Review: Wolf at the Door by Sarah Hawkswood

Synopsis: All Hallow’s Eve, 1144.

The savaged body of Durand Wuduweard, the solitary and unpopular keeper of the King’s Forest of Feckenham, is discovered beside his hearth, his corpse rendered barely identifiable by sharp teeth.

Whispers of a wolf on the prowl grow louder and Sheriff William de Beauchamp’s men, Hugh Bradecote and Serjeant Catchpoll, are tasked with cutting through the clamour. They must uncover who killed Durand and why while beset by superstitious villagers, raids upon manors and further grim deaths. Out of the shadows of the forest, where will the wolf’s fangs strike next?

As per my review on River of Sins, book seven in the Bradecote and Catchpoll series, the setting for this latest in firmly during the time of The Anarchy.

This time we are transported back to the medieval village of Feckenham. A village has been situated at Feckenham since the 9th century, and has been known by various names, including Feccheham (11th century), Fekkeham, Fekeham (12th century).

In the Middle Ages, Feckenham stood in the middle of the ancient Royal Forest of Feckenham, and was the administrative centre for this substantial royal forest covering much of Worcestershire.  The forest was used by the Kings of England who had a lodge in the park of Feckenham Manor (current structure dates from the 16th century).

The forest's titular head was the keeper, whose role was essentially honorary. Under the keeper were verderers who were the main enforcers of forest law, investigating infractions and trespasses; and then there were the Woodwards (wardens) who guarded royal timber rights and venison.  These appointments  were often viewed in light of communal status and be of considerable prestige and preferment; and at times a source of jealously and rivalry.

Forest Law was especially harsh and a cause of considerable grievance. You can read more about these laws here at Early English Laws. 

The town of Worcester, having survived attacks, fire, ransoms, owed its loyalty to the King, Stephen, and his representative, the Sheriff of Worcester.  At this point in time, the Sheriff was one William de Beauchamp, who inherited the title from his father Walter de Beauchamp. This Walter had been granted the right to hunt wolves and foxes in the royal forests of Worcestershire by Henry I; it is also said that he probably held the office of royal forester for Worcestershire as well as sheriff. Historians Judith Green and C. Warren Hollister both favour this, and that the son, William, succeeded to these title upon Walter's death c.1130-1133.

The word sheriff comes down to us from the Old English term for  a royal official (or shire reeve), who was responsible for keeping the peace throughout a shire or county on behalf of the king. Shrieval judicial and administrative activities were broad - one of the main responsibilities was the annual collection of taxes for the Exchequer. He presided over the county courts, but was not per se judge and the requirement for judical competence was rather vague. The sheriff generally carried out the King’s orders, with an armed county posse if necessary. He could be ordered to carry out particular investigations. He had authority to raise the "hue and cry" for the pursuit of thieves and other criminals. The hue and cry was a form of posse, in which once the shout was sounded that a crime such as robbery, theft, assault, or murder was committed; all that heard it were obligated and bound by honor to join the pursuit until the scoundrel was captured or the reeve called off the search.

For the purposes of our novel, justice has been delegated to the Undersheriff of Worcestershire, Hugh Bradecote, his gruff and worldly assistant Serjeant Catchpoll, and Catchpoll’s protege, Walkelin. Our trio are sent out to investigate the death of the local woodward, however, this presents no easy task as there is talk of wolves, or more specifically, werewolves. The word werewolf comes from the Old English word werwulf, a compound of wer "man" and wulf "wolf". Werewolves were mentioned in a number of medieval law codes, including that of King Canute (r.1016 - 1035), whose Ecclesiastical Ordinances inform us that the codes aim to ensure that “…the madly audacious werewolf do not too widely devastate, nor bite too many of the spiritual flock.’ There was widespread belief in these creatures throughout northern Europe so this was not just a localised belief at this particular time.

With the Middle Ages being an age of uncertainty and an overall lack of knowledge in the very world that surrounded the people living in this time, superstitions became apart of everyday life and could even be considered routine. While today many of the fears of the people of the Middle Ages which were the root cause of superstition are considered non-realistic and just completely ridiculous, the fear that these people felt strongly impacted their lives and the societies in which they lived. For our investigators,  reality is cloaked in superstition, and to solve this crime, they must strip away the unreal and present the actual to a community living in terror of the unknown.

All of the above aspects are woven together in a highly engaging tale; with the characters holding their own across the narrative.  The reader gets a real feel for the period and its peoples, as they struggle not only with their daily lives but in reconciling what  their beliefs and the opposing reality presents.

A series worthy of investing in.

Read More

Royal Forests of Medieval England 

Royal Forest