Farleigh Hungerford Castle [Map], Somerset. By the Rev. J. E. Jackson.

The ruined castle at this place was, for about 300 1 years, viz: from a.d. 1369 to a.d 1686, the principal residence, in Somersetshire, of the Hungerford family. In that county their possessions were very considerable; but in Wilts, from which the castle is only divided by the river below its walls, there would seem to be few districts with which they were not, at some time or other, connected as landowners. Some have said that the castle stands on the actual site ofa Roman villa. Of this there is no evidence, from direct discovery. There are, however, Roman remains close by. In Temple Field, half a mile off towards the north, the remains of a villa were opened in 1822. A tolerably perfect bath, with several coins, and some tessellated pavement, were found. There was another villa, at the distance of a mile towards the S.E.; and on a hill, rising N.W. above the castle, are traces of an earthwork, and camp. Before Farleigh belonged to the Hungerfords, it was the property of the Montfort family, and bore their name. Sir Henry de Montfort, (temp. King John,) had a house on this spot. From the Montforts, it passed to the family of Burghersh, by whom it was sold, in a.d. 1369, to Sir Thomas Hungerford, of Heytesbury. He was one of the earliest Speakers of the House of Commons, and steward to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. By Sir Thomas and his son Walter, Lord Hungerford (temp. Henry VI.,) the house of the Montforts was enlarged, and con verted into a castle. It probably underwent some later alterations.

The principle gate-house still remains. Over the arch is a sickle, in stone, the device of the Hungerford family; above this is a shield of their arms, surmounted by a helmet and crest, and the letters E. H., for Edward Hungerford. The single apartment above the archway was a guard-room, with a door leading on to the walls. There is no trace of a portcullis; but there are apertures for the beams of a drawbridge. From this entrance, round the southern and western sides, the castle was protected by a narrow moat, on the north a natural ravine, and, on the east, the steep ness of the knoll on which it stands, defended it. As the ground falls away rapidly towards the north, the water must have been held up at both extremities of the moat by a strongly-built dam. The pipes by which it was sup plied have been traced to a spring on the top of a hill nearly three-quarters of a mile from the castle.

Gateway - Farlegh Hungerford Castle. Drawn by T. H. Hair.

The general area was divided into two courts. The outer one, which is the first entered after passing through the gate-house, contained the stables and offices, etc. It was formerly pitched all over with stone. Leland, who visited Farleigh, temp. Henry VIII., says that there were "diverse praty towers in the utter warde." Of these the fragments of two still remain, in the wall on the south side of the court-yard. Crossing this first court by the road, we pass out of it between two thick walls, the remains of another entrance. Close to this were lately discovered the lower steps of the winding stair-case, by which the walls on this side were ascended. The approach to the castle this way was through the park, which lay on the north side, including the picturesque ground between Farleigh and Iford.

The upper court ended where a line of wooden rails now crosses the castle yard. Here was an inner gate-house, through which was the way to the quadrangle forming the dwelling house. Of this gate-house Leland says, "It was fair; and there the arms of the Hungerfords richly made yn stone." On each side of it were two small round towers, the foundation of one of which is still visible. On either side of the site of this entrance is a small sunk garden, or court. At each of the four angles of the house was a high round tower, and in the intervals, from tower to tower, were the larger apartments. Leland says, "The haule and chambers were stately, and were commonly reported to have been built by one of the Hungerfords, by the prey of the Duke of Orleans, whom he had taken prisoner. " This common saying was, however, incorrect, so far as regards the personal capture of the Duke of Orleans at Agincourt. Sir Walter Hungerford was certainly at that battle, and may have been enriched by the ransom of prisoners; but it is generally allowed that the Duke of Orleans was made prisoner by Sir Richard Waller, of Speldhurst, in Kent.

By an excavation made in 1845, the foundations of some of the basement rooms were brought to light. The remains of a furnace, ashpit, oven, and flue, found in the N.W. corner of the lower court, show that the inferior parts of the house must have been towards that side. The principal front, as drawn in Buck's Antiquities, faces the east. This front, as well as that on the western side, rose directly upon the edge of the castle knoll. On the north side, where the knoll ends most abruptly, and is accordingly guarded by a strong facing of masonry, the house did not rise immediately upon the outer edge of the court, but stood back several yards within it, leaving space for a narrow strip of yard, the pitching of which is still to be seen.

Farleigh Castle was much embellished by a Sir Walter Hungerford, temp. Elizabeth. Of the coats of arms that were in the window, or on the walls, some notes were taken on the spot by Le Neve, the antiquary, who made a hasty visit here, in 1701. These are in one of his manuscripts in Abbey; the British Museum. A fine hall table, said to have been part of the castle furniture, is still preserved at Hinton and various fragments of the building, such as carved heads, mullions of windows, mantel-pieces, etc., have been recognized in the neighbouring cottages.

The Towers

Two out of the four towers which formed the square of the dwelling-house, are still left. A line drawn between them would mark the south front, as approached from the first court. In each of these towers were small rooms, a ground floor, and two stories. There was no subterranean chamber. The foundations are very strongly built, in broad circular courses of masonry, each lower course being broader than the one above, until the lowest becomes, in fact, one entire substratum. The tower at the south-west angle of the quadrangle (and which is the first that meets the eye in passing under the archway of the gate-house,) was for many years held together by a net-work of ivy, growing from a single stem, nearly two yards wide. The boughs were as thick as a cable. On the fifth of November, 1842, through the carelessness of some children, the ivy accidently caught fire, and was entirely destroyed. The tower being thus deprived of its girders, a large part soon afterwards fell down, showing the interior as it is now seen.

Sir, — I am very sorrye my occacion will not permit mee to returne ( i.e. to reply) to you as I would. I have not yett fully spoken with the gentlemen I sent to waite upon you? When I shall doe it, I shall be enabled to bee more particular, beinge unwillinge to detaine your servante any longer. With my service to your lady and family, I take leave, and rest

Your affectionate servante.

O. Cromwell (age 53).

July 30, 1652.

For my honoured friend, Mr. Hungerford, the elder, at his house, These.

The chapel is about sixty feet long, by twenty wide. The walls towards the eastern end were stencilled in a foliated pattern. On one side of the altar is a gigantic representation of St. George and the Dragon, and near this are traces of a figure of a knight kneeling, bearing on his coat the arms of Hungerford.

The Chantry Chapel, Dedicated To St. Anne.

This is on the north side of the principal chapel, mea suring twenty feet by fifteen. It was probably built by Sir Thomas Hungerford, the purchaser of Farleigh, for private use, in what was then the parish church. After the suppression of chantries, it seems to have answered the purpose of a mausoleum. About a.d. 1650, it was embellished, and the vault underneath was enlarged, by Margaret (Halliday), lady of Sir Edward Hungerford, K.B. The walls were painted with coats of arms and figures of the floor was inlaid with black and white marble, in lozenge; and gilded iron gates, with arms and crests, were placed between the two chapels. The stained glass now in the windows has been added recently.

The Monuments According To Their Dates.

No. 1. Sir Thomas and Joan Lady Hungerford. —This is the monument of the purchaser of Farleigh and his lady, Joan Hussey. It stands within a very handsome iron railing, of antique pattern, under the arch which divides the chantry chapel from the larger one. Sir Thomas died a.d. 1398; his lady a.d. 1411-12. On each of the sides are five coats of arms —-Hungerford, Heytesbury, Hussey, both single and in combination. These effigies were formerly painted. Under the knight's head, on a helmet, is a talbot's head for a crest. On the west side of this tomb are three shields, on which are the arms, and the letters t.h. and i.h. The eastern side abuts against the letters pier of the arch.

No. 2. The Chantry Priest's. —An incised slab on the floor of the larger chapel, between the entrance steps and font. The inscription is now nearly illegible; but the person buried was, no doubt, one of the first chaplains of the chantry, after its endowment by Walter Lord Hunger ford, the son of Sir Thomas, the purchaser. All the particulars of the endowment, as well as the names of some of the chaplains, are known from a complete set of the Chantry Deeds, which have fortunately been met with. The name of this priest is effaced; but the following words are capable of being made out ".... cantarie pptue ad altare.... M.... Walterum Hungerford Dom. Hungerford ad.... V obit Vto.... cujus anime propritietur Deus. Amen." "Here lieth.... Priest of the Perpetual Chantry founded at the Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Walter Hungerford Lord Hungerford who died the 5th on whose soul may God have mercy. Amen." The stone was raised a few years ago, and the skeleton of a young man, with the teeth quite perfect, was discovered.

No. 3. Sir Walter Hungerford. —In the S.E. corner of the large chapel. He was seventh in descent from Sir Thomas (No. I), and died 1595. A curious engraving of this Sir Walter, on horseback, is published in Sir R. C. Hoare's "Modern Wilts." He was buried at first in a small vault under the monument, but his body was afterwards re moved to a larger one, under the side chapel. The inscription on this tomb is curiously cut. It runs round the margin, beginning at the east end; but on the third side, next the south wall, the words require to be read backwards. It mentions also a son, who died before him. "Tyme tryeth Truth quod (quoth) Water Hungerford Knyght - who lyeth here - And Edward hys sone to GDS (God's) mercy in whom he strust (trusts) for ever. Ano. Do. 1585, The VI of Desbr." The latter date refers to the son's death. The tomb is of freestone, painted.

No. 4. Sir Edward Hungerford. —In the N. E. corner of the smaller Chapel. He was brother of Sir Walter, (No. 3). The tomb is of the same pattern as the last. On the slab is this inscription: "Edward Hungerford, Knight, sonne to Walter, Lord Hungerford, and late Heire to Sir Walter Hungerford, deceased the 5th daie of December, 1607: and lieth here with Dame Jane, his wife, daughter to Sir Anthony Hungerford, of Downe Amney." This Sir Edward's second wife was Cicely, daughter of Sir John Tufton, who, after Sir Edward's death, re-married Francis Manners, sixth Earl of Rutland. The Earl, in right of his wife, held for life Farleigh Castle [Map], and the rest of the Hungerford estates.

No. 5. Mrs. Shaa. — An altar tomb in the N.W. corner of the small chapel, standing north and south. Mrs. Shaa was sister to Sir Edward Hungerford, (No. 4.) and lived at Hinton Abbey [Map], of which she had a lease from her brother. She died 1613. On a brass tablet against the wall, above the monument, is an inscription in verse, relating to her.

No. 6. Sir Edward Hungerford, K.B., and Margaret (Halliday) his wife. — This is the latest of the Hungerford monuments at Farleigh. The Sir Edward buried here was a Colonel in the army of the Commonwealth, and commanded at the siege of Wardour Castle [Map], when it was defended by Blanche, Lady Arundel. He died a.d. 1648. His Lady was daughter of William Halliday, Alderman of London, and brought to the Hungerfords the Manors of Corsham, Iford, Stanton St. Quintin, etc. She founded an Almshouse at Corsham, and died 1672.

This fine monument is of black and white marble; the upper slab is in a single piece, eight feet long by five wide. Against the chantry chapel wall, on the east side, opposite the foot of the monument, is a small circular copper plate, formerly the cover of a leaden urn in the vault below, and relating to the Knight whose figure lies on the monument.

The Vault

Is under the smaller chapel, and is entered by steps from the outside. At the foot of the steps, on the right and left, arc two doorways, built up with stone. They have been examined, but lead to nothing. Within the vault are the leaden coffins of four males, two females, and two children. The wooden outer coffins have long since perished. The individuals buried here, are, most probably, those whose cenotaphs are in the two chapels above; but others, also, of the Hungerford family, are known to have given in their wills directions to be buried at Farleigh.

In the little cemetery, outside, skeletons have occasionally been found. These may have been either persons belonging to the castle household, or parishioners, who were buried there when this was the parish church.

There were two chaplains belonging to the castle chapel, one called the Chaplain of St. Leonard, the other the Chaplain of the altar of the B.V.M. A house was built for them at the east end of the chapel, by Walter Lord Hungerford. It is still standing, and is, in fact, the only habitable part of the castle that remains.

The estates of the Hungerfords being at one time confiscated, Farleigh Castle was granted by King Richard III. to his brother George, Duke of Clarence, whose daughter, Margaret Plantagenet, mother of Cardinal Pole, was born within its walls. In the civil war, temp. Charles I., it was used as a garrison for the King, in connection with the castles of Bristol and Nunney. But, on the success of the Parliament, it surrendered Sept. 15, 1645. It is said that King Charles II. once came here, and was entertained by an extravagant Sir Edward Hungerford, who sold this and all his other estates. Farleigh, with large property in several adjoining parishes, was bought by Mr. Henry Baynton, of Spy Park. In 1702, Mr. Baynton's represen tatives sold the manorial lands of Farleigh to the Houlton family; but the castle, by itself, being then entire, to Mr. Cooper, of Trowbridge. The Bayntons used it as a residence, and they appear to have been the last family who lived in it; for, in 1730, when it was transferred by the1 Coopers to Mr. Joseph Houlton, ancestor of the present proprietor, it had already fallen to decay, and the materials had been converted to other purposes