Volume 13 , Issue 18

The Dunster Castle of County Dublin, Ireland

[Photo on the left: Dunster Castle, the historical home of the Luttrell family dominates the steep hill overlooking the small picturesque village of Dunster in Somerset. It looks out over Exmoor and the Bristol Channel and is home to both England's oldest lemon tree and the National collection of strawberry trees. There has been a castle on the site for over 1000 years. Initially the castle was granted by William the Conqueror to William de Mohun whose family lived in the castle until it was sold in 1376 by Lady Joan de Mohun to Lady Elizabeth Luttrell. The descendants of Lady Elizabeth Luttrell owned the castle until 1976. ]


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It was by the 15th century when the sea had reached the base of the hill offering a natural defense and had receded, that the deer park was created by the Luttrells. When Sir George Luttrell inherited the castle in 1571 AD, it was dilapidated and unoccupied that in 1617 AD Sir George employed the architect William Arnold to create a new house in the lower part of the castle.

During the English Civil War, Dunster Castle was a royalist stronghold and it came under siege by Parliamentary forces in 1645 AD eventually leading to the surrender of the castle in April 1646 AD. After this time the defenses of the castle were demolished to prevent any further use against Parliament.

The Castle architectural features include a fortress on the site since the Norman period. The gatehouse was from the 15th century and extensive remodeling was carried out in 1868 by Antony Salvin. In the gardens is the National Collection of Strawberry trees. All that remains of the mediaeval fortifications today are the gatehouse and the stumps of two Towers.

There have been many ghostly occurrences in the area of this castle and the castle itself. The shop, originally part of the stable block, is haunted by a man dressed in green. Items in the shop seem to mysteriously tumble and certain items have been spoiled by a sticky brown substance.

It is generally agreed that the most haunted room in the castle is the Leather Gallery. It gained its name due to the leather hangings depicting the story of Antony and Cleopatra. Many have attested to hearing men's voices at night along with doors banging and footsteps and generally speaking no one likes to work there. Apparently, a medium once visited the castle and was of the opinion that one particular ghost which had been seen by a cleaner was that of a royalist soldier called Richard who had met his death in the castle grounds from a puncture wound above his right eye.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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