Farleigh Hungerford Castle

-11th-13th Century

William the Conqueror was granted the manor of Ferlege to Roger de Courcelles after the Norman Conquest of England. Later, William Rufus, son of William the Conqueror, gave the property to Hugh de Montfort. Montfort renamed the manor Farleigh Montfort. 

-14th Century

The Burghersh family acquired the ground in the 1330s and sold the property to Thomas Hungerford in 1369. Hungerford began construction on the property in the late fourteenth century without Royal permission to build a fortification. Permission was necessary during the medieval period to fortify one’s property (also known as a license to crenellate). 

In 1383, Hungerford was pardoned (as he was knighted in 1375) and was permitted to continue construction. This era was the completion of the inner court. Though the castle had a (now filled in) moat, the castle appears to have been built to display wealth rather than a defensive structure (known as a fortified manor house)—protection did not appear to take priority. 

Farleigh Hungerford Castle is a quadrangular enclosure with four towers built on each corner of the structure. The northeast tower was the largest at five storeys high.

-15th Century

Sir Walter Hungerford, First Baron of Hungerford, inherited the castle from his mother in 1412 and constructed the outer court. The outer court included towers, a new castle entrance, a barbican connecting the old gatehouse to the inner court, and a new chapel. 

Walter also built a priest’s house next to the chapel. By this time, the Hungerfords had amassed enormous wealth. The castle was filled with lavish items, and with Walter’s great importance to England, the Hungerford name was well respected. Walter’s son, Robert Hungerford, was next to inherit the property. However, Robert’s time as Second Baron of Hungerford was short-lived.

Robert’s son with the same name, later known as Lord Moleyns, was captured at the Battle of Castillon in the Hundred Years War by the French. The ransom for Lord Moleyns was set at an amount intended to cripple the Hungerfords financially. His mother had to mortgage the Hungerford Estates to pay the ransom. 

By the time Lord Moleyns was able to return to England, a civil conflict between the houses of York and Lancaster (War of the Roses) had broken out. Moleyns joined the cause of the Lancastrians and was executed by the House of York. The Farleigh Hungerford Castle was seized by the Crown and given to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, by his brother Edward IV. 

Shortly after his death, Richard, the eldest son of Lord Moleyns, was hung, drawn, and quartered. Around 1486, King Henry VII returned the court to Sir Walter, the youngest son of Lord Moleyns.

-16th Century

Upon Sir Walter’s passing, the castle went to his son, Sir Edward. Edward married a woman named Agnes Hungerford. The scandal of Agnes Hungerford, also known as Lady Hungerford, was arguably one of the larger scandals within Farleigh Hungerford Castle’s walls. 

Agnes created a plot for two of her servants to strangle and burn the body of her first husband, presumably to marry Sir Edward. It is unclear if Edward was directly involved in the plot or knew and protected Agnes with his social status. Agnes Hungerford and the two servants were hanged in 1523 for their crimes. 

After the death of Agnes, hers and Edward’s son inherited the castle. Following his mother’s crimes with another family scandal, Walter Hungerford would become irritated by the political actions of his third wife’s father. He locked his wife, Elizabeth, in one of the towers for nearly four years. He attempted to starve and poison her on multiple occasions. 

Elizabeth smuggled a letter out to Thomas Cromwell, chief minister of King Henry VIII. In this letter, she asks Cromwell to grant her a divorce, stating that her husband was starving and attempting to poison her on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, Walter had become a political ally of Cromwell, and her plea was left unanswered.

In 1540, Thomas Cromwell was beheaded on the King’s orders. Walter Hungerford was executed shortly after for treason, witchcraft, and homosexuality. Elizabeth was freed and allowed to remarry but did not inherit the castle. 

Ownership of the estate was once again reverted to the Crown. Walter’s son, also named Walter, bought back Farleigh Hungerford Castle for around £5,000 in 1554. Upon his death, the estate passed to his brother, Sir Edward, in 1596. 

-17th Century

When England’s Civil War broke out, the castle was briefly seized by Sir Edward’s half-brother, Colonel John Hungerford, in 1643. By 1645, John surrendered, and Edward reinstated himself at Farleigh Hungerford. The castle continued to pass through the Hungerford lineage, though nearly destroyed by Parliament around 1645. 

Anthony Hungerford inherited the castle in 1648 and extensively renovated the court, providing many of the items visible in the north chapel today. The lead coffins that are in the crypt were made around this time. 

Sir Edward Hungerford was given the estate in 1657. Edward was making an income of over £8,000 per year. This amount would equate to over £1,110,000 today. He lived a lavish lifestyle, not hesitating to spend his fortune, especially on gambling. The debts were adding up to be millions by today’s money, and he was forced to sell the rest of his estates, then finally sell the castle to Sir Henry Bayntun in 1686. 

-18th Century 

The Houlton family began breaking up parts of the estate for salvage, and antiquarian interest began to rise. 

-19th Century 

Reverend J. Jackson was the first to begin excavations at the site in the 1840s. Many artefacts were uncovered, such as inner court remains, wall paintings, and personal belongings. Tourists began to visit the castle at this time. The Houlton family sold the estate in 1891. 

-20th-21st Century 

The castle passed through a few owners before reaching the Office of Works. The Office of Works began controversial restorations; significant damage was done to some of the wall paintings in the chapel. In 1983, English Heritage obtained the castle and owns the property currently. 

Throughout the centuries, the priest’s house transformed into a dairy, then finally a farmhouse. Today, only the shells of the northwest and northeast towers remain of the four. The chapel and parts of the outer court are still intact, and some artefacts are on display.