A story of doomed lovers and haunted ivy leaves, the Lady in Green is said to haunt Caerphilly Castle in Wales together with the spirit of Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, wailing as an omen of death.
Caerphilly Castle, one of the grandest fortresses in Wales, rises out of its mist-shrouded moat like a sleeping giant. Its immense stone walls and leaning tower have watched over the Rhymney Valley since the 13th century, built by Gilbert de Clare, the Norman Marcher Lord who sought to secure his power in South Wales.
Yet beneath its stoic strength and noble history lies a tale of deathly omens, unquiet spirits, and the restless dead that refuse to release their hold upon its battlements.
A Castle Built for War
Caerphilly Castle was built by Gilbert de Clare (1243 – 1295) to control Glamorgan and halt the territorial expansion of Llewelyn ap Gruffudd (1223-1282). It is the second largest castle in size in Britain. It was built in a time of war and struggle for control over Wales and many of its ghosts come from this time. Spectral men-at-arms witnessed on the battlements.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from haunted castles
On the 11th April 1268 Gilbert de Clare began construction of Caerphilly Castle. He built the castle to secure the area from attack and prevent lowland south Wales from falling into the hands of the Welsh leader Llywelyn the Last (Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf). Llywelyn realised the threat and tried but failed to prevent the castle from being built.
He made an attack in 1270 but building began again in 1271. Alterations, including the great hall by Hugh le Despenser in 1322-6, were the last making it a very pure example of late 13th century military architecture and a place of ghosts.
The Lady in Green Haunting
One of the more well known ghosts said to haunt the castle is that of Princess Alice. Alice de Lusignan, or Alice of Angoulême (October 1236 – May 1290), was described as being very beautiful with dark hair and dark eyes. She was also flirtatious and provocative according to people and rumors followed her because of it. She is said to haunt the castle, having died of a broken heart after de Clare killed her lover Gruffudd the Fair, Prince of Brithdir.
Alice was the first wife of Marcher baron Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, and half-niece of King Henry III of England. In 1253, Alice married Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester (2 September 1243 – 7 December 1295). He was the son of Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and Maud de Lacy. He was ten years old at the time of his marriage. According to the story, she moved with her husband to the castle and fell in love with a prince.
Gruffudd confessed their secret to a monk, but was betrayed as the monk told her husband. Gilbert, filled with rage, sent his wife back to France and ordered his men to find Gruffudd. Gruffudd had caught the traitor monk and hanged him from a tree at a site now known as “Monk’s Vale” in, although it’s unknown if this is a real place. Gilbert’s men caught up with him, and Gruffudd was also hanged in the forest.
As a final step in his revenge, Gilbert sent a messenger to France to inform Alice that he had killed Gruffudd and she dropped dead on the spot.
Her ghost has haunted the ramparts of Caerphilly Castle ever since and her green robes mock her husband’s envy. Her presence has made ivy grow at rampant rates around the castle so it might be said she has eyes everywhere.
How True was the Story of the Doomed Lovers?
Did the legend of the Green Lady of Caerphilly Castle actually happen? It looks like history will say no. It actually looks like Alice de Lusignan or Angoulême never stepped foot in Caerphilly Castle. She lived until her husband’s treason against the crown in Tonbridge Castle in Kent, England. She died in May 1290 in Warren, Sussex, England and perhaps it was not of a broken heart at all.
There were rumors about her infidelity, but that was with her half first cousin Prince Edward, while she was briefly imprisoned on account of her husband’s treason. In later years, “Red” Gilbert would become one of the most powerful and important noblemen in the kingdom. The marriage produced two daughters although the marriage was annulled on 16 May 1285.
But what about ‘Gruffudd the Fair, Prince of Brithdir’? Brithdir is actually a small village in the northern part of the Rhymney Valley near New Tredegar, in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales. But there was never a prince connected to it, and even though not all sources claim he was a prince, there wasn’t a ‘Gruffudd the Fair either as far as sources goes. There was however Gilbert’s Welsh rival Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd, who later was recognised as one of the last independent Prince of Wales. Perhaps he was the source of the legend, although he and Alice probably never met in real life.
So what about the Lady in Green said to haunt the castle? There have been countless stories of the green woman throughout the British Isles, often connected with the supernatural, like a crossover between witches, goddesses, fairy folk and the like. What is it that is said to haunt the ivy leaves and green of the castle? Could it just be a made up story, or could it be something else, something older? There was also a room at the castle, built into the wall, and supposedly haunted by an evil entity, but even less is said in regards to this.
The Haunting of The Hag of the Mist
The Lady in Green is not the only spirit said to roam around the old castle grounds. And something even older is said to be behind the next haunting.
De Clare family, once proud masters of Caerphilly Castle, were stalked by a spirit not of this world. The Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, the “Hag of the Mist,” was their personal harbinger of doom. To hear her rasping cry or glimpse her thin, leathery form was to know that death would soon strike the family. She would appear cloaked in shadow, her long hair matted, her hands twisted, her mouth opening in a mournful wail that echoed through the halls like the wind before a storm. Her presence foretold tragedy, a spectral messenger calling the family to prepare for loss.
The story of how she ended up at Caerphilly Castle stems from the 1700s. Apparently, she used to live in a swamp outside of Caerphilly. However, when the swamp flooded, she ventured into the town itself, terrifying everyone by flying around, screaming like a banshee. Some of the local boys tried to catch her but she fled into the castle, where she still resides today.
When the de Clares finally left Caerphilly, fleeing war and ruin, the Gwrach-y-Rhibyn remained behind. The people of Caerphilly whisper that she is still there, bound to the castle’s ruins by grief and duty. Even today, when the de Clare family has died out, she is said to linger.
On misty nights, when the moonlight shimmers on the flooded moat, she is seen drifting toward the castle’s gatehouse, her form little more than vapor in the cold air. It is said that the Gwrach-y-Rhibyn still walks toward Caerphilly on nights of death and change, her wail announcing another soul claimed by fate.
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References:
Green Lady of Caerphilly Castle
The Green Lady of Caerphilly Castle, Wales — Facts-Chology
Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Gloucester – Wikipedia