Sam the shepherd boy

I do like a statue with a story. This is a shepherd boy in the garden at Canons Ashby. During the English Civil War the family was on the Parliamentary side and sheltered some Roundhead soldiers. One day Sam, the shepherd boy who was on lookout duty (while presumably also looking after the sheep) spotted approaching Cavaliers and sounded a warning on his flute. This gave the Roundheads time to gather up their weapons and fight the Royalists. The Royalists won the skirmish and the Roundhead soldiers were marched off to Banbury Castle, from where they were ultimately freed. 
Sam, sadly, had a different fate. He was tortured and put to death as a punishment for giving the alarm. The family later put up the statue in grateful memory of the lad, and apparently his ghost still does service in protecting the family property. 
I can't help thinking that he's had a bit of a raw deal - short and brutal life followed by centuries of haunting duty. I suspect that, given the choice, he would have preferred a long, happy and obscure life as a shepherd followed by a peaceful eternity.