Gorey Castle

 

Mont Orguiel Castle, called Gorey Castle by locals, overlooks the harbour of Gorey in St Martin, Jersey.  It, like many castles, is steeped in history.  Mont Orguiel is French for "Mount Pride" and was under French occupation in the late middle ages. The site of a prominent fort since the iron age, the castle itself was built in 1204 and was the primary defence of Jersey for over 400 years. It underwent extensive renovations in the mid-1500s and was Jersey's only prison until the late 17th century. As a castle with a long history, it boasts some ghosts.

  With numerous sieges and countless often violent deaths witnessed by the castle, wispy apparitions and disembodied voices screaming out have been reported by many visitors. The famous story however is about a doomed bride and groom. Not quite as tragic as the ghostly bridal procession of Waterworks Valley it is still a sad story.

  The son of the castle's guardian fell in love with a young woman, a young woman far below him in social status. As such, the guardian forbade his son from making such a disadvantageous marriage. However, the son defied his father and married the young woman. When the father discovered this he was so enraged by his son's disobedience that he murdered the couple as they slept. Today the shadows of the young couple are often seen at the place they were wed. 

A castle with as gory a history as its name.