The Hermit of Eyton Forest
Ellis Peters
The Fourteenth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
Digital Edition v2 HTML – January 20, 2003
Copyright © Ellis Peters
First published in Great Britain in 1987 by
Headline Book Publishing
CONTENTS
^
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter One
^ »
It was on the eighteenth day of October of thatyear 1142 that Richard Ludel, hereditary tenant of the manor ofEaton, died of a debilitating weakness, left after wounds receivedat the battle of Lincoln, in the service of King Stephen.
The news was duly brought to Hugh Beringar in Shrewsbury castle,since Eaton was one of the many manors in the shire which had beenexpropriated from William Fitz Alan, after that powerful noblemantook arms on the wrong side in the struggle for the throne, heldShrewsbury for the Empress Maud, and took to flight when Stephenbesieged and captured the town. His wide lands, forfeited to thecrown, had been placed in the sheriff’s care as overlord, buttheir tenants of long standing had been left undisturbed, once itwas clear that they had wisely accepted the judgement of battle,and pledged their allegiance to the king. Ludel, indeed, had donemore than declare his loyalty, he had proved it in arms at Lincoln,and now, it seemed, paid a high price for his fealty, for he was nomore than thirty-five years old at his death.