The grisly story of murderous pub landlord Cap Goch (red-cap) and
his proclivity for slaughtering and robbing travellers who stayed the night at
his hostelry is well known within the Vale of Glamorgan. The story of Cap
Goch’s exploits was said to have been widely circulated as oral tradition
within the Bridgend area during the earlier part of the previous century. The
popular narrative of Cap Goch’s exploits was first published (to our knowledge)
in Alun Morgan’s ‘Legends of Porthcawl and the Glamorgan Coast (1977). A
subsequent book by the same author, ‘Inn of Fear’ (1980), reiterates the same
story.
Cap Goch, whose real name is unknown, is
alleged to have operated from the confines of his pub, the now vanished New
Inn, which was said to have been something of a rough place being the haunt of smugglers
and outlaws. These villains had a close association with Cap Goch and were thus
also complicit in his crimes. The exact location of this inn is a subject of
much debate amongst local folklorists, historians and the curious. Many have
sought to ascertain the location of the New Inn, which is thought by many to
have been located somewhere near to the fifteenth century dipping bridge, or
the ‘New Inn Bridge’, which spans the river Ogmore near Merthyr Mawr.
Cap Goch appears to have been a prolific murderer.
On many occasions the bodies of his victims were said to have been discovered
at the mouth of the river Ogmore. After a while when people became suspicious and
Cap Goch feared being caught, he decided to dispose of the bodies of his
victims in a more surreptitious manner by burying them within the vicinity of
his pub.
There are some who say Cap Goch died peacefully in his bed at ninety in 1820, and some who assert that he was hanged at Stalling Down for stealing a sheep. The true extent of Cap Goch’s crimes were said to have only been revealed around eighty years after his death when his by now long abandoned inn was demolished. Within the cellar area a mass of bodies was discovered along with some of Cap Goch’s stolen loot. There were also numerous bodies said to have been discovered within the vicinity of the inn.
The story of Cap Goch is an enduring one which has
captured the imagination of many people and as a result has been retold many
times since Alan Morgan’s initial telling, yet due to an overall lack of
historical evidence, many have sought to question the veracity of the claims
made in this story, and even the existence of Cap Goch himself.
We have searched numerous contemporary sources
from the Glamorgan and Bridgend area and like all before us have failed to find
any reference to any events described in the Cap Goch legend, and if anything,
have actually found that some of the claims made in the narrative are erroneous.
For example, by way of negative evidence, an
article on the history and folklore of the Merthyr Mawr area published in the
Glamorgan Gazette October 1914 by a Mr T.M Price of Boverton refers to the history
and legends of the Merthyr Mawr area. One example given is that of the ‘Goblin
Stone’. The New In bridge gets a mention-but
not cap Goch. If such a sensational and popular story was extant at the time,
then it is likely that the author would have included it in his article.
The claim that Cap Goch was hanged at Stalling Down for stealing a sheep appears to be fabrication. A total of six people were executed at Stalling Down during the eighteenth century. The last executions at Stalling Down occurred in 1787 which saw both Cornelius Gordon executed on the 20th of April for murdering his wife, and William Owen, who was also executed on the 20th of April, also for murder. The fact that no one knows Cap Goch’s real name also discredits the belief that he was executed at Stalling Down.
A David William however is recorded as being
executed within Glamorganshire in 1789 for stealing sheep, although this
individual is recorded as being from the parish of Llantrisant and is unlikely
to be our erstwhile innkeeper.
Old maps can prove useful in historical
research. George Yates’s 1799 map of Glamorgan does indeed show a ‘New Inn’.
This inn is located a short distance away from the bridge towards Merthyr Mawr.
The late eighteenth century timeframe would fit in well with the period in
which Cap Goch was said to have operated in, as it is claimed that the
characteristic red cap worn by Cap Goch was similar to those worn in
revolutionary France during the time of the French Revolution (1789-1799), the
cause of which our murderous pub landlord is alleged to have had great sympathy
with.
A detailed later Georgian period map does not
denote a New Inn, so perhaps there is some truth to the narrative in that the
inn was at this time unused as a hostelry and perhaps abandoned. It is
interesting to note that the late Georgian map denotes the dipping bridge as
‘New Inn Bridge’, whereas on Yates map the bridge is not marked.
What of the accounts of bodies being discovered
at the mouth of the river Ogmore? There are no records (that we could find)
which give credence to this claim. If bodies were found at the mouth of the
river Ogmore the local coroner would most likely have recorded their discovery.
A more likely explanation for the discovery of the occasional body would be
that of a drowned sailor from a floundered or stricken vessel. Drowned bodies
being washed up ashore were not unknown throughout old Glamorgan. A good
example is that of the grave of the ’unknown sailor’, who was found on the
beach near Porthkerry. This unfortunate individual was subsequently interred in
St Curig’s churchyard Porthkerry village.
As a sidenote, an interesting folk belief
associated with the occurrence of drowned bodies is cited by Charles Redwood
during the earlier part of the nineteenth century, is that of the Cyhiraeth.
The Cyhiraeth was believed to have been a supernatural harbinger of
death, not too dissimilar to the Welsh Tolaeth, and was said to howl as a
precursor to ‘forerun or attend the casting of drowned bodies by the waves upon
the beach’.
What of the bodies said to have been found in
and near the inn when it was demolished? Such a sensational discovery of a
cellar packed full of bodies and booty would have most likely have been
recorded by the local periodicals and the coroner. We have searched the local
newspapers of the time and yet could not find anything. The police would most
likely have also been interested in such a discovery. But nothing. No record of
these events whatsoever.
It is likely that the appendage of this story is the product of embellishment. The notion of bodies and hidden treasure being discovered smacks of a grisly kind of romanticism that is seen often in folklore throughout Britain. Another point to be made against such a claim is the practicality of hiding loot in the near vicinity of a mass of cadavers. Surely Cap Goch would have chosen a more convenient and less incriminating place with which to have hidden his stolen loot rather than in a cave with a pile of rotting corpses.
Despite there being a total lack of evidence for
the existence of Cap Goch, it is still possible that he existed, and perhaps
during his lifetime had an unsavoury reputation which lived on long after he
had died. The pubs of Bridgend during the eighteenth century were certainly rough
places and the haunt of villains and thugs who indulged in all manner of
illicit activity from smuggling, wreaking and theft-and perhaps even, murder. The
names of the more notorious characters have lived on through local folk-memory.
Perhaps Cap Goch was one of these notorious individuals. It seems likely that the
exploits of this Cap Goch have been confused over time with other events and
folk tales and have been amalgamated into a sensationalised narrative of murder
and subsequent discovery.
Did Cap Goch ever exist? There is a good chance
that he did. Did Cap Goch indulge in murder on a mass scale? It is doubtful. If
anyone does somehow manage to uncover a concrete contemporary reference to Cap
Goch, we, and no doubt many other curious parties, would love to hear about it.
Mark and
Jonathan Lambert are archaeology graduates of Cardiff University and are published
authors. They have been writing about and researching local history for the
past 20 years and have a wealth of knowledge. All articles are original
compositions - we hope you enjoy our content. Enquiries: hiddenglamorgan@outlook.com
©Jonathan and Mark Lambert 2022
The right of Jonathan and Mark Lambert to be identified as Authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted, reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic means, including social media, or mechanical, or by any other means including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the authors.
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