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292 THE HERALDRY OF YORK MINSTER.
There Edward ordered him to remain until he could join the army himself;
and summoning the whole military power to meet him at York at Pentecost,
he advanced from there to the rendezvous he had appointed his combined
forces at Roxburgh, on the feast of St. John the Baptist.
With a vastly increased force he proceeded by moderate marches into
Scotland, laying waste the country and defeating the Scotch at Falketh.
The following year he again invaded Scotland, encamped in Annandale,
captured Lochmaben, and attacked the castle of Caerlaverock, the principal
seat of the family of Maxwell from the time of Michael Canmore, and now
held by the staunch Sir Eustace de Maxwell, ancestor of the Maxwells
Earls of Nithsdale, and Baron Herries, of whom the present Lord Herries,
of Everingham, Yorkshire, is the lineal representative. Situated near
Dumfries on the north shore of the Solway Firth, at the confluence of
the Nith and " Locher, Caerlaverock was so strong a castle," says the old
poet, " that it did not fear a siege, therefore the King came himself
" because it would not consent to surrender." *
Its shape was like a shield, for it had only three sides, all round, with
a tower at each angle. One of them was double ;
one so high, so long, and
so large, that under it was the gate and the drawbridge. To the west and
north it was surrounded by an arm of the sea, so that no creature born
could approach without putting himself in danger of the sea. To the south
there were numerous dangerous defiles of wood and marshes, ditches where
the sea is on each side of it, and where the river reaches it ;
and therefore it
was necessary for the host to approach it towards the east, where the hill
slopes. On the loth July, 1300, Edward reached Caerlaverock with his
forces. By the i2th of that month he had taken it by storm, and advanced
to Dumfries. Such a brilliant achievement, we can well understand,
elicited the admiration and applause of the world, and it is not surprising
that it should have at once become the theme of a poem which doubtless
was afterwards sung by many a minstrel, as during the long winter evenings
the family and household gathered round the blazing logs in the castle
hall, to listen to the prowess of the good King Edward and his knights.
This poem, written by Walter of Exeter, a Franciscan Friar, a contemporary,
is
preserved amongst the MSS. in the College of Arms, and within the last
few years has been printed by Sir Harris Nicholas. It is far too long to
quote here. It contains the names and banners of all the knights, and
short, quaint, epigrammatic notices of each, some of which I have quoted
from time to time. The progress of the siege, the simple weapons of
offence, the bows, crossbows, and espingalls ;
the terrible Robinet, worked
by Brother Robert, which sent numerous stones without cessation from
dawn to evening; and three other terrible engines erected by him, very
*
Siege of Caerlaverock, Sir Harris Nicholas.