Hopton Castle

During the Civil War Hopton Castle was one of the few castles to be held for the Parliament in the west. In 1644 Sir Michael Woodhouse, with a force of about 500, laid siege to the castle which was defended by about thirty Roundheads under the command of Samuel More. More eventually agreed terms and surrendered.
There are varying versions of what happened next. According to More's account all those who surrendered, apart from himself, were killed and buried. Other accounts vary on how the siege ended. They state that after a three-week siege, More delayed surrendering until the bailey had been taken and the entrance to the keep was on fire, at which point the garrison surrendered to Sir Michael Woodhouse, who at his discretion (his prerogative under the laws of war as they were practised at that time), decided not to grant the majority of his prisoners quarter and they were killed by their captors.
The castle was still habitable in 1700, but fell into disrepair soon afterwards. Substantial remnants of the much altered keep remain.

The Royalist army then set about making sure that Hopton Castle could never be used against them again and they tore the castle apart and set fire to it.
Hopton Castle is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the men murdered there as well as four Royalist soldiers who died in the fighting. The ghost of Elizabeth Mayrick, the widow of the men, is also said to haunt the castle crying for the love that she lost.

A great step into history during the day... but will the atmosphere change when the lights go out?