Book: Saxon/Norman soldier in ditch

[trough]

I'm looking for a novel I read when I was a boy (so it was written before 1980), although it may not have been a children's book. Possibly set in Saxon/Norman England, it begins in the aftermath of a battle. The protagonist is introduced lying wounded in a ditch and unable to move. I recall that his armour and clothing were described in great detail. Not much to go on, I know. Any ideas?

[ursula62]

Could have been one of the books written by Rosemary Sutcliffe. Her stories were set in Roman Britain.

[trough]

Thanks for your reply, Ursula.  I was wondering if it might be her, but so far I've been unable to locate a concise enough synopsis of all her works.  Also, I'm still pretty certain the setting is more Norman than Roman... could be wrong, though.

[ursula62]

Here's a summary of "the Lantern Bearers" from Amazon.

Set in the brief Romano-Celtic twilight between the end of the Roman Empire and the creation of Anglo-Saxon Britain, this is the story of Aquila, a Roman soldier who chooses to stay among his adopted people. However, his world crashes to pieces when he and his sister are enslaved by the Saxons, their father slain and their farm destroyed. Aquila eventually escapes, but his sister, now married with a Saxon son, makes her own choice to stay with the invaders. Aquila is embittered and angry, and the remainder of the story is his redemption, helped by a kindly priest, his celtic wife from an arranged maarriage, and the Romano-British leader, Ambrosius, whose friend he becomes. I first read this book in my early teens, and it has stayed with me ever since. The themes of irreparable loss, vengance and redemption are quite adult, but not at such a level that adult or teen cannot appreciate them. Sutcliffe brilliantly captures the heroic twilight of the Dark Ages, and makes it utterly convincing. She also wrote a longer sequel called "Sword at Sunset" (use the out-of-print service) based on the Arthur legends - Aquila appears as a minor (older) character, Arthur appears as a young warrior Artos in "Lantern Bearers".

[trough]

Thanks once again Ursula - I should have thought of Amazon (well duh!).  I'm not totally convinced this is the one, but I'll certainly see if I can track it down and find out for sure.  Cheers!