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Someries
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A brief note about the area
The ghost of Sir John Lord Wenlock |
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Someries lies just south of Luton and right next to Luton airport. A brick building, Someries castle, was built on the site by Sir John Wenlock in the fifteenth century. Now all that remains are ruins which are open to the public all year round.
The ghost of Sir John Lord Wenlock has been seen in the grounds of Someries House. Sir John was a soldier who first fought for Henry VI at St Albans in 1455 but may have started his soldiering career as a squire with Henry V at the battle of Agincourt. Later he joined the Earl of Salisbury and supported the House of York. In 1471 he joined the Earl of Warwick and the Duke of Clarence. An experienced solder he was placed in charge of a division at the battle of Tewkesbury. During the battle the Duke of Somerset had tried a daring manoeuvre which would have succeeded if Wenlock had supported him. The ensuing rout left Somerset livid and he challenged Wenlock over the matter remembering that Wenlock had changed sides several times during the War of the Roses. Wenlock accused Somerset of being a novice and asked why should he have supported a doomed operation? Somerset was so livid he struck Wenlock with his poleaxe and dashed out his brains. He was seventy one when he died on the fourth of May 1471 and was buried in Someries Chapel.
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