Farleigh Hungerford Castle & Church South West England

Thomas Hungerford who was steward to John of Gaunt in the second half of the 14th century built the first stage of the castle.  The site previously contained a manor house above the river Frome. Thomas’s son Walter was a knight to Henry V and increased his wealth during the Hundred Years War.  He extended the castle and added the outer court.  The castle remained in the Hungerford family except for a brief period during the Wars of the Roses, until the 17th century.

Unfortunately many of the walls were pulled down and their stone reused after this time.

Thomas Hungerford was the first speaker of the House of Commons in 1377. It was around this time that he purchased the manor at Farleigh and set about building his castle.  At the time in order to build a defensive property you needed to have a license to crenellate from the king. Thomas went ahead without this license, which we know because in 1383 he applied for a pardon illegal crenellation, and was granted one.  This also gives us a date for when the castle had been built and fortified.

The chapel of St. Leonard at Farleigh Hungerford may be the castle’s most outstanding feature.  The chapel was built in the first stage of the castle building and may have been used as the parish church for the village it was originally outside the castle walls.

The chapel contains a painting of St. George, which dates from the mid-15th century.