Description

Roaring Meg was a mortar cast in 1646 for the siege of Goodrich Castle. With a 15.5-inch (390 mm) barrel diameter and firing a 2 long cwt (220 lb; 100 kg) hollow ball filled with gunpowder, Roaring Meg was the largest mortar of the English Civil War. The weapon and its ammunition is believed to have been manufactured near Lydbrook at Howbrook furnace and forge whose then owner, John Browne, is known to have supplied weapons to the Parliamentarians.

It was instrumental in the capture of Goodrich Castle in 1646 by Sir Thomas Fairfax.  During the siege the Roundhead commander, Colonel Birch, was so excited with his new weapon he personally fired the last 19 balls.  Following Roaring Meg’s success at Goodrich, it was subsequently deployed at the bombardment of Raglan Castle. Roaring Meg is preserved by Herefordshire Council and has been on display at Goodrich Castle since 2004.