The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses (1889)

The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses is an adventure, romance and historical novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. It first appeared as a serial in 1883 with the subtitle "A Tale of Tunstall Forest" beginning in Young Folks; A Boys' and Girls' Paper of Instructive and Entertaining Literature, vol. XXII, no. 656 (Saturday, 30 June 1883) and ending in vol. XXIII, no. 672 (Saturday, 20 October 1883)—Stevenson had finished writing it by the end of summer. It was printed under the pseudonym Captain George North. He alludes to the time gap between the serialisation and the publication as one volume in 1888 in his preface "Critic [parodying Dickens's 'Cricket'] on the Hearth": "The tale was written years ago for a particular audience..." The Paston Letters were Stevenson's main literary source for The Black Arrow. The Black Arrow consists of 79,926 words.

Premise

Richard (Dick) Shelton during the Wars of the Roses: becomes a knight, rescues his lady Joanna Sedley, and obtains justice for the murder of his father, Sir Harry Shelton. Outlaws in Tunstall Forest organised by Ellis Duckworth, whose weapon and calling card is a black arrow, cause Dick to suspect that his guardian Sir Daniel Brackley and his retainers are responsible for his father's murder. Dick's suspicions are enough to turn Sir Daniel against him, so he has no recourse but to escape from Sir Daniel and join the outlaws of the Black Arrow against him. This struggle sweeps him up into the greater conflict surrounding them all.

Plot summary

The novel is set in the reign of "old King Henry VI" (1422–1461, 1470–1471) and during the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), between 1460 and 1461. The story begins with the Tunstall Moat House alarm bell, rung to summon recruits for its absent lord Sir Daniel Brackley, to join the Battle of Risingham; at which the outlaw "fellowship" known as "the Black Arrow" begins to strike with its "four black arrows" for the "four black hearts" of Brackley and three of his retainers: Nicholas Appleyard, Bennet Hatch, and Sir Oliver Oates, the parson. The rhyme posted in explanation of this attack makes the protagonist Richard ('Dick') Shelton, ward of Sir Daniel, curious about the death of his father Sir Harry Shelton. Having been dispatched to Kettley, where Sir Daniel was quartered, and sent to Tunstall Moat House by return dispatch, he falls in with a fugitive, Joanna Sedley, disguised as a boy with the alias of John Matcham: an heiress kidnapped by Sir Daniel to obtain guardianship over her and to retain his control over Richard by marrying her to him.

As they travel through Tunstall Forest, Joanna tries to persuade Dick to turn against Sir Daniel in sympathy with the Black Arrow outlaws, whose camp they discover near the ruins of Grimstone manor. The next day they are met in the forest by Sir Daniel himself, disguised as a leper and returning to the Moat House after his side was defeated at Risingham. Dick and Joanna then follow Sir Daniel to the Moat House. Here Dick confirms that Sir Daniel is the murderer of his father, and escapes injured from the Moat House. He is rescued by the outlaws of the Black Arrow.

The second half of the novel, books 3–5, tells how Dick rescues Joanna from Sir Daniel with the help of both the Black Arrow fellowship and the Yorkist army led by Richard Crookback, Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III of England. The action centre is Shoreby on the North Sea coast, where the Lancastrian forces are entrenched. While shadowing Sir Daniel, Dick and the outlaws encounter another group of spies interested in Joanna: her lawful guardian, Lord Foxham, and his retainers. Dick and his outlaws defeat Foxham in a night skirmish. Foxham in accordance with knightly honor agrees to yield himself to Dick at St. Bride's Cross outside Shoreby the next day. They become fast friends, and Foxham promises Joanna to Dick in marriage after a contemplated seaside rescue. This enterprise fails, leaving Foxham wounded and unable to personally help Dick. He writes Dick a letter of recommendation to the Yorkist leader, Duke Richard Crookback.

In book 4, "The Disguise," Dick and his outlaw companion, Lawless, disguise themselves as friars to get into Sir Daniel's Shoreby mansion to visit Joanna. They discover that the next morning Sir Daniel will give Joanna in marriage to his fellow Lancastrian magnate, Lord Shoreby, and word is sent to Ellis Duckworth, the outlaw chief. Complications arise as Lawless gets drunk and Lord Shoreby's spy, Rutter, noses around Sir Daniel's mansion, discovering telltale evidence of Dick and Lawless's intrusion. Dick kills Rutter, and security in the mansion is heightened when his body is discovered. Dick and Lawless end up in the custody of Sir Oliver, who tells Dick that he is free to leave provided the wedding of Lord Shoreby and Joanna takes place as planned. When Black Arrow archers disrupt the wedding, killing the bridegroom, Dick and Lawless are turned over to Sir Daniel. Dick claims sanctuary from Sir Daniel in the abbey church, but, in the end, yields himself and Lawless to a more impartial judge, the Lancastrian magnate, Earl Risingham. Dick gains freedom for himself and Lawless when he produces evidence to Earl Risingham that Sir Daniel is a double-dealing traitor.