A-Z Challenge 2012 - P
Powis Castle
Powis Castle, near Welshpool in Powys, Mid Wales
was built in the 12th century as a stronghold for the Princes of
Powys as a defence against English invaders. The castle sits on a rocky ridge
with steep slopes to the south-east and north-west.
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| Powis Castle |
During the latter half of the 13th
century, Owain, the last Prince of Powis began a rebuilding programme most of
which is still visible today. In 1578 the castle came into the hands of Sir
Edward Herbert, in whose family it has remained. Extensive repairs and
modernisation were carried out by the Herberts in the late 1500s. The family were
staunch Royalists during the Civil War. Powis Castle
was captured by the Parliamentarian forces in 1644, garrisoned by them during
the remainder of the war and not returned to the family until the restoration
of Charles II.
William, Lord Powis, inherited the castle on
the death of his father in 1667. A State Apartment, the Blue Drawing Room,
library and the State Bedroom were all additions by William.
In 1784 Lady Henrietta Herbert married the
eldest son of Clive of India; Edward Clive later changed his name to Herbert.
The Clive fortune paid for overdue repairs to the castle and funded
improvements to the gardens and park. It was George Herbert, 4th
Earl of Powis who bequeathed the castle and gardens to the National Trust on
his death in 1952.
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| Powis Castle - from its gardens 2006 |
The most famous haunting associated with Powis Castle
is that involving a devout spinster invited in 1780 to stay and do some
spinning work for the Earl. Little did she know that she had been given a
bedroom known to be haunted.
As she was sitting by the fire reading her
bible, she heard the door open. A man dressed in gold lace entered the room,
crossed to the window and stood there silently, before turning and leaving the
room. Not a word was spoken.
The woman knelt to pray when the ghostly man
reappeared and motioned to her to follow him. By the light of a candle he led
her to another room and showed her a locked casket beneath a floorboard. The
phantom told her to take the casket and its key and send it to the Earl in London, promising her he
would leave the house in peace if she did what she had been told.
Apparently the Earl was so delighted that he mad
provision for the spinster to live in comfort at the castle for the rest of her
life.
The contents of the casket were never revealed.
The ghost in the gold lace suit was never seen again.
Hilary Melton-Butcher's castle for O - Oystermouth Castle on the Gower.
Attributions
- Powis Castle; author Val Vannet; Geograph project collection; Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
- Powis Castle viewed from its gardens, 2006; author Phil Catterall; Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
