Review: The Hour of the Fox by Cassandra Clark

Synopsis: London. July, 1399. As rumours spread that his ambitious cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, has returned from exile in France, King Richard's grip on the English throne grows ever more precarious. Meanwhile, the body of a young woman is discovered at Dowgate sluice. When it's established that the dead woman was a novice from nearby Barking Abbey, the coroner calls in his friend, Brother Chandler, to investigate. Who would cut the throat of a young nun and throw her remains in the river? And what was she doing outside the confines of the priory in the first place? Secretly acting as a spy for Henry Bolingbroke, Chandler is torn by conflicting loyalties and agonising self-doubt. As the king's cousin marches towards Wales and England teeters on the brink of civil war, Chandler's investigations will draw him into affairs of state - and endanger not only himself but all those around him.


This is the start of a new series of historical mystery by Cassandra Clark, author of the Hildegarde, Abbess of Meaux series set in the reign of Richard II of England. This series, I feel, is a follow on as it takes place over a period of months from July 1399 to December 1399.

Much had happened during the turbulent reign of Richard II of England. Coming to the throne as a child, succeeding his indomitable grandfather Edward III, Richard's early reign was dominated by his uncles, namely: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. 

Richard's high-handed behaviour as an adolescent, the extravagance of his household and the attempts of his councillors to broker a peace with France, led to a series of aristocratic protests between 1386 and 1388. In 1387 Richard was forced to accept a controlling council. He left London in February and returned only in November, a few days before the council's mandate expired. In 1388, as a result of the political and military actions of the magnates known as the Lords Appellant, some of Richard's closest friends and advisors were executed or sent into exile.

From 1389 when Richard declared himself to be of age, he influenced more closely the direction of government. This can be seen in his accumulation of wealth through the heavy fines he imposed, his expeditions to Ireland in 1394 and 1399 and his pursuit of peace with France. He exacted, for example, £10,000 from the Londoners in 1392. Following the death of Anne of Bohemia in 1394, Richard's peace policy led to the twenty-eight year truce sealed at a meeting between Richard II and Charles VI of France at Ardres, near Calais, and Richard's second marriage to Isabelle, eldest daughter of the French king.

Richard's seemingly impregnable position was more fragile than it seemed. In 1397 he attacked the Lords Appellant who had prevailed in 1388 and seized their lands and goods. His uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, was murdered and Richard, earl of Arundel, executed on Tower Hill. Thomas Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, and Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury, were exiled. 

In the following year, the two remaining Appellants, who initially had been pardoned, Henry of Bolingbroke, duke of Hereford, the future Henry IV, and Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk, accused each other of treason. Richard forbade the resulting duel and exiled both men. In February 1399, John of Gaunt died and Richard seized the great estates of the duchy of Lancaster. This precipitated the crisis of the end of his reign. In May he embarked on his second expedition to Ireland, and was still there in July when rumours broke that Bolingbroke had left exile and landed in England.

This period also marked the end of one decade and century and the beginning of another. It was the era of the prophecy. Prophecies had an important political and propaganda role. A leader mentioned in a prophecy as a great warrior could use any opportunities to confirm this and so strengthen the respect and resolve of others, and conversely leaders predicted as weak or divisive had to be very careful not to reinforce that image.

Historians have argued that prophecy reached a zenith of significance around the revolutionary events of 1399. Historian Helen Fulton describes England and Wales being “in the grip of a prophecy mania” in the last years of the 14th Century. Many contemporary chroniclers (eg. Adam Usk, Jean Froissart) refer to the widespread variety of prophecies circulating at the time. Ricardians and Lancastrians both claimed prophetic visions as buttresses to their actions before and after the deposition of Richard.

The Prophecy of the Six Kings, which features in this novel, seems to have been written about 1330 but was alleged to be Merlin’s response to King Arthur asking about the fate of his kingdom. The six kings following King John were likened to six beasts: Henry III, the Lamb of Winchester; Edward I, the Dragon; Edward II, the Goat of Caernavon; and Edward III, the Lion or Boar of Windsor. Accordingly the next king after the Boar was a Lamb. While the son of Edward III, Edward the Black Prince was alive this seemed unlikely but of course he never became king so his son Richard was now cast into this role. The prediction stated that the Lamb would lose most of his kingdom to a “hideous wolf”, but an “eagle of the dominion” would recover the lost lands, but later be murdered by his brother. The Lamb would leave his land in peace but the next king would be “a Mole” (moldewarp) under whom a civil war between three factions would tear the kingdom apart.

In what seems to be a variation on the Six Kings prophecy after 1399 it was revived with the last two kings being cast as an Ass and a Mole. Richard was cast as an Ass in a number of prophecies, wherein the crowned Ass is replaced by a Fox, also referred to as “taurus in torente”, or “bull in brook” (could this be a play on the word Bolingbroke?). In our story, the sixth king will be identified by his " ... hideous skin ... with leprous sores..".

It is against this molten backdrop that Brother Rodic Chandler, a Mercedarian Friar (belonging to the Cult of St Serapion), finds himself drawn into the investigation of the seemingly senseless death of a young novice. Chandler has for some time been in the pay of the House of Lancaster, first under John of Gaunt and now under the son, Henry Bolingbroke. He was used as a spy and heretic hunter (for which he had a certain reputation) but also to gain information from those housed in the Tower of London (and not as a father-confessor).

Calling upon Chandler's services is one of the London Coroner's, Sir Arnold Archer. The duties of the early coroners were varied, and included the investigation of almost any aspect of medieval life that had the potential benefit of revenue for the Crown. Suicides were investigated, on the grounds that the goods and chattels of those found guilty of the crime of 'self murder' would then be forfeit to the crown, as were wrecks of the sea, fires, both fatal and non-fatal, and any discovery of buried treasure in the community. Sudden death in the community were also investigated by coroners. The coronor acted in stead of the local sheriff, and his sole responsibility was to act in the interest of the Crown in criminal proceedings.

In the case of the murdered novice, Chandler and Archer must ask themselves "qui bono" - who stands to gain from this crime? The investigation is anything but straight forward, and the author's ample research pays off as we get a real taste for what London was like in these turbulent times when ".. to place your trust in anything .. was asking to have your entrails pulled out whole while you watched ...". Unfortunately, Chandler cannot always focus on the investigation to hand - there is more at stake, as loyalties are put to the test, and consciences are laid bare.

Apart for the major known historical figures that have graced the pages, we are introduced to some secondary ones, including Chandler's master (or handler to use a more modern phrase), one Thomas Swynford (d.1432), the son of Katherine Swynford from her marriage to Hugh Swynford (long before her marriage to John of Gaunt), who has various nefarious tasks he needs attended to. Then there is the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who is married to Thomas' sister Philippa - one is never quite sure what his role is in all of this. And the dark horse of the lot, Sir Robert Knollys (or Knolles as he is also known), a "wily veteran of the French wars" whom Chandler also finds himself answering to.

" ... we are no more than mere pawns in the royal game of chess. All we can do is play it the best we can and hope to survive from day to day ..".

Our tale picks up the pace in the last third or so, and the pieces are moved around the chessboard and Chandler slowly begins to put things together. All in all, this was a decent historical novel, with the promise of much more to follow.

However, there were some things that I found myself questioning, and this was mainly the character of the servant girl Mattie. Her role is never really clearly defined except to introduce us to Chaucer and as a possible "man on the street" type observer. I failed to really see what either character contributed to the story. Are we to see more of both Chaucer and Mattie in further novels - if not, then why were they included in the first place - they are both surplus to requirement. I also could not understand why the Mattie narrative was in the first person and Chandler's was in the third person. The use of separate chapters (as was done) to direct the storyline would have worked just as effective. In fact, the character that I was most interested in was the crafty Knollys - now there is a character with a story to tell!

I do look forward to the next in the series, as we left Chandler en route to Pontefract Castle in the retinue of Thomas Swynford, the new Constable.

For those interested in the Prophecy of the Six Last Kings:

The account of the kings begins with the Lamb of Winchester (Henry the Third). According to Merlin, this Lamb is to have a white chin, sothefast lips, and a heart wherein Holiness is written. While he is truand, an insurrection is to be raised in his realm by a wolf of a strange land, but it is to be quelled by the aid of a Red Fox from the Northwest. At his death his heir shall be in a strange land, and the realm shall abide for a time without a ruler. 

The Lamb is to be succeeded by his heir, the Dragon (Edward the First), whose disposition is of mercy and severity mingled. This Dragon shall have a beard like a Goat and a sweet breath. He is to frighten Wales from North to South, and conquer many countries. A people of the Northwest, led by a wicked Greyhound, shall make an incursion into the country, but they shall be defeated by the side of the sea, and dwell for a time in many perils as stepchildren. This Dragon shall foster a Fox that shall raise a war against him not to be ended in his time. This Dragon in his lifetime is to be considered the best knight in the world, and is to die on the borders of another country. Then shall the land dwell in trouble as a stepchild without its mother.

After the Dragon shall succeed a Goat (Edward the Second) who has horns of silver and silk, and a beard like a buck; whose breath betokens hunger, death of the people, loss of land, and much other trouble ; and in whose days, Merlin says, whoredom and adultery shall be prevalent. This Goat shall come out of Carnarvon and go to another country to get the Flower-of -Life (Isabella of France). During his reign so many people shall die that strangers shall be bold against him. Upon an arm of the sea a battle shall be fought in a shield-shaped field. A Bear of the Goat's blood shall raise war against him. The Goat, clad in a Lion's skin, shall at first make resistance successfully with the aid of a people from the Northwest, and avenge himself on his enemies. But he shall end his days in pain and sorrow. In his time shall flourish an Eagle of Cornwall, named Gaveston, who shall die for his pride and presumption. 

After the Goat shall come a Lion (Edward the Third), who shall be fierce and terrible in heart, whose countenance shall be full of pity and justice, whose breast shall be a slaking of thirst for those that love peace and rest, whose tongue shall speak truth, and whose bearing shall be meek as any lamb. In the beginning of his reign he shall have trouble to punish miscreants, but he shall at length make his people as meek as a lamb. He shall be called Boar of Prosperity, Nobility, and Wisdom. He shall come out of Windsor, and shall go through four lands whetting his tusks. He shall go even to the Holy Land without opposition. Spain, Aragon, and France shall acknowledge his power. He shall whet his tusks against the gates of Paris, and shall wear three crowns before he dies. He shall meet his end in a far country and be buried beside three kings. 

After the Lion, or Boar (for he is called both in the poem) shall come an Ass (Richard the Second) with leaden feet, a steel head, a brass heart, and an iron skin. This Ass shall govern his land in rest and peace, and shall be praised for his well doing. Then he shall give his land into the governance of an Eagle, who shall govern it well until, overcome with pride, he is slain by the sword of a brother. The control of affairs is then to revert to the Ass, who rules well and in whose time all good things are plentiful. 

Afterwards a Mole (Henry the Fourth) shall be ruler of the land. This Mole shall have a hide as rough as a goat's skin, and shall be accursed of God for his misdeeds. He shall be greatly praised until he is overcome with pride. Then shall a Dragon raise war against the Mole. A Wolf, seeing the Dragon hard pressed, shall come to the Dragon's aid. Then both shall be joined by a Lion from Ireland. This combination is then to defeat the Mole and drive him from the land, leaving him only an island in the sea where he shall pass his life in great sorrow and strife, and finally lose his life by drowning. England shall be divided into three parts between the Dragon and the Lion and, it would seem, the Wolf, who, however, is not mentioned in the partition. Then shall England be known everywhere as the Land of Conquest, and the heirs of England lose the heritage. 

The framework of The Six Kings is taken from Geoffrey of Monmouth's The Book of Merlin. King John was identified by various chroniclers as the Lynx an an earlier prophecy. Source: The Political Prophecy In England by Rupert Taylor (1911). 

further reading:
Prophecy, Politics and Place in Medieval England: From Geoffrey of Monmouth to Thomas of Erceldoune by Victoria Flood
The Medieval Coroner by R. F. Hunnisett
Chaucer and His World by Derek Brewer
The Usurpation of Henry IV by Eva Kratochvil