Shropshire Dramas

1. Caradoc: the flight of Caractacus
2. Plunder and pillage: Ludlow 1459
3. Kynaston's Cave: a fugitive's lair
4. Last mass at Preen Priory
4. Gliders on the Long Mynd
6. Bats and Stokesay moon

 

1. Caradoc: the flight of Caractacus
According to legend, the Briton chieftain Caractacus fought his last battle against the Romans on Caradoc Hill near Church Stretton. After a bloody battle against the well-armed Roman soldiers, Caractacus was defeated. Most of his family were captured, but Caractacus fled for his life. Eventually, Caractacus was captured and sent to Rome where he and his family were pardoned.
2. Plunder and pillage: Ludlow 1459
In 1459 Ludlow was caught up in the Wars of the Roses. The Yorkists, outnumbered and retreating, made a stand at Ludford Bridge, just outside Ludlow. The Lancastrians, led by Henry VI, had an easy victory when the Yorkist leaders fled rather than face certain defeat. To celebrate their victory, the Lancastrian soldiers plundered the town on Ludlow in a night of drunken pillage.
3. Kynaston's Cave: a fugitve's lair
Humphrey Kynaston was born into good family – his father was the high sheriff of Shropshire. However, in his youth he was fond of drinking and gambling, eventually being outlawed due to an incident in which a man was murdered. To evade capture, he lived with his horse in a cave near Nesscliffe. He was reputed to give most of the proceeds of his crimes to the poor, which why they didn’t give him away to the authorities.
4. Last mass at Preen Priory
Preen Priory, located in the village of Church Preen, was probably founded before the twelfth century. It was owned by Wenlock Abbey. It would have been run by a prior and a handful of monks. In 1534, amid uncertain times in the monastic world, Wenlock Abbey dissolved the priory and gave the land and buildings to the king. The last mass would have been led by John Castell, the last Prior of Preen, with one or two monks in attendance.
4. Gliders on the Long Mynd
Gliders are now a common site, soaring over the undulating landscape of the Long Mynd. The steep sides and the extensive moorland plateau makes the Mynd and ideal place for gliders and hanggliders. Gliding began there in the 1930s, with the Midland Gliding Club officially opening in 1934 and still operating today.
6. Bats and Stokesay moon
The church at Stokesay, near Carven Arms, was first build in the twelfth century, with its neighbour, Stokesay Castle (not actually a castle, but a fortified manor house) being added over the next couple of centuries. The war memorial, commemorating the first and second world wars, also includes both the names of those died and those who returned. At dusk, bats are in flight around the church and the graves.