Hungerford History

We called in to the township of Hungerford on our way to Bath. It is a small hamlet with a rather scary reputation. It seems one of the residents went a lot crazy and opened fire on everyone else a few years ago. Today though it is a sleepy little hollow on the banks of the canal which boasts some of the oldest barges in the country. We browsed through some antique shops for which the Hungerford residents would prefer to be known. According to my recollections of Hungerford family history, I think Hungerfords once lived in the area but that was around the 1100's, and funnily enough no one there today seemed to be able to remember them.
After arriving in Bath and spending the night in a grand old mansion which has been reduced to backpacker accommodation, we visited a more recent Hungerford landmark.
The Hungerford Farleigh Castle was built by Walter Hungerford aroung 1500. He converted his manor house to a castle and later generations added more walls and fortresses. We took an audio tour which provided numerous stories of the Hungerford families rise and fall within the British aristocracy. It seems the Lords and Barons within the Hungerford clan insisted in backing the wrong sides in royal battles and kept paying for their poor judgement with their heads! Twice they lost possession of the castle and had to earn it back with deeds of valour for various kings. Eventually though, in the late 1700's Young Edward Hungerford squandered the family fortune and had to pay off his debts by selling the castle. It then fell into the hands of another castle owner who used much of the stonework to increase his own castle.
(photos to come)