The Duddon Sonnets - Notes to XXVII

XXVII

          FALLEN, and diffused into a shapeless heap,

          Or quietly self-buried in earth's mould,

          Is that embattled House, whose massy Keep,

          Flung from yon cliff a shadow large and cold.

          There dwelt the gay, the bountiful, the bold;

          Till nightly lamentations, like the sweep

          Of winds--though winds were silent--struck a deep

          And lasting terror through that ancient Hold.

          Its line of Warriors fled;--they shrunk when tried

          By ghostly power:--but Time's unsparing hand                10

          Hath plucked such foes, like weeds, from out the land;

          And now, if men with men in peace abide,

          All other strength the weakest may withstand,

          All worse assaults may safely be defied.

This sonnet contains ‘stock images’ associated with the Picturesque – ruined medieval monuments in the landscape – but also elements of the Gothic, in the backstory of ghosts driving out the warriors.

This is clearly a local legend, but so far, neither Ordinance Survey or English Heritage records show this kind of ruin in the vicinity of the Duddon. Frith hall is a possible candidate, but it was a Hunting Lodge not a castle.

I have contacted the local history group to see if they can throw some light on the matter.