David Whitehead reveals how a sword fight on Castle Green helped two Hereford MP’s settle their dispute.
In the late 17th century Castle Green must have been an eerie place. Although the Great Tower of the castle had been demolished by order of Parliament in 1660, several fragments of the castle survived, including the gatehouse, overlooking the Castle Pool, Castle Cliffe House, which had been repaired and used as a workhouse and several large sections of the perimeter wall. For those citizens of Hereford willing to risk the anger of the county magistrates, it formed a very convenient quarry.
In 1690 James Brydges, the M.P. for Hereford, suggested that a woollen manufactory should be established upon the Green, to provide employment for the poor. It was to be financed from the Scudamore Charity, for which Brydges was the principal trustee. The county magistrates were sympathetic to the idea, but Brydges appears to have lost interest. He was one of the richest men in England at the time, with extensive business interest in London.
In November 1701 the other M.P. for Hereford, James Morgan, accused Brydges of misappropriating monies from the Scudamore Charity and to clear his name Brydges challenged Morgan to a duel on Castle Green.
Brydges recounted the event in his journal:
‘After several passes the hilt of my sword struck against the hilt of his & loos’ned it in his hand whereupon I caught hold of it & put it in my sword hand, upon which he clos’d with me & struggled some time; but finding that I must at long run either take away his life, or put him into a condition of taking mine, I chose rather to put both the swords into his hand, & told him that rather than I would take away his life at such an advantage he should have both the swords & my life too. Upon which wee embrac’t & both vowed friendship to each other, he din’d with me afterwards as did several other gentlemen, & in the afternoon I went to Mr. Geer’s with Mr. Ganderton & Mr. Senhouse’.
Brydges subsequently became the first duke of Chandos and built a fabulous house at Cannons in Middlesex. He remained M.P for Hereford until 1714 and, whilst in the county, lived at The Mynde in Much Dewchurch. The woollen manufactory on Castle Green was never built but the monies from the Scudamore Charity were eventually employed to establish Lord Scudamore School.