Farleigh Hungerford Castle, once a symbol of chivalric might, conceals within its shattered walls a tapestry of gruesome events and tragic tales. Picture a castle built in 1380, its turrets standing proud under the stewardship of Sir Thomas Hungerford, the First Speaker of the House of Commons. 

But as the Wars of the Roses unfolded, disaster struck the Hungerford family, and the castle passed through the hands of kings and traitors alike. It witnessed a Lady imprisoned in the eerie Lady Tower, accused of unspeakable crimes, and a Lord beheaded for treachery and sorcery.

Anthropoid Coffins

In the crypt beneath the marvellous castle chapel are eight sinister-looking lead caskets. Known technically as anthropoid coffins, they contain the remains of Sir Edward Hungerford III (d.1648) and the family of his successor, Sir Edward Hungerford IV (the ‘Spendthrift’), who had to sell Farleigh in 1686.

These coffins contain embalmed bodies, pickled in spirit, and their body-shaped forms enabled the physical remains to be kept together after death, and preserved intact, ready for resurrection at the sounding of the Last Trumpet.

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