Victorian Vicars
Hay Castle has long been the home of the Lords of Hay and in the 19th century Joseph Bailey took up residence as Lord Glanusk. He decided to make his own alterations to the site and added a carriage drive and the coach house that you see today.
In 1845 Bailey’s cousin William Latham Bevan came with his family to live at Hay Castle as he was the vicar of Hay and there was no vicarage at the time. The Bevan family were friends of Francis Kilvert who wrote in his diary in the 1870s about his visits and enjoying tea with them on the lawns. The family were also highly involved in life in Hay and in 1895 a party was held on the grounds to celebrate William’s golden jubilee as vicar – an event which was fortunately recorded through photographs.
After the Bevans moved out the Dowager Lady Glanusk returned and a Country Life article from 1914 shows the renovations made to make the place more suitable for her to be resident. One of her servants, Bramwell Bradley, a young boy at the time, wrote a fascinating memoir of his time working at Hay Castle which gives us insights into life within the castle walls.
