Saer de Quincy, Earl of Winchester, joined Louis outside the walls of Farnham.  Saer’s motive was to persuade Louis to hasten to the relief of his castle of Mount Sorrel.  The French prince was not in a position to resist pressure from a powerful supporter.  He divided his army, and while the Earl of Winchester, along with the Count of Perche and Robert FitzWalter, made their way to Leicestershire, he completed his journey to Winchester, threw a fresh force into the castles, and, leaving the Count of Nevers in charge, hurried to London.  There he learnt that Hubert de Burgh at Dover had broken the truce, and he at once set off to renew the siege of the stronghold which had so continually baulked his plans.  But little good came of his efforts, and the much-talked-of trebuchet proving powerless to effect a breach, Louis had to resign himself to a weary blockade.  While he was besieging Dover, Saer de Quincy had relieved Mount Sorrel, whence he marched to the help of Gilbert of Ghent, the only English baron whom Louis ventured to raise to comital rank as Earl of Lincoln.  Gilbert was still striving to capture Lincoln Castle, but Nichola de Camville had resisted him from February to May.  With the help of the army from Mount Sorrel, the castle and its chatelaine were soon reduced to great straits.

The marshal saw that the time was come to take the offensive, and resolved to raise the siege.  Having no field army, he stripped his castles of their garrisons, and gave rendezvous to his barons at Newark.  There the royalists rested three days, and received the blessing of Gualo and the bishops.  They then set out towards Lincoln, commanded by the regent in person, the Earl of Chester, and the Bishop of Winchester, whom the legate appointed as his representative.  The strong water defences of the rebel city on the south made it unadvisable for them to take the direct route towards it.  Their army descended the Trent to Torksey, where it rested the night of May 19.  Early next day, the eve of Trinity Sunday, it marched in four “battles” to relieve Lincoln Castle.

There were more than 600 knights besieging the castle and holding the town, and the relieving army only numbered 400 knights and 300 cross-bowmen.  But the barons dared not risk a combat that might have involved them in the fate of Stephen in 1141.  They retreated within the city and allowed the marshal to open up communications with the castle.  The marshal’s plan of battle was arranged by Peter des Roches, who was more at home in the field than in the church.  The cross-bowmen under Falkes de Breaute were thrown into the castle, and joined with the garrison in making a sally from its east gate into the streets of the town.  While the barons were thus distracted, the marshal burst through the badly defended north gate.  The barons taken in front and flank fought desperately, but with no success.  Falkes’ cross-bowmen shot down their horses, and the dismounted knights soon failed