Ashby De La Zouch Castle

-1086

The Domesday Book makes the first mention of Aschebie Manor, which was later expanded to form the Castle. Aschebie Manor originally belonged to Hugh de Grandmesnil, one of the companions of William the Conqueror. 

-1102

In 1102, Ivo de Grandmesnil, the Sheriff of Leicester and the son of Hugh de Grandmesnil, fell out of favour with Henry I. To make amends with the king, Ivo gave some of his property to Robert Du Beaumont, the 1st Earl of Leicester. 

Beaumont didn’t live at Ashby Manor, but instead, he had a tenant named Belmeis whose family would live there until 1160. 

-1160

In 1160, the Belmeis line died out. The Earl of Leicester gave Aschebie Manor to Alain de Porrhoet la Zouch (meaning a “stalk” or “stem''), who was the son-in-law of Phillip Belmeis. After 1160, the manor was known as Ashby de la Zouch. The Zouch family lived in the estate for some 200 years. 

-1399

In 1399, the last male Zouch heir died, starting an ownership crisis. The manor passed from owner to owner for the next 60 years, and it was often in a state of disrepair and constant remodelling. 

-1461

The owner of Ashby De La Zouch Manor, James Butler, the Earl of Ormond and Wiltshire, was captured and beheaded after the battle of Towton during the War of the Roses. The entire estate then fell into King Edward IV’s hands. 

-1462

Edward IV then gave Ashby de la Zouch Manor to William Hastings, 1st Baron of Hastings. Lord Hastings was a loyal and devout Yorkist who was knighted at the battle of Towton. He was a trusted councilman of Edward IV, and he gained many estates in 1462. 

When the estate was granted to Lord Hastings, it comprised 3,000 acres (1214.06 hectare) of land, including a great hall, a chamber, a longhouse for service workers, a 60-acre (24.28-hectare) deer park, a dovecote, and a rabbit warren. 

-1472

As Lord Hasting gained more and more power, the king granted him the right to fortify the manors he possessed and build a new mansion at Ashby de la Zouch. According to archaeological researchers at Historic England, it seems that Hastings intended Ashby de la Zouche to be his primary home. 

In 1472, Lord Hastings began constructing the Castle at Ashby. Still, a little known fact is that many medieval scholars still debate whether he expanded the original Ashby Manor or demolished the original structure and built his Castle on the same plot of land. 

The Castle was constructed in a military gothic fashion, which is unique to the 15th century. 

-1483

In 1483, Richard Duke of Gloucestershire, or King Richard II, ordered William Lord Hastings to be executed. At the time of his death, the Castle was still unfinished, but luckily, the estate remained in the Hastings family. 

Edward Hastings, William’s heir, regained king Richard II’s favour in the battle of Bosworth Field, which allowed him to keep Ashby de la Zouch Castle. The Castle remained in the Hastings family throughout the Civil War. 

-1529

In 1529, George Hastings, William’s grandson, was named 1st Earl of Huntingdon by Edward VIII. In celebration, George made some changes to the Castle, adding brick structures to the preexisting stone ones. 

It’s also likely that George laid out the garden and its towers in the 1530s. 

-1569

In 1569, Henry Hastings, the 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, held Mary Queen of Scots in prison at Ashby de la Zouch Castle. 

-1602-1617

Between 1612 and 1617, the Hastings family entertained many royals, including Queen Anne of Denmark, Princess Elizabeth Stuart of Bohemia, Henry Prince of Wales, and James I and VI. 

The Hastings family accumulated massive debts during this time as they renovated the gardens and made improvements to their Castle. 

-1642-1646

In 1642, the English Civil war broke out, and Ashby de la Zouch was used as a Royalist base. Colonel Henry Hastings, the 5th Earl of Huntingdon, refortified the Castle. Hastings and King Charles I used materials from the town of Ashby, often tearing down existing buildings to build an impressive and impenetrable structure. 

During this time, Henry built a tunnel that connected the kitchen tower to the great tower. You can still walk through this tunnel today. 

Unfortunately for Colonel Henry Hastings, the parliamentary forces won the Civil War in 1645. Hastings surrendered in February of 1646. As a condition of his surrender, he had to demolish all of the Castle’s fortifications, leaving Ashby de la Zouch in pieces. 

-1746

By 1746, the Castle was still in ruins, but the great hall was made liveable. At this stage, the estate was only called Ashby Place since it lacked much of its former glory. 

One of the last occupants was Selina Hastings, the widow of the 9th Earl of Huntingdon, who established a Calvinist sect called The Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion. 

-1789

In 1789, the last Hastings Earl of Huntingdon died heirless, leaving the estate to his son-in-law Francis Rawdon the Earl of Moira. 

-1819

In 1819, Sir Walter Scott published his medieval romance Ivanhoe, in which he set an archery competition at Ashby de la Zouch Castle. In this competition, Robin Hood is the winner. 

After the publication of the book, many people flocked to the Castle as tourists. As a result, the Earl of Moira made several repairs to the ruins to make the historical site even more popular. 

Later, the Lord of Moira allowed his son John to demolish Ashby Place, Where Selina Hastings lived in the 18th century. On this site, John constructed Ashby School, which still functions as an independent school for children aged 3 to 16. 

-1932

In 1932, Ashby de la Zouch came under state guardianship. 

-1983

In 1983, Asby de la Zouch Castle became part of the English Heritage Society, which still manages the estate.