Herefordshire 2023 (12) - Part 3: Hay Castle

 

Hay Castle was bought some years ago by The Hay Castle Trust which had been created to keep the castle as a public building for the residents of Hay and visitors to enjoy. The castle was in desperate need of renovation and work to stop further deterioration.  Funds were raised and in 2016 the Trust received money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund Grants and with additional funds raised building work took place.  Builders John Weavers started work in July 2018 and Hay Castle finally opened to the public again in May 2022.

History of Hay Castle

• 1100 Walter Revel built the first motte and bailey castle.
• 1200 William de Braose II and Matilda de Braose built a new castle.
• 1233 Castle rebuilt by Henry III.
• 1236 Town Walls built
• 1264 Castle captured by Prince Edward
• 1265 Damaged by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester.
• 1322 Captured by the King's Forces and confiscated by the Crown
• 1402 Sacked by Owain Glyndwr
• 1460 Castle in a ruined state
• 1620 Jacobean Mansion built
• 1833 Jospeh Bailey (knighted 1852) became Lord of the Manor
• 1845 Castle leased by Bailey to the Reverend Bevan, Vicar of Hay and Francis Kilvert, the Victorian diarist was a frequent visitor.
• Early 1900's the castle was home to Lady Glanusk who employed 15year old Bramwell Bradley as a member of her staff. His memoir is a vivid and detailed account of life at the castle.
• 1938 after the death of Lady Glanusk the castle was rented out and in 1939 it was in the hands of the Guinness family when a major fire occurred destroying the eastern section.
• Second World War - the castle was empty and then bought by Edward Vernon Tuson who "collected" castles.
• 1960's - the castle was bought by Richard Booth who was responsible for making Hay a Town of Books.
• 1977 - Another fire broke out destroying many original features and resulting in the collapse of the roof which was later replaced.
• Early 2000's Richard Booth put the castle up for sale and it was taken over by the Hay Castle Trust who undertook renovations and repair.

Plants in Walls

The C13th gateway has the oldest defensive doors still in situ in the UK.  They survived many sieges in Medieval times such as attacks by King John in 1316 and Llywelyn the Great in 1231.

It only costs £5 to look round the renovated castle interior and exhibitions which I thought was good value for money as there was a lot of interest to see.

Sorry some of the photos are a bit "iffy" but I've included them so you can get a good idea of what you can see.

Glass engravings of some of the important people in the history of the castle.

Norman Head - a carved relic found by archaeologists near the gatehouse.  It is probably a Norman decorative element from the medieval tower.

Could this have been the carved head of a dog?  It is a medieval corbel and may perhaps have supported a ceiling or floor in the tower or was part of a chimney hood.

Its recommended you visit the cellar first where there is a really good animated show of the history of the castle and the people who lived there.

This arch in the cellar may have been the original entrance to the castle.

In the tower on the first floor there is an exhibition about the legendary Matilda de Braose who built the castle with her husband William c 1200.

There are three legends concerning Matilda: 

• According to local folklore and a Welsh Legend Hay Castle was built in a single night by Lady Matilda as the giantess Moll Walbee carrying the stones in her apron.
• For centuries there has been a rumour that her purse of emeralds was hidden somewhere in Hay Castle to keep it hidden from King John.
• Another story tells of Matilda or Maud riding through the night sky on stormy nights leading a mythical wild hunt.

More about Matilda

• Matilda's husband William was known as "The Ogre of Abergavenny" as he had invited enemies to a banquet and murdered them.
• Matilda was a brave warrior in battle - she defended nearby Painscastle against a massive Welsh attack. She held off the Welsh forces for 3 weeks until reinforcements arrived. Painscastle was/is called "Matilda's castle" by local people.
• Matilda who came from a powerful Marcher family herself was renowned also as a capable estate administrator she also bore William many children.
• The de Braose's were among the richest families in England and held much land and castles in England, Wales, and Ireland.
• The de Braose family were initially favourites of King John but this changed in 1210 when the king demanded high taxes and their sons as ransom.  The family fled but Matilda and one of her sons was captured and held prisoner by King John.  They were put in a tower or cell with just a side of bacon and a sheaf of wheat and tragically starved to death.
• There is a positive side to Matilda's story in that King John's tyrannical treatment of her is said to have led to Clause 39 of the Magna Carta  which is the idea  that a freeman cannot be imprisoned without being found guilty in a trial by his peers.

A trebuchet ball found by archaeologists in 2017 which was probably fired at the castle in the C12 or C13th.

A rare printing press built in 1853.

There is also an area dedicated to Richard Booth who bought the castle in the 1960's.  He had the idea of making Hay on Wye an important book town and imported thousands of books from America and encouraged people to open second hand book shops.

In 1977 he declared Hay an independent kingdom and pronounced himself as King of Hay! His quirky sense of humour and fun saw him declared his horse Goldie as Prime Minister. He was very good at generating publicity and press interest and these stories made the national press.

Richard Booth's desk and books.

You could venture up yet more stairs to another viewing gallery with views of the town. But not liking heights I had had enough and stayed where I was so the next few photos were taken by D with my camera.

There is a very good shop there but I resisted temptation and didn't buy any books or souvenirs!

The Jacobean mansion and

the book stalls set up by Richard Booth.

There are several ghosts associated with the castle. Unsurprisingly, one is Matilda de Braose and there have also been sightings of a man with pointy shoes and piercing eyes.

All photos taken with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

Reference: Hay Castle website and leaflet on the castle.