| Saint George and the Dragon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Anonymous |
| Year | 1430–1445 |
| Type | Mural |
| Owner | English Heritage |
Saint George and the Dragon is a mural in the chapel of Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Somerset, England.
| Saint George and the Dragon | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Artist | Anonymous |
| Year | 1430–1445 |
| Type | Mural |
| Owner | English Heritage |
Saint George and the Dragon is a mural in the chapel of Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Somerset, England.
Between 1430 and 1445 Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford, a former Speaker of the House of Commons, expanded his castle at Farleigh Hungerford considerably. [1] The extension to the castle enclosed the former parish church, which became Walter's castle chapel, with a replacement church being built in the village. [2] Walter had the chapel decorated with a number of murals, depicting scenes from the story of Saint George and the Dragon; Saint George was a favoured saint of Walter's patron, Henry V, and associated with the prestigious Order of the Garter, of which Walter was a proud member. [3]
The chapel fell into ruin in the early 18th century, only being restored in 1779. [4] The murals were rediscovered in 1844, and the castle and chapel became a 19th-century tourist attraction. [5] The castle began to pass from private ownership into the hands of the Office of Works from 1915 onwards. [6] Attempts were made to preserve the wall paintings in the chapel during 1931 and 1955, but the treatments, which involved the use of red wax, stained the paintings and caused considerable damage; the wax was removed in the 1970s. [7]
The castle and chapel were recorded as Grade I listed in 1984, [8] and are now owned by English Heritage; the chapel is open to the public during the summer season. The historian Simon Roffey describes the painting as a "remarkable" work. [9]
Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford was an English knight and landowner, from 1400 to 1414 a Member of the House of Commons, of which he became Speaker, then was an Admiral and peer.
Farleigh Hungerford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Norton St Philip, in the Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366, between Trowbridge and Radstock in the valley of the River Frome. In 1931 the parish had a population of 98.
Sir Thomas de Hungerford of Farleigh Castle in Somerset, was the first person to be recorded in the rolls of the Parliament of England as holding the office of Speaker of the House of Commons of England, although that office had existed before his tenure.
Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. After the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, William de Mohun constructed a timber castle on the site as part of the pacification of Somerset. A stone shell keep was built on the motte by the start of the 12th century, and the castle survived a siege during the early years of the Anarchy. At the end of the 14th century the de Mohuns sold the castle to the Luttrell family, who continued to occupy the property until the late 20th century.
Buckingham Chantry Chapel is a 15th-century chapel and a National Trust property in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England. The chapel is the oldest building in Buckingham and is noted in particular for its Norman doorway. Few buildings in Buckingham date to before the 18th century, as a large fire destroyed much of the town in 1725. The chapel is a Grade II* listed building, being added to the list by English Heritage on 13 October 1952.
Lydford Castle is a medieval castle in the town of Lydford, Devon, England. The first castle in Lydford, sometimes termed the Norman fort, was a small ringwork built in a corner of the Anglo-Saxon fortified burh in the years after the Norman conquest of England. It was intended to help control Devon following the widespread revolt against Norman rule in 1068. The Norman fort had been abandoned by the middle of the 12th century.
Launceston Castle is located in the town of Launceston, Cornwall, England. It was probably built by Robert the Count of Mortain after 1068, and initially comprised an earthwork and timber castle with a large motte in one corner. Launceston Castle formed the administrative centre of the new earldom of Cornwall, with a large community packed within the walls of its bailey. It was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century and then substantially redeveloped by Richard of Cornwall after 1227, including a high tower to enable visitors to view his surrounding lands. When Richard's son, Edmund, inherited the castle, he moved the earldom's administration to Lostwithiel, triggering the castle's decline. By 1337, the castle was increasingly ruinous and used primarily as a gaol and to host judicial assizes.
Tellisford is a village and civil parish 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Frome in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Woolverton.
Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford of Heytesbury, was created Baron Hungerford of Heytesbury in 1536.
Mendip is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of 285 square miles (738 km2) ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 11,000. The administrative centre of the district is Shepton Mallet.
Farleigh Hungerford Castle, sometimes called Farleigh Castle or Farley Castle, is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England. The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir Thomas Hungerford, who made his fortune as steward to John of Gaunt. The castle was built to a quadrangular design, already slightly old-fashioned, on the site of an existing manor house overlooking the River Frome. A deer park was attached to the castle, requiring the destruction of the nearby village. Sir Thomas's son, Sir Walter Hungerford, a knight and leading courtier to Henry V, became rich during the Hundred Years War with France and extended the castle with an additional, outer court, enclosing the parish church in the process. By Walter's death in 1449, the substantial castle was richly appointed, and its chapel decorated with murals.
Sir Edward Hungerford (1596–1648) of Corsham, Wiltshire and of Farleigh Castle in Wiltshire, Member of Parliament, was a Parliamentarian commander during the English Civil War. He occupied and plundered Salisbury in 1643, and took Wardour and Farleigh castles.
Agnes, Lady Hungerford was a murderer and the second wife of Sir Edward Hungerford. When he died in 1522, Agnes was then charged and convicted of the murder of her first husband, John Cotell. She was hanged at Tyburn in 1523.
Montacute Castle was a castle built on a hill overlooking the village of Montacute, Somerset, England.
John Edward Jackson was an English clergyman of the Church of England, antiquary, and archivist.
There are over 670 scheduled monuments in the ceremonial county of Somerset in South West England. The county consists of a non-metropolitan county, administered by Somerset Council. The two administratively independent unitary authorities, which were established on 1 April 1996 following the breakup of the county of Avon, are North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. These unitary authorities include areas that were once part of Somerset before the creation of Avon in 1974.
The Anglican Church of St Leonard in Farleigh Hungerford, within the English county of Somerset, was consecrated in 1443. It is a Grade II* listed building.