Roaring Meg, Now That Was A Fun Girl

Just a stone's throw from the Lilacs here lies Goodrich Castle, a Norman-built fortress that still stands in reasonable quality. Goodrich was built around the 11th century and held control over a crossing point of the River Wye (that's the big river that runs through Hereford and the namesake of our Wye Valley.)

I was ignorant of the fact that England had a civil war, too. The war (actually several wars for basically the same reason) were armed conflicts between folks who supported the role of the crown as the ruler vs. those who wanted parliament to be in control. Not too long ago (it's all relative): the wars happened around the year 1650. Goodrich Castle was the site of a somewhat famous siege during that war, and Roaring Meg was a massive cannon that was brought in to bring the castle down. I'm guessing there is a really good, long-forgotten story about some lassie named 'Meg' that would have been worth writing down. Just a few years ago, Meg was brought back to Goodrich and sits on display in its main courtyard.