Featherston Family Origins (cont.)

own expense, as well as fighting in the field of battle himself. On the 26th of August, 1651, at the battle of Wigan Lane, Lancashire, Sir Timothy was captured and taken prisoner. He was tried by court-martial in Chester and be- headed for treason on the 22nd of October, 1651, causing great turmoil for the Featherstonehaugh's (7) .The families losses were said to exceed 10,000L. Due to these losses, two of Timothy's sons (Philip and John) petitioned for and were granted places as pages to the queen in 1661 to help lessen the charges of their mother. In the chancel of Kirkoswald Church, County Cumberland, is a monument to the memory of Sir Timothy, erected by his grandson Thomas. /

No story about a castle would be complete without the requisite legend of a ghost. Featherstone Castle holds its own in .this case, with not just a ghost, but an entire bridal party of ghosts! According to legend, there lived at one time a baron of Featherstonehaugh, whose daughter, Abigail, was the last of the line. Abigail was deeply in love with Ridley of Hardriding. Unfortunately the baron rejected Ridley as a suitor for his daughter due to an ancient family feud (8) .Instead, the baron promised his daughters' hand to his distant "cousin, Timothy Featherstonhaugh. No amount of pleading or tears from his beloved daughter would sway the baron, so blinded was he by the ancient feud.

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Thus, the wedding day was set. Abigail was married to her cousin Timothy in the small chapel of Fetherstone Castle. Afterwards, a hunting expedition took place in honour of the occasion. As the end of the day drew near, the wedding party started its return to Featherstone Castle through the gloomy glen of Pynkinscleugh. As the hunting party approached a bridge on the road, they found the way blocked by Abigail's reject lover, Ridley of Hardriding. Standing alongside Ridley was a well-armed band of vassels. A battle ensued, and the young bride, while attempting to stop the battle, was herself struck down and killed. Her lover, stricken with grief over what had transpired, took his own life. According to legend, Ridley's hearts blood ran into a hollow stone. Huge black ravens then came, and drank from this stone, filling the forest with vile croaking's of their feast (9).

While all this transpired, the baron and his wife remained at the castle, awaiting the return of the wedding party. At the stroke of midnight, the doors burst open to reveal the ghastly bodies of the wedding party, their faces with the look of death and their bodies still showing the open wounds of the days battle. A chill ran through the baron at the sight. He rose to his feet, and instinctively crossed himself, calling to God Almighty. As he did this, a mighty gust of wind blew through the castle, sweeping the ghostly party away. It is said that every year, on the anniversary of that fateful day, the bridal party once again travels that same road, and enters the castle gateway at the stroke of midnight.