THE following is an authentic story which I obtained first hand from
a fellow traveller whilst waiting for a train on the small station of
Ferryside, Carmarthenshire (Wales).
He had, it appears, unfortunately missed the earlier train of the day
and, to pass away an idle hour or two, had visited the old castle in
the district. He had some difficulty in obtaining the key, and, so, on
reaching the castle, was not surprised to find that the door was not
to be opened easily, as it was obvious that the castle is seldom
visited these days. At length, when the door did open, imagine his
surprise at finding an apparently well set up woman staring at him.
Thinking it must be some sort of caretaker, he essayed to speak to
her, but, to his great consternation, she disappeared. This so
startled my companion that he returned at once to the station, where
I met him very much shaken by his experience.
We, later, got into conversation with a resident, who informed us
that the castle had the reputation for being haunted, and this was
the generally accepted story:—
Many years ago, when knights, maids and dragons ruled the romantic
world, there lived a maid within the castle who was betrothed to a
young knight of a neighbouring domain. The day of the wedding was
fixed and all would have ended happily were it not for a great
tragedy which overcame the proceedings. One day, just after paying
his court to the young lady, the knight was set upon by robbers,
killed, and his body flung into the moat. His fiancée could see all
this, but was unable to help, but she was so overcome that she threw
herself over the parapet into the moat after him. The body of the
knight was found some time later washed up on the sea-shore, but that
of the maid was never discovered, and the belief is that she still
haunts the castle awaiting the arrival of her beloved.