It comes as no surprise that many of Herefordshire’s castles came under attack during the Civil War. In particular the fabulous Goodrich Castle, a Norman medieval fortress which stands on glorious open countryside suffered a major siege during this battle. As the Civil War raged on the castle was fiercely fought over several times falling into Parliamentarian and Royalist hands at various times during the conflict.
While held by the Royalists it was besieged by one Colonel John Birch a noted Parliamentarian. The Colonel was a determined man and not one to lose a battle. With him he brought a powerful artillery and a secret weapon that would ensure his victory. One of the fiercest weapons he possessed was a huge mortar which he nicknamed ‘Roaring Meg’ and he happily unleashed its full force upon the Royalists which led to their surrender.
But the Colonel’s interest in Goodrich was more than just a professional one, the desire to bring about a Royalist surrender was a personal one too. He had a niece called Alice who he adored, he regarded her more like a daughter and his fondness for her knew no bounds. But to his dismay Alice had eloped with a dashing cavalry officer by the name of Sir Charles Clifford and this had upset him greatly.
The Colonel knew that Clifford had been stationed at Goodrich Castle with his new bride and had openly sworn vengeance on him. Knowing that the Colonel was a determined man and that his life was in the balance Clifford sought help from his commanding officer. A plan was hatched and a diversion arranged which would distract those besieging the castle and allow Clifford time to escape and ride away under the cover of darkness before the Colonel could enact his revenge.
Not wanting to be separated from her new husband Alice insisted on going with Clifford and the two set out on his horse into the night. But as you can imagine being two up on a horse meant that their speed of escape was severely hampered and they did not get far enough away from the castle before they were spotted. As they raced towards the river and started to make their way across riflemen opened fire and soon the two were seen tumbling from the horse, Alice tightly holding her love Clifford as they fell into the swirling cold dark waters of the river and disappeared to their deaths.
The two lovers are said to haunt this area to this very day. Sightings have been reported of a horse galloping in a recklessly hurried manner towards the river bank with a young woman and Cavalier aboard. As the horse reaches the river it rears up, the two riders are thrown and then vanish into thin air.
The lovers have also been spotted wandering through the ruins and fields around Goodrich Castle. They can be seen together holding hands and looking lovingly at each other while they enjoy a peaceful saunter. No doubt reliving a moment before the vengeful Colonel Birch arrived with his machines of war and changed their lives forever.
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