley
with those within. Upon this Sir Henry came forward on the
battlements and demanded what he wanted. " I want you to surrender,"
replied Sir Bartholomew, " or you will be all infallibly destroyed."
" By what means?" answered the French knight, who began to laugh; "
we are perfectly well supplied with everything; and you wish us thus
simply to surrender; certainly it shall not be to-day" added Sir
Henry. " Certainly," said the English knight, " if you were truly
informed what your situation is, you would surrender instantly,
without more words." " Why, what is our situation?" demanded Sir
Henry. " If You will come out, upon my assurance of your safety, I
will shew you," replied Sir Bartholomew. The French knight on seeing
the mine agreed to surrender, and marched out with his garrison. The
mine was then set on fire, " and when the props were burnt, the
tower, which was extremely large, opened in two places and fell on
the opposite side to where Sir Bartholomew was standing, who said to
Sir Henry and the garrison of the fortress, " Now see if I did not
tell you the truth." " We own it, sir," replied they, " and remain
prisoners at your pleasure. We also return you ur best thanks for
your kindness to us." . . .
The second stage of development in the outer works consisted
chiefly in replacing the palissading surrounding the old tower by a
strong curtain wall and gatehouse. It was in this phase of existence,
in the year 1377, that " the Frenschmen took the Ilde of Man, al save
the Castel whech Ser Hew Tyrel manfully defended (kept): but thei of
the ylde were fayn to gyve the Frenschmen a M. mare, that thei schuld
not brenn her houses."* It is doubtful whether this siege need be
taken very seriously so far as the Castle is concerned. One cannot
suppose that a party of French pirates would ever think of attacking
the Castle. What probably happened was that the Frenchmen told off a
few of their number to demonstrate in the neighbourhood of the Castle
and thus keep " Ser Hew" and his men on tenterhooks, while the
remainder wreaked their wicked will on the peaceful inhabitants This
affair further illustrates the uselessness of a castle for defending
a large area from attack. It seems rather hard that the inhabitants
who had to provide large stores for the upkeep of the garrison,
should have to buy off these marauding Frenchmen to the tune of " a
M. mare* that thei schuld not brenn her houses."
The third stage of development consisted of the arrangements
described for defence against cannon, and in this stage came the
sedge by Cromwell's troops. There can be no question about the
stubborn resistance which, in ordinary circumstances, would have been
offered to the enemy by the gallant Charlotte
de la Tremouille. She had amply proved her ability and bravery in
the long siege of Lathom House, but the greatest commander must be
beaten by treachery, and the news of her husband's execution, and the
lost cause of the Stuarts, first communicated to her during the
investment, shewed that resistance was hopeless and without object.
She marched out with the distinction of being the last person in the
British Islands to submit to the victorious commonwealth.
From this date the further developments in the Castle were of a
retrograde nature so far as military architecture is concerned, and
though occupied by a garrison for some time there was a growing
tendency to use the outer portions for all manner of prosaic
purposes. We find that stabling, a riding school, a
lifeboat house, government stores, grocery stores, etc., occupied
parts of the old gun ward at various times.
During this last period a wall was built along the river side,
extending from the round tower to the curtain wall, probably for the
sake of privacy. It was taken down when the quay was constructed, but
its foundations remain.
Governor Horton seems to have built the stabling in this ward and
thereby gives us a delightful insight into one side of the sainted
Bishop Wilson's character. It appears that the Bishop had in his
library a copy of Spelman's History of Sacrilege, in which he wrote
the following note: " Anno 1733 Governor Horton removed the roof of
my Cathedral at Peel to Castletown, to be placed on his stables. How
this will end I know not." In a subsequent note he says: " I have
seen how it ended. For the wherry that bore away the timber was lost
on her next voyage, and the Governor's son nearly lost his sight in
the smallpox."" It should be mentioned that Bishop Wilson had used
the lead of the Cathedral for roofing the church of St. Patrick some
twenty years before this, so that he was not altogether without some
share in the " spoliation."
Governor Smelt had also a covered riding school in this space in
which he took saddle exercise in bad weather.
All these excrescences have now been cleared away, and the space
is again turned into a garden. Unfortunately considerable
encroachments have been allowed on the counterscarp which have
destroyed the western portion of the glacis; otherwise one gets a
good idea of early methods of defence against cannon. It should be
mentioned that the top of the glacis which is now laid down in grass
was originally flagged.
* In original "Moniales." Chron.
Manniae.
* John's translation, p. 69. t The Crossbow.
§ Mediaeval Military Architecture, p. 219.
* John's translation, Vol. I, p. 94. t Ditto, p.
277.
* Capgrave. " Chronicles of England" (Manx
Society, Vol. IV, p. 73).
* A thousand marks. t Manx Note Book, Vol. I, p.
150.
