Pengersick Castle facts for kids
Pengersick Castle is a special old building in Cornwall, England. It's like a strong house that was built to protect itself. You can find it between the villages of Germoe and Praa Sands.
This unique building is called a tower house. It's a very important historical site, known as a Grade I listed building. This means it's one of the most important historical places in England. Parts of the castle are from the early 1500s.
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What Pengersick Castle Looks Like
Pengersick Castle is a tower house from the late medieval period. This means it was built a long time ago, around the 1500s. It's one of the few towers of its kind still standing in Britain today.
Long ago, in 1814, a writer named Samuel Lysons described the castle. He said there were many old parts of the building. Some of the main rooms were used to store grain and hay. One room was almost complete and had walls covered in wooden panels. These panels were decorated with paintings and old sayings.
The Castle's History
Pengersick Castle was built around 1510 by a man named William Worth. His family came from a place called Worth in Devon. Later, the castle was passed down to the Militon family. They came from Devon too and made the building even bigger.
Who Built the Castle?
A writer named Sabine Baring-Gould shared an interesting story about the castle's builder. He wrote that a man named Millaton built it during the time of King Henry VIII. Millaton had to escape justice and found a hidden spot near the sea at Pengersick.
He built a strong tower there with many ways to defend it. The bottom part had small openings for firing weapons. Above the door, there was even a way to pour melted lead on attackers! Millaton stayed hidden in his tower until he died, rarely leaving it.
Later Owners and Changes
The land for the castle was bought in the name of Millaton's son, Job. Job Militon later became the governor of Saint Michael's Mount in Cornwall around 1547.
Around 1530, Pengersick Castle was made even better. It became a fortified manor house, which means a large, strong house. The money for these improvements came from a valuable Portuguese ship that was wrecked nearby.
Mysterious Legends
Pengersick Castle is famous for its spooky stories and legends. Many people say it's haunted!
The Ghost of John Milliton
One of the most famous legends is about the ghost of John Milliton. The story goes that he tried to poison his wife. But she was clever and switched their drinking cups. The legend says the Devil then took both of them to hell!
Are the Stories True?
However, historical research has shown that some of these stories are not true. For example, no monks were murdered at the castle, though one was attacked by someone named Henry Pengersick. Also, the "plague pits" shown on a TV show were actually in a different part of the castle.
The legend of the "Black Dog" ghost is also said to be a myth. It was probably made up by smugglers in the 1800s to scare people away from their secret activities. Plus, historical records show that Sir John Milliton died in 1570 and his wife in 1579, so the story of them dying together in a poisoning plot is unlikely.
