A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



to the throne, Tostig resolved to be revenged upon his brother. He accordingly assembled a fleet 

 and, after raiding the south-eastern coast, entered the Humber with the intention of seizing 

 York, but was met and defeated by the Earls Edwin and Morkere ; the seamen whom he had 

 pressed into his service at Sandwich deserted him, his ships as they were leaving the Humber 

 were attacked by Harold's fleet, and he escaped with difficulty with a small remnant of his forces 

 to the hospitable court of Malcolm of Scotland. After a few months Tostig, with reinforcements 

 from Scotland and the Orkneys, set sail and, joining with the fleet of Harold Hardrada, king of 

 Norway, burnt Scarborough and once more entered the Humber. But now, instead of waiting 

 time in plundering the land on either side of the river, as they had done before, the invaders pushed 

 straight on up the Ouse to Riccall, lo miles south of York. Here they left their ships and 

 marched against the city. Edwin and Morkere again assembled a force and gave battle at 

 Fulford, less than 2 miles from York, on 20 September. The fight was stubborn, but ended 

 in a decisive victory for the Norsemen, who entered York without further fighting, making terms 

 with the citizens and exchanging hostages. Meanwhile Harold, who had already since his accession 

 paid one visit to York, was hastening northwards with his army, and on Sunday, 24 September, 

 reached Tadcaster. For some reason, possibly by the terms of their agreement with the citizens, 

 or possibly because the castle still held out, Tostig and Hardrada made no attempt to hold York, 

 but, leaving a small force to guard their ships in the Ouse, moved northwards and camped at 

 Stamford Bridge on the Derwent, where they were taken unawares by Harold. Their forces 

 were lying on either side of the river, and those on the west bank had to be rapidly withdrawn. 

 The centre of the struggle was the narrow wooden bridge, which for a long time was held single- 

 handed by an heroic Norwegian, before whose battle-axe all assailants fell, until an Englishman, 

 getting into a boat, or as local tradition declares a pig-tub, floated under the bridge and speared 

 the hero through the gaping planks. This was the turning point of the battle, and the 

 English, rushing across the bridge and through the stream, cut their opponents to pieces, killing 

 both Tostig and Hardrada. A small remnant of the invaders fought their way back to their 

 comrades in charge of the ships at Riccall, and Harold, who had already lost more men and time 

 than he could afford in view of the threatened invasion from Normandy, gladly allowed the 

 survivors to return unharmed when they had released the hostages and sworn to bear arms against 

 him no more.'' Harold returned to York with rich plunder to rest his victorious but depleted 

 forces, and was still there on I October when news reached him that William of Normandy, 

 profiting by his absence in the north, had landed unopposed on the Sussex coast. He instantly 

 returned at full speed to London and advanced with the troops from southern and central England 

 to defeat and death at Hastings. To that defeat Earl Morkere and his brother Edwin contributed, 

 for although they had gladly accepted Harold's aid to repel Tostig and his allies, they cared nothing 

 for the cause of Harold, and kept back the northern contingent, whose presence might well have 

 turned the scale against the Normans on the closely contested field of Hastings. 



For a time Yorkshire, in common with the rest of England, accepted the change of rulers, 

 the northern magnates doing fealty to William and being confirmed by him in their titles and 

 possessions ; but during his absence in Normandy in 1067 disafifection began to spread, and early in 

 1 068 the county, and especially the neighbourhood of York, assumed the aspect of an armed 

 camp. William advanced slowly northwards, strengthening his lines by building castles at 

 Warwick and Nottingham, and Earl Morkere and his brother at once made their peace with him. 

 Abandoned by their leaders and influenced by Archbishop Ealdred, the citizens of York hastened 

 to make their submission and surrender the keys of the city to the king, who at once established 

 a castle within the walls." Early in 1069 a Norman force under Robert de Comines was annihi- 

 lated at Durham, and shortly afterwards a detachment of troops under Robert Fitz Richard, 

 Governor of York, was cut up, possibly while on their way to revenge the disaster at 

 Durham." These two unfortunate incidents encouraged the English to further resistance, and 

 Edgar the iEtheling left Scotland and marched with Cospatric, Merleswein, Archil, and other 

 English refugees, against York, raising the country to his aid. 



William Alalet, who was now in command at York, sent an urgent appeal for help to the 

 king, who hastened to the rescue, scattered the besiegers, and after spending a week in the city 

 planning the erection of a second castle, returned to the south, leaving William Fitz Osbern in 

 command. A fresh attack was easily repelled by Fitz Osbern, who seems then to have withdrawn, 

 appointing William Malet, Sheriff of Yorkshire, and Gilbert of Ghent as his successors. Mean- 

 while King Swegen of Denmark, urged by many of the northern English and spurred on by 

 ambition of re-establishing a Danish dynasty, had fitted out a cosmopolitan force of Danes, 



" See Leadman, Battles fought in Yorkshire, 5-13, and the authorities there quoted. 

 ^ Orderic \'italis. Hist. Eccl. bk. iv, ch. 4.. 



" Ibid. ch. 5. This is the main source of the account of the northern rising and the harrying of 

 Yorkshire. 



