Farleigh Hungerford Farleigh Hungerford ( ) is a village within the civil parish of Norton St Philip in Somerset , England , 9 miles southeast of Bath , 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366 , in the valley of the River Frome . Within this small village are the notable ruins of Farleigh Hungerford Castle , which played a significant part in the English Civil War . Evidence has also been found of occupation during Roman times ; the foundations of a villa were excavated in a field just north west of the castle in 1822 . From 1985 to 2010 the village was the venue for the annual Trowbridge Village Pump Festival . History . The manor was called Farleigh Montfort from just after the conquest when it was owned by a Norman family , the Montforts , until the fourteenth century . Then Reginald de Montfort sold the estate to one of Edward III ’ s soldiers whose family held it only for about a quarter of a century . In 1369 AD Sir Thomas de Hungerford bought the house from the childless daughter of the recently deceased squire , and the house later came to be known as Farleigh Hungerford . The parish of Farleigh Hungerford was part of the Wellow Hundred . It is the location of Farleigh Hungerford Castle , built around 1370 and owned by English Heritage and the former home of Sir Thomas Hungerford , Speaker of the House of Commons . In the early 15th century , his son , Sir Walter Hungerford , enlarged the castle by adding the outer court that enclosed the parish church , St Leonard ' s , which he used as his chapel . It is thought that he built the present parish church nearby to replace it . In the Civil War , Sir Edward Hungerford ( 1596 - 1648 ) commanded the Parliamentary forces of Wiltshire briefly . His half - brother , Col John Hungerford , was a Royalist and was given the command of the garrison of Farleigh in 1644 . However he surrendered to Sir Edward without fighting in 1645 . A later Sir Edward Hungerford ( 1632 - 1711 ) , who had been MP for Chippenham during Richard Cromwell ' s brief reign , entertained Charles II of England at Farleigh in about 1675 . After the discovery of the Rye House Plot in 1683 , the castle was raided by the government and weapons were seized . The spendthrift Sir Edward was the last male of his family , but by the time of his death he had already sold the castle ( in 1686 ) to Henry Bayntun for £56 , 000 . Enclosed by a curtain wall with a cylindrical tower at each corner , the squarish inner bailey contained a selection of domestic buildings . Today only two of the towers and some sections of the curtain wall survive . The south west tower stands almost to its full height of five storeys in places , but the south east tower exists only a little more than its third floor . It is a grade I listed building . Farleigh House . Farleigh House is a large country house , previously the centre of the Farleigh Hungerford estate , and has sometimes been called " Farleigh New Castle " . The present building was started in the 18th century but is mainly an early 19th - century Gothic Revival building . In 2010 it was converted to be used as the offices and training centre of Bath Rugby . Church of St Leonard . The Anglican parish church of St Leonard was consecrated in 1443 and remodelled in 1856 . It was once within the outer walls of the castle but is now separated from it by the main road . The church , which is a grade II * listed building , has a perpendicular style West Tower in 3 stages , with a pair of stone gargoyle s on each face . There are the remains of some 14th - century stained glass in the north window of the nave and in the east Chancel window which are of Flemish origin . The church also contains a 17th - century wooden altar rail carved with open work scrolls and figures . The pulpit dates from the early 18th century and is carved with eagles and angels . Village Amenities . There are many pleasant walks in the area . The " Hungerford Arms " is an agreeable local pub , with three local beers and a small but select menu . There is a spot on the river Frome which is used by what is claimed to be the only river swimming club still active in Britain .