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Welcome to Haunted History Chronicles, the podcast where we unravel the mysteries of the past, one ghostly tale at a time.
I'm your host, Michelle, and I'm thrilled to be your guide on this eerie journey through the pages of history.
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Picture this a realm where the supernatural intertwines with the annals of time, where the echoes of the past reverberate through haunted corridors and forgotten landscapes.
That's the realm we invite you to explore with us each episode.
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We'll unearth stories, long buried secrets, dark folklore, tales of the macabre, and discuss parapsychology topics from ancient legends to more recent enigmas.
We're delving deep into locations and accounts all around the globe, with guests joining me along the way.
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This podcast is also about building a community of curious minds like you.
Join the podcast on social media, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share your own ghostly encounters, theories, and historical curiosities.
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Feel free to share with friends and family.
The links are conveniently placed in the description for easy access.
So whether you're a history buff with a taste for the supernatural or a paranormal enthusiast with a thirst for knowledge, Haunted History Chronicles is your passport to the other side.
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Get ready for a ride through the corridors of time where history and the supernatural converge, because every ghost has a story, and every story has a history.
And now let's introduce today's podcast or guest.
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Today, the podcast embarks on a journey to the remains of Farleyhungerford Castle, nestled in the serene valley of the River Frome, just 9 miles from the historic city of Bath, Farleyhungerford Castle, once a symbol of chivalric might, conceals within its shattered walls a tapestry of gruesome events and tragic tales.
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Picture a castle built in 1380.
It's turrets standing proud under the stewardship of Sir Thomas Hungerford, the first Speaker of the House of Commons.
But as the War of the Roses unfolded, disaster struck.
The Hungerford family and the castle passed through the hands of kings and traitors alike.
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It witnessed a lady imprisoned in the eerie Lady Tower, accused of unspeakable crimes and a Lord beheaded for treachery and sorcery.
Yet the true horror lies beneath.
In the crypt beneath the castle Chapel well Ed coffins house the embalmed remains of the Hungerford family, faces moulded onto them, death masks cast from the deceased providing a chilling glimpse into the macabre customs the Stuart times as the castle crumbled over the centuries it became a gruesome attraction for the macabre minded traveller.
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Today it stands as a romantic ruin.
Let the echoes of its dark past linger with tales of ghosts and remnants of dark practices and customs.
So get ready to step back into the past, to turn the pages of history and confront the ghostly echoes that have been left behind.
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The gentle hills of Somerset are an unlikely setting for the catalogue of gruesome events that have occurred within Farley Hungerford Castle's walls.
Now a romantic ruined castle, it was built about 1380 by Sir Thomas Hungerford, Speaker of the House of Commons and steward to John of Gaunt.
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Hungerford's turreted fortress was a paragon of chivalric might.
Sir Thomas's son Walter was a commander at Ashingo and as Lord Hungerford became a guardian of the infant Henry, the Sixth disaster struck the family during the Wars of the Roses when they lost ownership of the castle through backing the Lancastrian cause.
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Several Hungerfords lost their lives on the scaffold too.
Imagination is needed to picture the castle in its heyday.
It's ruined Towers and slighted walls sum up the shattered fortunes of a once great family.
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The castle then passed into the hands of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard the Third, who retained it until his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, whereupon the new king, Henry the Seventh returned to Farley Hungerford Castle to Robert's grandson, Walter Hungerford.
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The Hungerfords regained the castle after the Battle of Bosworth.
Sir Edward Hungerford attended Henry the Eighth at the Battle of the Cloth of Gold in 1520, not long after he had taken a widow, Agnes Cottle, as his second wife.
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Agnes's former husband, John, had been the steward to Sir Edward.
But following Edward's death in 1522, Lady Agnes Hungerford was arrested on suspicion of murdering her first husband.
Just how she got rid of her first husband emerged in a trial in 1523.
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With the help of two servants, she had throttled John to death and disposed of his body in the kitchen furnace.
For as long as Sir Edward had lived, he had protected her.
But after his death in 1522, she was tried for murder with her accomplices, and all three were hanged at Tyburn.
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Sir Edward's successor, Walter, served Thomas Cromwell so well that he became Lord Hungerford in 1536.
But to his third wife, Elizabeth, whose father had fallen out of favour at Henry the Eighth's court, he was less than devoted.
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There is still a tower at Farley named the Lady Tower, where she was in prison for three years and abandoned, forced to rely on smuggled morsels of sustenance and driven to drink her own urine.
Lord Hungerford's fall was swift, accused of treachery, sorcery and buggery.
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For good measure he was beheaded at the tower together with his patron Thomas Cromwell in 1540.
In the crypt beneath the marvellous Castle Chapel are 8 sinister looking lead caskets.
Known technically as anthropoid Coffins, they contain the remains of Sir Edward Hungerford, the Third, who died in 1648, and the family of his successor, Sir Edward Hungerford, the 4th, known as the Spendthrift, who had to sell Farley in 1686.
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Sir Edward the Third's monument in the Chapel itself shows him in hook nose splendour, fully clad in civil war armour.
He had in fact a rather feeble record as a commander on the Parliamentarian side.
He in fact lies in one of the coffins in the crypt below this monument.
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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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Never intended for public display, these are exceptionally unusual survivors of one of the odder displays of Stuart codes of family love as expressed through Funeral Custom.
Hey there.
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Before we dive back into the podcast episode, I have a quick message for all you devoted listeners.
If you've been enjoying the eerie stories and historical mysteries shared on any of the podcast episodes over the last few years, here's your chance to become an even bigger part of the ghostly community.
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You can now support the show by buying the podcast a virtual coffee.
That's right, just head over to ko-fi.com/haunted History Chronicles and treat the podcast to a caffeine boost.
Every little bit goes a long way in helping us uncover more haunted histories and share them with you.
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But wait, there's more.
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Our Patreon page is a treasure trove of exclusive content featuring hundreds of podcasts, both short and long articles, interviews, and other top secret materials you won't find anywhere else.
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And here's the exciting news for February, all Patron members across all tiers will receive bonus daily podcasts.
It's like a paranormal advent calendar for the entire month.
Now is the perfect time to join.
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Support the show and unlock a growing library of chilling encounters, reports and in depth research.
Simply visit patreon.com/haunted History Chronicles to become a patron today.
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We've got mugs, stickers, clothing, bags and more, or featuring unique designs inspired by the podcast.
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Whether it's buying as a coffee, joining me on Patreon, or rocking some Haunted History Chronicles gear, your support keeps the paranormal flames alive.
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Every small contribution helps me to continue to bring you more guests and deep dive content.
All the links to the podcast, Kofi Page, Patreon and the shop will be in the podcast description notes.
You can also find them on our social media pages.
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So if you're ready to take your Haunted History Chronicles experience to the next level, head on over, Show some Love, and let's keep those ghostly tales alive.
Now back to the supernatural stories you won't want to miss.
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What's coming up next?
Farley was sold for salvage in 1705, and many of its turrets and walls were levelled By the 1830s.
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It was becoming a regular destination for the picturesque traveller in pursuit of chivalric reverie.
In 1846, the future emperor of France, Napoleon the Third, was among them.
The coffins of Farley offered a particularly macabre dare for the most foolhardy of visitors.
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Holes were drilled into the lead and the samples of the corpse infused spirit were offered to boulder thrill seekers for tasting.
Farley Hungerford has witnessed some pretty disturbing episodes, but visiting today is altogether more delightful.
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Though tinged with the memories of far bloodier times, the ghost of Lady Agnes Hungerford is still said to return here on occasion and appear in the vicinity of the Chapel.
A serenely beautiful shade.
He flickers briefly in front of astonished witnesses before fading into nothingness in those twilight moments when day turns into night.
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Thanks for listening.
