Latest Images by Mike Searle http://www.geograph.ie/ 2013-05-21T09:02:40GMT text/html 2013-04-28T11:33:48GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317337 -2.286641 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432946 text/html 2013-04-28T11:30:39GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317337 -2.286641 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432941 Beneath the Chapel accessible from a door on the north side, is the burial vault containing the best collection of human-shaped lead coffins in Britain. Rather macabre are the 'death-mask' faces moulded onto four of them, possibly castings made from the actual faces of the deceased. The face on the coffin on the far left is the most distinctive, difficult to photograph as its almost hidden by the wall. The lead coffins were originally enclosed in timber, but suffered much damage from the attentions of 18th and 19th century visitors. The coffins all date from the C17 and probably include Sir Edward Hungerford III, and Lady Margaret (whose monument is in the Chapel above), and the first wife, son and daughter-in-law of Sir Edward Hungerford IV (known as 'the spendthrift'). In order to see all of the coffins in the vault two images were necessary, the second can be seen here: [[3432946]] text/html 2013-04-28T11:01:54GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317247 -2.286497 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432903 The carved and painted tomb of Sir Walter Hungerford IV (†1596) and his son Edward (†1585). Sir Walter Hungerford IV was known as 'the knight of Farleigh' because of his prowess at field sports. After his father's execution in 1540 for treason, witchcraft, and the then capital crime of homosexuality, the castle of Farleigh had been forfeited to the crown. Sir Walter was responsible for its return to the Hungerfords, when in 1554 he bought it back from the crown for the considerable sum of £5,000. text/html 2013-04-28T10:28:37GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317337 -2.286641 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432832 The north (or side) chapel was added in c.1400 to house the tomb of Sir Thomas Hungerford (†1397) and his second wife Lady Joan Hussey (†1412). It stands beneath the arch that separates the north chapel from the main chapel. Little trace remains today of the rich paintwork that once adorned the entire tomb and its effigies of Sir Thomas and Lady Joan. The wrought iron railings surrounding the tomb are original, and were erected in about 1443 by Walter, Lord Hungerford. text/html 2013-04-28T10:09:18GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317336 -2.286785 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432786 The north or side chapel also houses the carved and painted tomb of Sir Edward Hungerford (†1607) and his wife Dame Jane. text/html 2013-04-27T22:13:49GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317427 -2.286642 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432321 text/html 2013-04-27T22:11:05GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317337 -2.286641 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432313 text/html 2013-04-27T22:01:53GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317337 -2.286641 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432301 The effigies of Sir Edward Hungerford III (†1648) as a Civil War Parliamentarian commander in armour, and his wife Margaret Hallyday (†1672) in the north or side chapel. text/html 2013-04-27T21:55:25GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317427 -2.286642 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432289 The north (or side) chapel was added in c.1400 to house the tomb of Sir Thomas Hungerford and his second wife Lady Joan Hussey. A reconstruction of the side chapel was carried out between 1658-65 by Margaret Hallyday (†1652), widow of Sir Edward Hungerford III (†1648), in order to create a shrine for this sumptuous marble monument to her husband. She also added new windows to the chapel and the black and white marble flooring. The walls and ceiling were framed by a scheme of painted decoration, still partially visible. The monument depicts the recumbent Sir Edward in armour as a Civil War Parliamentarian commander, with Margaret beside him. text/html 2013-04-27T21:38:00GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317337 -2.286641 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432255 Apart from the coat of arms of Sir Edward Hungerford I (†1522) in the centre, most of the remaining stained glass in this window and elsewhere in the chapel is C17 or C18, of either German or Flemish origin. text/html 2013-04-27T21:24:55GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317337 -2.286641 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432222 The most notable feature of the east wall is the large painted figure of St George and the dragon dating from the 1440s. The red background is not original, but results from a well-meaning but disastrous application of a hot wax preservative between 1931 and 1955 - since removed by English Heritage. text/html 2013-04-27T21:16:07GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317337 -2.286641 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432193 In the foreground surrounded by a railing, is the grave slab of c.1500 of a chantry priest employed to say masses for the souls of the Hungerfords. In the far right corner beneath the early C15 wall painting of St George is the carved and painted tomb of Sir Walter Hungerford IV and his son Edward. The wall painting above the east window is a heraldic depiction of the Hungerford coat of arms. To the left are part of the railings in the north (or side) chapel of the tomb of Sir Thomas Hungerford and his second wife Lady Joan Hussey. text/html 2013-04-27T20:58:56GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317336 -2.286785 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432151 The Chapel was built by Sir Thomas Hungerford between 1370 and 1383 as a new parish church to replace an earlier one. It was later enclosed within the Outer Court by his son Walter, 1st Lord Hungerford in the second quarter of the C15. Before 1443 Walter built another parish church on the hill south of the castle, at which time the former parish church became the Castle Chapel. text/html 2013-04-27T20:27:29GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317606 -2.286786 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432081 An unusual view of the inside of one of the round corner towers, in this case the SE Tower, clearly showing its hexagonal construction on the inside. text/html 2013-04-27T20:18:33GMT http://www.geograph.ie/profile/10423 Mike Searle 51.317337 -2.286354 http://www.geograph.ie/photo/3432064 This was built in 1430 as accommodation for the chantry priests employed to pray for the souls of the Hungerfords. Following the Reformation when chantries were abolished, it became a dairy, then a farmhouse, and so it remained for nearly 300 years until it was acquired by the state in 1959.