Wintour's Leap - History

History

Wintour's Leap is named after Royalist Sir John Wintour who, hotly pursued on his horse by Parliamentary forces, according to local myth survived a leap off the cliff and, landing safely in the Wye below, swam to his safety in the nearby Chepstow Castle. In fact, Wintour did escape from the Roundheads by using the river nearby on two separate occasions, but from less spectacular positions at Lancaut and Sedbury.

Sir John Wintour was a second son and so descendants from his line along the Waite family traditionally name their second sons with the middle name 'Wintour', although the name has been given to female descendants also.