Juliana Garnett (39 page)

In researching
The Baron
, I visited Nottingham and the surrounding area, tramped paths through Sherwood’s forest and meadows, walked the ruins of Rufford Abbey, and even found the ruins of King John’s Palace at Old Clipstone. It was a remarkable journey. Edwinstowe still exists, as does the church of St. Mary’s, where legend says Robin Hood and Maid Marian were wed. A short walk from Edwinstowe is the Cockpen Oak, now known as the Major Oak, a nineteenth-century name for the huge, gnarled old oak that is said to be the oldest living tree in England. There is conjecture about this tree, some saying it was a sapling during King John’s reign, and others saying that it is fifteen hundred years old. Apparently, a very similar oak in this spot did, indeed, offer shelter to outlaws and sheriffs alike. Sherwood Forest is still mystical and beautiful, lending substance to the tales of spirits living inside the ancient, twisted trees, for faces do seem to peer out from the mottled bark.

Medieval barons would laugh at our modern concept of barons as bluebloods. That virtue was left for royalty to boast. Many barons gained land and title by right of sword, marriage, or royal largesse in gratitude for a favor. Those who inherited title and lands were fortunate if they managed to hold them.

For
The Baron
, I used
John Lackland
, a wonderful book I
found at a library sale, as a framework on which to base many events. It gives detailed information about the king’s activities. Apparently, it was not without precedent for John to appoint his barons to an office. A noted case was that of William de Braose, who was deseisined of his lands granted him by the king, appointed Constable of Limerick, deposed, then appointed again. It is historical fact that Stephen Langton chased John to Nottingham to halt him from enacting vengeance against the northern barons. Contemporaries of the time recorded date, deed, and words, found in
John Lackland.
An invaluable assistance.

While I strove to stay true to medieval times, of course, the language had to be modified to be readable. Language is not the only difference. Medieval perceptions were quite different, guided by the church, molded by brutal warfare and short life spans. Yet they were not miserable all the time, and if they lived in what we regard as squalor, to them it was normal. Even the peasant had his pleasures. Rivalry between Saxon and Norman did not end easily. It has still not ended in some ways. As example: I could find little information on William the Conqueror at Westminster Abbey, where he was crowned king in 1066, but there were entire shelves of books about the conquered Saxon king, Harold. I was informed by the sales clerk—very politely—that William was
Norman
, as if that explained it perfectly. It did.

For the depiction of the tournament, I used as my reference several accounts that varied only slightly. The barrier known as the tilt, which separated the jousters from one another and is so popular in movies, was not conceived until the fifteenth century; thus, there were inevitable collisions between knights. The rituals are as accurate as I could find them described, though of course I took author’s liberty with the actual wording.

Descriptions of Nottingham Castle are as accurate as research can show. I have a wonderful little book I bought at the castle,
Nottingham’s Royal Castle
by Andrew Hamilton. It has detailed drawings and descriptions of the castle since it was first built, listing dates when improvements were made. For descriptions of thirteenth-century Rufford Abbey, I found a
book there,
Rufford Abbey and Country Home
, which is put out by Nottinghamshire County Council. Some of the abbey still stands.

Nottinghamshire is just riddled with caves, many lying beneath the city of Nottingham like a vast honeycomb. The castle cave and entrance used in this story does exist, but I won’t regale you with my adventure in exploring it. Suffice it to say, going down was a lot easier than coming back up. By all accounts, outlaws of the time lived in caves that abound in the area, where they could conceal the entrances and remain hidden from discovery.

I would like to thank Mike Stacey, a charming gentleman employed by Weaver’s Wine Merchants in Nottingham, who gave us a lovely tour of the wine cellars and was the first to tell me of the extensive cave systems beneath the town. It was in the cave below Weaver’s that
The Baron
first took full form, as Mike shared his extensive knowledge of history with us.

The present castle is not as high as the first Nottingham Castle, due to a former resident’s desire to lower the sandstone bluff on which it stood, but it is still imposing. Some of the original eleventh- and twelfth-century walls are still there, as well as the gatehouse. I must thank castle employee George Oliver of Hucknall for his delightful help and advice in navigating the castle grounds. I hope I was as helpful with my guided tour of Graceland for him and his wife, Kath.

The Rock Yard still exists below the castle, known since the seventeenth century as the Brewhouse Yard. It has an excellent museum, though they no longer brew ale. The Pilgrim’s Inn exists much as it did in King John’s day, cut into rock at the castle foot, and still has the ring and horn game. I made several return trips for good food and to soak up atmosphere. Established in approximately 1189, it was renamed The Trip to Jerusalem in the eighteenth century. Until recently, it was thought to be the oldest English inn still in use, but new information has come to light and a challenger for the title is The Bell, also in Nottingham.

Until 1835, Nottingham was divided into two boroughs, one Saxon and one Norman, represented by two sheriffs. I must thank Perry, Lord of Thorpe, for his invaluable assistance
in giving me the real names of the sheriffs during that time. Eustace de Lowdham was sheriff in 1213, though his name was also spelled Ludenham. I took the liberty of using the Lowdham version, as that is the name of a village near Gunthorpe. It made sense that it was the same. He was demoted, then reinstated as sheriff, which worked in perfectly with my story. Philip Mark was high sheriff during the same era. He has the distinction of being named in the Magna Carta as one of the dishonest officials to be banned from continuing his depredations. What an honor for posterity!

Ravenshead (Ravenshed) and Blidworth figured largely in the tales of Robin Hood. Will Scarlett’s grave is at Blidworth, and Brother Tuck’s hut was located two miles away, at Ravenshead, near the fountain where he is said to have first met Robin Hood. (The title of Friar was not used until the fourteenth century and probably originated with the use of
Frère
, French for “brother.”) I visited Blidworth, which is also the traditional home of Maid Marian. It is a charming village not far from Old Clipstone and the ruins of King John’s Palace. I used the thirteenth-century boundaries of Sherwood Forest as my guide, though it is now much diminished, comprising only 450 acres. Sherwood Forest was not then, nor is it now, just wooded tracts, but includes fields, meadows, and villages. One can still walk paths through woods and meadows, or ride horses on the trails and think of bygone days.

While staying in nearby Gunthorpe, I prevailed on my wonderful hosts, Clive and Pip Harris, to take me to Robin Hood’s Cave in Walesby. I was enchanted by the sandstone cave and the River Maun that meanders a gentle path through fields and wood, and felt as if I could actually see traces of the outlaws who had once used it as a sanctuary. Though it is now much washed away by time and erosion, and not nearly as deep or hidden as the Robin Hood’s Cave in Cresswell Crags, I chose to use this location for my story. The majority of this story takes place within a twenty-five-mile radius of Nottingham, for Ravenshead is eleven miles north of the city, and the Cockpen (Major) Oak only sixteen miles north. Gunthorpe, where I stayed in The Toll House bed-and-breakfast on the River Trent, is only eight miles from Nottingham.

While reading old tales of Robin Hood, I found references to Clorinda. Maid Marian did not show up in the ballads and tales until about the fifteenth century. Before then, Robin Hood’s lady was a raven-haired lass wearing a Lincoln-green jerkin and laced buskins to the knee, and was named Clorinda. I chose to interpret her relationship with Robin Hood my way, for she was said to be expert with the longbow and thus a fitting mother for my heroine.

As for Robin Hood himself, he may have been an actual outlaw or a composite of a number of outlaws. There are many entries in old ledgers referring to Robert Hodde, Robert Hood, etc. It is a matter of record that outlaws were called Robin Hood, much as we use the name John Doe today. Whether this was a coincidence used by minstrels to earn a penny or two, or because of the first Robin Hood, is now all conjecture. I have my own theories.

Last, Barnsdale Forest lay just north of Nottingham, between the city and what is now Bestwood Lodge, and should not be confused with another Barnesdale much farther to the north in Cumberland. Interestingly, it has recently come to light that Huntington was once an earldom in the forest of Barnsdale just outside the town of Nottingham in the thirteenth century, so tales of a local Earl of Huntington have even more validity than before.

To quote John Selden, Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London in the seventeenth century: “There is more historic truth in many of the old ballads than in many modern histories.” I think he was on to something.

I hope you have enjoyed my story, and also enjoyed a vicarious journey through the beauty of the English countryside, which still echoes the heart of medieval times.

J
ULIANA GARNETT
is a bestselling author who makes her home in Memphis, Tennessee, when she is not in England or Scotland researching her next medieval tale. Her love of the era of knights, dark villains, and damsels in distress began when she was a child reading stories of
Robin Hood.

In
The Baron
, Ms. Garnett wrote about one of her favorite characters, the Sheriff of Nottingham. She freely admits to watching “Prince of Thieves” a dozen times, not for admiration of the noble Robin Hood, but fascination with the sheriff. It is her opinion that on occasion, villains make the best heroes … she hopes that you will agree.

You can write Ms. Garnett c/o Bantam Books, or visit the author on her Web site at
www.ladyofshallot.com

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HERO OF MY HEART
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!

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Associate Publisher

P.S. Watch for these terrific Loveswept titles coming soon: May brings

Elisabeth Barrett’s scorching third Star Harbor book
LONG SIMMERING SPRING
, Toni Aleo’s exhilarating Loveswept debut
TAKING SHOTS
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LADY AND THE UNICORN
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RUN WILD WITH ME
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SCARLET BUTTERFLY
, and Linda Cajio’s searing books,
HOT AND BOTHERED
and
DANCING IN THE DARK
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ARRESTED BY LOVE
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FLIRTING WITH DISASTER
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TRYING TO SCORE
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