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Ashby de la Zouch Castle

2025-08-23T09:14:38Z

2A00:23C7:C8BC:C501:FCD0:1359:6492:7715: /* 18th–21st centuries */Enlarged image

{{Short description|15th-century fortification in England}}
{{Good article}}
{{Distinguish|Ashby Castle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox military installation
| image=File:Ashby de la Zouch castle main buildings.JPG
| caption=The castle seen from the south-west, showing the Kitchen Tower (left) and the Great Tower (right)
| name=Ashby de la Zouch Castle
| location=[[Ashby-de-la-Zouch]], [[Leicestershire]], England
| map_type=Leicestershire
| coordinates = {{coord|52.746132|-1.4664382|format=dms|region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| controlledby = [[English Heritage]]
| materials = [[Sandstone]]
| condition = Ruined
| open_to_public = Yes
}}

'''Ashby de la Zouch Castle''' is a ruined fortification in the town of [[Ashby-de-la-Zouch]], [[Leicestershire]], England. The castle was built by [[William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings|William]], [[Lord Hastings]], a favourite of [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]], after 1473, accompanied by the creation of a {{convert|3000|acre|adj=on}} [[Deer park (England)|park]]. Constructed on the site of an older [[manor house]], two large towers and various smaller buildings had been constructed by 1483, when Hastings was executed by [[Richard III of England|Richard]], [[Duke of Gloucester]]. The Hastings family used the castle as their seat for several generations, improving the gardens and hosting royal visitors.

During the [[English Civil War]] of the 1640s, [[Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough|Henry]], a younger son in the Hastings family, became a [[Cavalier|Royalist]] commander in [[the Midlands]]. He based himself at the castle until he was forced to surrender it after a long siege. A fresh rebellion occurred in 1648, leading [[Parliament]] to [[slighting|slight]] the castle in order to prevent it being used militarily: the two towers were badly damaged with [[gunpowder]] and [[Mining (military)|undermining]]. Parts of the remaining castle were turned into a new house and continued to be used by members of the Hastings family for many years, although they moved their main residence to [[Donington Hall]].

The castle became famous after it featured in Sir [[Walter Scott]]'s novel ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' in 1819, and its owner, [[Francis Rawdon]], opened the ruins to visitors. Restoration work was carried out over the course of the next century, but by 1932 the Rawdon family could no longer afford to maintain the castle. It passed into the guardianship of the [[Ministry of Works (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Works]], who carried out extensive repairs and opened the castle gardens. In the 21st century, the castle is managed by [[English Heritage]] as a tourist attraction, receiving 15,164 visitors in 2015. The historian [[John Goodall (author)|John Goodall]] considers the site to be an "outstanding example of a late medieval castle", with its grounds forming "one of the best-preserved and most important" examples of an early [[Tudor architecture|Tudor]] garden.

== History ==
=== 11th–15th centuries ===
[[File:Ashby de la Zouch castle fireplace detail.JPG|thumb|Carved fireplace in the Great Hall, decorated with images of angels and shields]]
A [[Manorialism|manor]] had existed at [[Ashby-de-la-Zouch]] from at least 1086, when the location was known as Ascebi.<ref name=Goodall2011P29>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=29}}</ref> The lands were acquired by [[Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester|Robert de Beaumont]], the [[Count of Meulan]] and later [[Earl of Leicester]], in 1100.<ref>{{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=5}}</ref> He established the Belmeis family there as his tenants and, after the Belmeis family line died out in 1160, the earls of Leicester reassigned the estate to the [[Baron Zouche|La Zouche]] family, from whom the manor took its later name.<ref name="goodall29">{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=29}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=5}}</ref>

At some point during this period, a [[manor house]] was constructed on the same site as the later castle, with a [[hall]] and a [[solar (room)|solar]].<ref name="goodall29" /> A settlement grew up alongside the house and, by 1334, the town was probably the sixth-largest in the county.<ref>{{harvnb|Moxon|2013|pp=21–22}}</ref> By the mid-1300s, the manor house reportedly included a hall, a chamber, a long house containing service facilities, and was surrounded by a [[dovecote]], orchard and a rabbit warren, accompanied by a {{convert|60|acre|adj=on}} [[deer park (England)|deer park]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=29}}; {{harvnb|Emery|2000|p=213}}</ref> The hall and solar were rebuilt by the le Zouches during the second half of the 14th century, but the building remained what the historian [[Norman Pounds]] has called a "rather modest manor house".<ref>{{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=6}}; {{harvnb|Emery|2000|p=213}}; {{harvnb|Pounds|1990|p=272}}</ref>

The le Zouch line died out in 1399, leaving the inheritance of the family estates uncertain.<ref name=Goodall2011P29 /> The manor probably passed to Sir Hugh Burnell and, around 1420, onto [[James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond|James Butler]], the [[Earl of Ormond (Scotland)|Earl of Ormond]] and [[Earl of Wiltshire|Wiltshire]].<ref name="goodall1">{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=29–30}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=6}}</ref> The [[Wars of the Roses]] broke out in England during 1455 between the rival supporters of the [[House of Lancaster|Lancastrian]] and [[Yorkist]] factions. James, a Lancastrian, was captured at the [[Battle of Towton]] by the Yorkist leader Edward IV in 1461 and executed; [[the Crown]] seized his estates, including the manor of Ashby de la Zouch.<ref name="goodall1" />

Ashby de la Zouch was converted into a [[castle]] by [[William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings|William]], [[Lord Hastings]], a favourite of [[Edward IV]]; as a minor nobleman he had fought alongside Edward at Towton, but was then knighted and later became the [[Lord Chamberlain|chamberlain]] of the royal household and the [[Lieutenant of Calais]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=29}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=6}}</ref> William acquired extensive estates across the [[The Midlands|Midlands]] during the wars, much of them confiscated from his enemies.<ref name=Goodall2011P29 /> Amongst these was Ashby de la Zouch, which was given to William in 1462.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=29–30}}</ref> His father, Sir Leonard, had maintained the family seat at nearby [[Kirby Muxloe]], but after 1471 William began to use Ashby de la Zouch as his primary residence.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=29–31}}; {{harvnb|Emery|2000|p=265}}</ref>

In 1474, Edward granted William the [[Licence to crenellate|right to crenellate]], or fortify, four of his manors and to build deer parks around them.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=29–31}}; {{harvnb|Creighton|2013|p=217}}</ref> William set about developing the old manorial complex at Ashby de la Zouch with new buildings, and was authorised to create a huge {{convert|3000|acre|adj=on}} park around it.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=31}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=6}}</ref> His intent appears to have been to construct a substantial castle, similar to the royal fortifications at [[Tutbury Castle|Tutbury]] and [[Nottingham Castle|Nottingham]], with four huge towers.<ref>{{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=7}}</ref> Work appears to have already started on the site the year before permission was formally given, although it is uncertain whether this referred to the construction of the castle's [[chapel]], or if William had already begun work on the first tower, gambling that the King would subsequently approve it.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=31}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|pp=6–7}}</ref>

Edward IV died in 1483, leaving the kingdom to his young son, [[Edward V]], but his uncle, [[Richard III|Richard]], [[Duke of Gloucester]], had his own ambitions for the throne.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=31}}</ref> Lord Hastings was unwilling to support the deposition of Edward V and, as a consequence, Richard summarily executed him that June, ahead of his own coronation.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=31–32}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12588|title=Hastings, William, first Baron Hastings (c.1430–1483)|publisher=Oxford University Press|author=Rosemary Horrox|date=2004|mode=cs2|access-date=10 April 2017}}</ref> Ashby de la Zouch Castle, only partially completed, and Lord Hastings' other estates were then restored to his widow, [[Katherine Neville, Baroness Hastings|Katherine]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=32}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/ashby-de-la-zouch-castle/history/|title=History of Ashby de la Zouch Castle|publisher=English Heritage|author=John Goodall|access-date=20 May 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref>

=== 16th–17th centuries ===
[[File:Ashby de la Zouch castle Hastings tower.JPG|thumb|upright|The Great Tower, [[slighting|slighted]] after the [[English Civil War]]]]
The castle passed to William's son, [[Edward Hastings, 2nd Baron Hastings|Edward Hastings]], who appears to have spent little time at the property, although he hosted a visit from [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] in 1503.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=32–33}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|pp=7–8}}</ref> It was then inherited by his son, [[George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon|George]], who was a royal favourite of Henry VIII and made the [[Earl of Huntington]] in 1529, which led to him rebuilding parts of the castle in brick and redesigning the gardens.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=32–34}}</ref> [[Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon|Henry Hastings]] inherited the castle in 1560, where he maintained a household of 77 servants.<ref name="goodall33">{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=33–35}}; {{harvnb|Moxon|2013|pp=39, 57}}</ref> Henry Hastings used it to imprison [[Mary Queen of Scots]] in 1569 after she was accused of plotting against [[Elizabeth I]], although he spent most of his time at York, where he led the [[Council of the North]].<ref name="goodall33" />

It passed onto his younger brother, [[George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon|George]], who entertained [[Anne of Denmark|Queen Anne]], [[Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia|Princess Elizabeth]], and [[Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Henry]] there on 22 June 1603.<ref>John Nichols, ''Progresses of James the First'', vol. 1 (London, 1828), pp. 170-1.</ref> The [[Alice Spencer, Countess of Derby|Countess of Derby]] was welcomed in August 1607 with the ''[[Masque at Ashby Castle]]''.<ref>John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. 2 (London, 1828), p. 146.</ref> His grandson, [[Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon|Henry]] hosted [[James I of England|James I]] three times between 1612 and 1617, and [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] in 1634.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=35}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|pp=8–9}}</ref> The gardens were redeveloped, probably to provide a suitable venue for these royal visits.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=35}}</ref> By now, however, several generations of excessive expenditure meant that the family estates had been much diminished, and the family was having trouble maintaining their lavish lifestyle and former prominence in the region.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=33–36}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|pp=8–9}}; {{harvnb|Bennett|1980|p=62}}</ref>

In 1642, the English Civil War broke out between the supporters of Charles I and [[Parliament of England|Parliament]]. Henry Hasting briefly joined the royalist cause before his death in 1643, but his eldest son [[Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon|Ferdinando]], who inherited the family earldom, remained neutral during the conflict.<ref name=Goodall2011P37>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=37}}; {{harvnb|Moxon|2013|p=41}}</ref> Ferdinando's younger brother [[Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough|Henry]], however, became a key Royalist commander in the Midlands.<ref name=Goodall2011P37 /> The castle was strategically well-placed, linking the Royalist territories in the north and the west of England, and giving easy access to the [[River Trent]].<ref>{{harvnb|Bennett|1980|p=64}}</ref> Henry used the castle as his base of operations across the region, protecting it by establishing smaller outposts near [[Castle Donington|Donnington]] and [[Shardlow]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=37}}; {{harvnb|Bennett|1980|p=64}}</ref> Buildings in the town of Ashby de la Zouch were pulled down to provide materiel to refortify the castle and town, tunnels were dug and an "Irish fort" constructed to help protect the castle.<ref name=Goodall2011P37NewsomePP9>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=37}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|pp=9–10}}</ref>{{efn|It is unclear from the evidence what the "Irish fort" was, or exactly where it was constructed.<ref name=Goodall2011P37NewsomePP9 />}}

In early 1643, Parliament placed [[Newark-on-Trent|Newark]] under siege, and the garrison at Ashby was sent to relieve it.<ref name=Bennett1980P65>{{harvnb|Bennett|1980|p=65}}</ref> As part of a larger force under [[Rupert of the Rhine|Prince Rupert]], they forced the surrender of the Parliamentary force.<ref name=Bennett1980P65 /> By late 1644, the war turned against the King, and the Parliamentary forces based at nearby [[Coleorton]] had contained the garrison in the castle.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=37}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|pp=9–10}}; {{harvnb|Moxon|2013|p=34}}</ref> King Charles passed through the castle in May 1645 on his way to besiege [[Leicester]], but the following month his forces were defeated at the [[Battle of Naseby]]; the King briefly stayed at the castle once again as he retreated west.<ref name=Bennett1980P68>{{harvnb|Bennett|1980|p=68}}</ref> By now, the Royalist cause was largely lost.<ref name=Goodall2011P37 />

Henry returned to the castle from Leicester in September, where another 600 Royalist soldiers soon joined him and its 60-man garrison, carrying out raids on Parliamentary convoys and the garrison at Coleorton.<ref name=Bennett1980P68 /> [[Plague (disease)|Plague]] broke out at the end of the year, forcing the besiegers to retreat to Leicester, while the garrison temporarily abandoned the castle buildings and occupied the neighbouring park.<ref>{{harvnb|Moxon|2013|p=34}}; {{harvnb|Ashby-de-la-Zouch|1831|p=82}}</ref> Once the epidemic passed, Parliament began to raid the town and Henry worked through Ferdinando to agree the surrender of the castle on good terms: this was achieved in February 1646, and allowed for the release of himself, the garrison and their weapons.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=37–38}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12576/|title=Hastings, Henry, Baron Loughborough (1610–1667)|publisher=Oxford University Press|author=Martyn Bennett|date=2008|mode=cs2|access-date=10 April 2017}}</ref>

In May 1648, a [[Second English Civil War#Revolt against Parliament in Kent|Royalist rebellion]] broke out in Kent. There were fresh Parliamentary concerns about Henry Hastings and fears grew that he might reoccupy Ashby de la Zouch Castle.<ref name=Goodall2011P38>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=38}}</ref> [[Thomas Grey, Lord Grey of Groby|Lord Grey]] – a rival of the Hastings family in Leicestershire – was put in charge of the castle in August, which was used to hold Royalist prisoners, including [[James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton|James Hamilton]], the [[Duke of Hamilton]].<ref>{{harvnb|Bennett|1980|p=62}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/ashby-de-la-zouch-castle/history/|title=History of Ashby de la Zouch Castle|publisher=English Heritage|author=John Goodall|access-date=20 May 2017|mode=cs2}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12087|title=Hamilton, James, first duke of Hamilton (1606–1649)|publisher=Oxford University Press|author=John J. Scally|date=2013|mode=cs2|access-date=10 April 2017}}; Ashby p.87</ref> Parliamentary worries about the security of the castle persisted and, possibly because of Henry's involvement in the recent rebellion, William Bainbrigg was ordered in November to [[slighting|slight]] the castle to put it beyond military use.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=38}}; {{harvnb|Thompson|1994|p=179}}; {{harvnb|Ashby-de-la-Zouch|1831|p=88}}</ref> He carried out his orders immediately, demolishing one side of the Great Tower and the Kitchen Tower, [[mining (military)|undermining]] the foundations and deploying [[gunpowder]] charges.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=10, 38}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|pp=10}}; {{harvnb|Ashby-de-la-Zouch|1831|p=88}}</ref>

The Hastings family suffered financially as a result of the war, and Ferdinando was imprisoned for debt in 1653.<ref>{{harvnb|Moxon|2013|p=43}}</ref> The family moved to [[Donington Hall]], although some of the remains of the castle were repaired to form a house called Ashby Place, which lay on the north side of the site in the old outer court.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=4, 38}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=10}}</ref> [[Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon|Selina Hastings]], the Countess of Huntingdon, lived there after 1746.<ref name=Goodall2011P38 /> With the deterioration of the castle and the departure of the Hastings, the neighbouring town also fell into decline.<ref>{{harvnb|Moxon|2013|p=145}}</ref> With the death of [[Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon|Francis Hastings]] in 1789, the castle was inherited by [[Francis Rawdon]], who later became the [[Earl of Moira]].<ref name=Goodal2011P39>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=39}}</ref>

=== 18th–21st centuries ===
[[File:Engraving of Ashby de la Zouch Castle, 1831.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Engraving of the castle in 1831]]
In 1819, Sir [[Walter Scott]]'s novel ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' featured a scene involving a [[Tournament (medieval)|tournament]] at Ashby de la Zouch Castle; the novel was immensely popular and made the location famous.<ref name=Goodal2011P39 /> Edward Mammatt, Francis Rawdon's agent, repaired the castle ruins and opened them to visitors, whom Rawdon hoped to attract to the [[Ivanhoe Baths]] which he opened nearby.<ref name=Goodal2011P39 /> Ashby Place, which had become used as a [[House of Industry]], was pulled down in 1830 and a new house, Ashby Manor, was built in its place.<ref name=Goodal2011P39 /> Work continued throughout the 19th century to repair the castle ruins, although they remained mostly covered in [[ivy]].<ref name=Goodall2011P40>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=40}}</ref>

A local architect, Thomas Fosbrooke, carried out the first [[archaeological survey|archaeological investigation]] of the site in 1900, and extensive restoration work took place the following years.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=40}}; {{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=11}}</ref> The Rawdon family were given a government grant for further repairs in 1912 and they began to start charging visitors for entry.<ref name="newsome11">{{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=11}}</ref> The family found themselves unable to afford to maintain the castle, and by the early 1930s the walls had become unstable and dangerous.<ref>{{harvnb|Fry|2014|p=29}}</ref> The castle was placed into the guardianship of the [[Ministry of Works (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Works]] in 1932, who carried out repairs, replacing some stonework and opening up the surrounding grounds to visitors.<ref name="newsome11" />

In the 21st century, the castle is managed by [[English Heritage]] as a tourist attraction, receiving 15,164 visitors in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/Documents-Library/documents/England-documents/full_attractions_listing_for_publication.xlsx|title=2015 Full Attractions Listing|publisher=Visit Britain|access-date=6 May 2017|mode=cs2|archive-date=7 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107101334/https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/Documents-Library/documents/England-documents/full_attractions_listing_for_publication.xlsx|url-status=dead}}</ref> An archaeological investigation of the castle gardens was carried out in 2006.<ref name=Goodall2011P40 /> The site is protected under UK law as a [[Grade I listed building]] and a [[scheduled monument]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1073591|title= Castle Ruins|year= 2011|publisher= Historic England|mode= cs2|access-date= 25 May 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140714170212/http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1073591|archive-date= 14 July 2014|url-status= dead}}; {{cite web|url= http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1013324|title= Ashby Castle and Associated Formal Garden|year= 2011|publisher= Historic England|mode= cs2|access-date= 25 May 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140714221546/http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1013324|archive-date= 14 July 2014|url-status= dead}}</ref>

{{wide image|Ashby de la zouch castle panorama.jpg|1100px|The castle and the sunken gardens}}

== Architecture and landscape ==
=== Architecture ===
[[File:Diagram of Ashby de la Zouch Castle.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Map of the castle: A – Kitchen Tower; B – buttery and pantry; C – Great Hall; D – Great Chamber; E – chapel and inner court; F – site of northern court; G – Great Tower; H – sunken gardens; I – south-west garden tower; J – south-east garden tower]]
The ruins of Ashby de la Zouch Castle are located close to the centre of the modern town, and comprise two large towers and associated buildings arranged around a court, with formal gardens to the south. Lord Hastings probably intended his castle to ultimately have four large towers, enclosing the interior buildings with a [[curtain wall (fortification)|curtain wall]] to a regular design, but only half of these towers were completed by the time of his death.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=31}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/ashby-de-la-zouch-castle/history/|title=History of Ashby de la Zouch Castle|publisher=English Heritage|author=John Goodall|access-date=20 May 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref> The outer court that lay to the north of the surviving complex has been lost; having been converted into first Ashby Place, and then Ashby Manor, it is now occupied by the Manor House Preparatory School.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1013324|title=Ashby Castle and Associated Formal Garden|publisher=Historic England|mode=cs2|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> The historian John Goodall considers Ashby de la Zouch to form an "outstanding example of a late medieval castle".<ref name="english-heritage1">{{cite web|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/ashby-de-la-zouch-castle/history/significance/|title=Significance of Ashby de la Zouch Castle|publisher=English Heritage|author=John Goodall|access-date=20 May 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref>

The Kitchen Tower stands on the north-west corner of the castle and was intended to supply Lord Hasting's large household.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=6}}; {{harvnb|Emery|2000|p=215}}</ref> The tower only had two storeys, as the ground floor kitchen had a very high, {{convert|34|ft}} high [[vault (architecture)|vaulted]] ceiling, and its walls were {{convert|9|ft}} thick and made of yellow [[sandstone]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=6–7}}; {{harvnb|Emery|2000|pp=213–214}}</ref> The well-lit kitchen had several [[hearth]]s and an oven for cooking, a well and a cellar for storage.<ref name=Goodall2011P6>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=6}}</ref> Above the kitchen was a large room, probably used as a winter [[parlour]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=7}}</ref> One wall of the tower was slighted in 1648.<ref name=Goodall2011P6 /> An underground passage, probably dating from the English Civil War, links the Great Tower with the Kitchen Tower.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=6–7}}</ref>

Alongside the tower, separated for fire safety by a roofed passageway, was a two-storey service range, including a [[buttery (room)|buttery]] and [[pantry]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=5}}; {{harvnb|Emery|2000|p=213}}</ref> The castle's Great Hall was adapted from the medieval original, and would originally have been subdivided by a line of arches.<ref name=Goodall2011P5>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=5}}</ref> It was heated by a central heath and the lord and his guests would have eaten on a raised [[dais]] at the far end of the hall.<ref name=Goodall2011P5 /> The building was raised in height, given new windows and reroofed in the second half of the 17th century.<ref name=Goodall2011P5 /> The Great Chamber was a two-storey building, originally with a parlour on the ground level, with a chamber above it used for entertaining guests.<ref name=Goodall2011P8>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=8}}</ref> Running north from the Great Chamber was a range of buildings used by the senior household staff.<ref name=Goodall2011P8 />

The large [[chapel]], {{convert|60|by|21|feet}} and built of grey sandstone, lies alongside the Great Chamber, and would originally had an [[altar]] on a dais at the north end.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=8}}; {{harvnb|Emery|2000|pp=214, 218}}</ref> One corner of the chapel remains in use as a burial site by the modern Hastings family.<ref name=Goodall2011P8 /> An inner, or chapel, court would have been formed by a range of buildings, since lost, stretching between the chapel and the Great Tower.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=9}}; {{harvnb|Emery|2000|p=215}}</ref> The historian Anthony Emery notes that the castle would have formed a "palace fortress", with the sizeable chapel and adjacent towers constituting symbols of Hastings' power and authority.<ref>{{harvnb|Emery|2000|pp=216, 218}}</ref>

The Great Tower was a large structure of grey sandstone, {{convert|75|ft}} tall, formed of a four-storey tower, {{convert|30|by|25|ft}} internally, linked to a smaller seven-storey tower or turret, {{convert|10|by|9|ft}} across.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=10}}; {{harvnb|Emery|2000|p=214}}</ref> The ground floor contained the basement and the entrance-way, protected by a [[portcullis]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=11–12}}</ref> The first floor held the kitchen, and had a fire-proof stone-vaulted roof.<ref name=Goodall2011P12>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=12}}</ref> The upper floors consisted of a parlour and a separate great chamber for the lord, with a withdrawing chamber to one side, all with grander windows than the lower levels, with excellent views of the gardens and the parkland beyond.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=11–12}}; {{harvnb|Creighton|2013|p=183}}</ref> A treasure chamber, accessible only from the upper storeys using a ladder, was built into the first floor.<ref name=Goodall2011P12 /> Emery considers the "richness of the upper rooms and the tower's planning and design qualities" to be outstanding, and likens it to the [[Raglan Castle#Great Tower|Yellow Tower of Gwent]] at [[Raglan Castle]].<ref>{{harvnb|Emery|2000|p=215}}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed heights=160px>
File:Ashby de la Zouch castle front building as seen from the tower.JPG|The Kitchen Tower
File:Ashby de la Zouch Castle large hall as seen from tower.JPG|Great Hall
File:Ashb de la Zouch Castle main hall as seen from the tower.JPG|Great Chamber
File:Ashby de la Zouch castle chapel as seen from tower.JPG|and chapel, as seen from the top of the Great Tower
</gallery>

=== Gardens and parkland ===
[[File:Earthworks at Ashby de la Zouch Castle - geograph.org.uk - 796687.jpg|thumb|Earthworks in the eastern part of the garden, probably intended to resemble bastions]]
The current gardens to the south of the castle date from around 1530; they occupy {{convert|0.8|ha|order=flip}}, and include two sunken areas, separated by a walkway.<ref name="Goodall 2011 13">{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=13}}; {{cite web|url=https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1013324|title=Ashby Castle and Associated Formal Garden|publisher=Historic England|mode=cs2|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> The eastern area may have been intended to imitate defensive [[bastion]] works, and it originally featured a circular brick tower in the middle of it.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=13}}</ref> The site would originally have had a brick wall running all the way around it, of which only the south-east edge survives.<ref name="Goodall 2011 13" /> Two brick towers survive at the southern corners, one resembling a clover-leaf, the other with an octagonal design, and would have originally been used as [[banqueting house]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=13–14}}</ref> Beyond the gardens would have been an area planted with trees, called "the [[Wilderness (garden history)|wilderness]]", and smaller compartmented garden and ponds.<ref name=Goodall2011P16>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=16}}</ref> A triangular building called "the Mount" was built in the wilderness in the early 17th century, and is now a private house.<ref name=Goodall2011P16 /> John Goodall considers them to be "one of the best-preserved and most important early Tudor gardens in England".<ref name="english-heritage1" />

The original {{convert|60|acre}} park probably lay just to the south of the castle, incorporating the current gardens; it was probably expanded to around {{convert|340|acre}} by William Hastings, and was later named the "Little Park".<ref>{{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|pp=21–22, 24, 53}}</ref> The original boundaries of the other two parks associated with castle to the north and west, Great Park and Prestop Park, are uncertain.<ref>{{harvnb|Newsome|Canti|Leary|Martin|2008|p=24}}; {{harvnb|Creighton|2013|p=183}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Castles in Great Britain and Ireland]]
*[[List of castles in Leicestershire]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist|notes=}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book
| last1=Ashby-de-la-Zouch
| year = 1831
| title = A Descriptive and Historical Guide to Ashby-de-la-Zouch and the Neighbourhood
| publisher= T. Wayte
| location= Ashby de la Zouch, UK
| oclc = 557025588
}}
* {{cite journal
| last1=Bennett
| first1 = M.
| year = 1980
| volume = 56
| title = Henry Hastings and the Flying Army of Ashby-de-la-Zouch
| journal = Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society
| pages= 62–70
}}
* {{cite book
| last1=Creighton
| first1= Oliver H.
| year = 2013
| orig-year = 2009
| title = Designs Upon the Land: Elite Landscapes of the Middle Ages
| publisher= Woodbridge Press
| location= Cambridge, UK
| isbn = 978-1-84383-825-8
}}
* {{cite book
| last1=Emery
| first1= Anthony
| year = 2000
| title = Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500, Volume 2: East Anglia, Central England and Wales
| publisher= Cambridge University Press
| location= Cambridge, UK
| isbn = 978-0-521-58131-8
}}
* {{cite journal
| last1= Fry
| first1 = Sebastian
| title = A History of the National Heritage Collection: Volume Five: 1931–1945
| journal = Research Report Series
| date = 2014
| publisher = English Heritage
| location = London, UK
| issn = 2046-9799
}}
* {{cite book
| last1=Goodall
| first1= John
| year = 2011
| edition = 2nd
| title = Ashby de la Zouch Castle and Kirby Muxloe Castle
| publisher= English Heritage
| location= London, UK
| isbn = 978-1-84802-109-9
}}
* {{cite book
| last1= Moxon
| first1= Chris
| year = 2013
| title = Ashby-de-la-Zouch: Seventeenth Century Life in a Small Market Town
| publisher= Chris Moxon
| location= Farnworth, UK
| isbn= 978-1-291-51228-1
}}
* {{cite journal
| last1=Newsome
| first1= Sarah
| last2=Canti
| first2= Matt
| last3=Leary
| first3= Jim
| last4=Martin
| first4= Louise
| last5=Pattison
| first5= Paul
| year = 2008
| title = Ashby de la Zouch Castle, Leicestershire: A Multidisciplinary Investigation of the Castle Garden
| journal= Research Department Report Series
| publisher= English Heritage
| location= London, UK
| issn= 1749-8775
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Pounds
| first = Norman John Greville
| year = 1990
| title = The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Social and Political History
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| location= Cambridge, UK
| isbn = 978-0-521-45828-3
}}
* {{cite book
| last1=Thompson
| first1 = M. W.
| year = 1994
| orig-year = 1987
| title = The Decline of the Castle
| publisher= Magna Books
| location= Leicester, UK
| isbn = 1-85422-608-8
}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Ashby de la Zouch Castle}}
* [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/ashby-de-la-zouch-castle/ English Heritage visitors' page]

{{Castles in Leicestershire |state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Castles in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Grade I listed buildings in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:English Heritage sites in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Ruins in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Scheduled monuments in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Ashby-de-la-Zouch]]

Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven

2025-08-23T08:47:22Z

2A00:23C7:C8BC:C501:FCD0:1359:6492:7715: /* Confession of Faith and Execution */Added location

{{short description|English nobleman}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Earl of Castlehaven
|image = 2ndEarlOfCastlehaven.jpg
| caption = The 2nd Earl of Castlehaven, from a contemporary print published in the wake of his notorious trial.
| birth_name = Mervyn Tuchet
| birth_date = 1593
| death_date = 14 May 1631
| death_cause = Beheaded
| death_place = [[Tower Hill]], [[London]], England
| spouse = {{plainlist|
*{{marriage|Elizabeth Barnham||1622|end=died}}
*{{marriage|[[Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven|Anne Stanley]]|22 July 1624}}
}}
| parents = {{unbulleted list|
*[[George Tuchet, 1st Earl of Castlehaven]]
*Lucy Mervyn
}}
| children = {{plainlist|
*[[James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven]]
*Frances Touchet
*[[George Anselm Touchet|George Touchet]]
*[[Mervyn Tuchet, 4th Earl of Castlehaven]]
*Lucy Touchet
*Dorothy Touchet
*Anne Touchet
}}
|office1 = [[Parliament of England|Member of Parliament]]<br>[[Dorset]]
|term_start1 = 5 April 1614
|term_end1 = 7 June 1625
|office2 = [[Justice of the Peace]]<br>[[Dorset]]
|term_start2 = 1614
|term_end2 = 1625
|office3 = [[Justice of the Peace]]<br>[[Somerset]]
|term_start3 = 1614
|term_end3 = 1626
|office4 = [[Justice of the Peace]]<br>[[Wiltshire]]
|term_start4 = 1614
|term_end4 = 1626
}}

'''Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven''' (1593 – 14 May 1631; also spelled ''Mervin, Touchet''), was an English nobleman who was [[Laws regarding rape|convicted of rape]] and [[Sodomy law|sodomy]] and subsequently [[Capital punishment|executed]].

A son of [[George Tuchet, 1st Earl of Castlehaven|George Tuchet]], 1st [[Earl of Castlehaven]] and 11th [[Baron Audley]], by his wife, Lucy Mervyn, he was known by the [[courtesy title]] of Lord Audley during his father's lifetime, so is sometimes referred to as '''Mervyn Audley'''.<ref name=hop>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/audley-sir-mervyn-1588-1631 |title=Audley, alias Tuchet, Sir Mervyn (c.1588-1631), of Stalbridge, Dorset; later of Fonthill Gifford, Wilts |first1=John P. |last1=Ferris |first2=Paul |last2=Hunneyball |website=[[The History of Parliament]] |year=2010}}</ref>

He was knighted by [[James I of England|James I]] in 1608, before he studied law at the [[Middle Temple]]. He served as Member of the [[Parliament of England]] for [[Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|Dorset]] in the [[Addled Parliament]] of 1614 and was a [[justice of the peace|Justice of the Peace]] for the counties of [[Dorset]], [[Somerset]], and [[Wiltshire]].<ref name=hop /> He succeeded his father on 20 February 1616 or 1617 as Earl of Castlehaven and Baron Audley. He left six children upon his death.<ref>{{harvnb|Herrup|1999|p=ix}}.</ref>

Sometime before 1608<ref name=hop/> (records of the marriage are lacking), Lord Audley married Elizabeth Barnham, a sister-in-law of the philosopher and scientist [[Francis Bacon]], and with her, he had six children. By all accounts the marriage was a loving and successful one, ending with her death in 1622.<ref>{{harvnb|Herrup|1999|p=12}}.</ref> His second marriage, on 22 July 1624, at [[Harefield]], [[Middlesex]], was to the former [[Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven|Lady Anne Stanley]] (1580–1647), elder daughter and co-heiress of [[Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby]] (by his wife, [[Alice Spencer]]), and widow of [[Grey Brydges, 5th Baron Chandos]]. They had a daughter, Anne Touchet, who died young.<ref>{{cite web |author=William Addams Reitwiesner |title=The descendants of Anne, Countess of Castlehaven |url=http://www.wargs.com/essays/succession/castlehaven.html}}</ref> Lady Anne was significantly older than Castlehaven,<ref name=merv>{{Cite ODNB |first=Cynthia B. |last=Herrup |title=Touchet, Mervin, second earl of Castlehaven (1593–1631) |id=66794 |orig-year=2004 |date=January 2008}}</ref> and the marriage was not a success, but in 1628 [[James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven|Lord Castlehaven's son]] was married to her thirteen-year-old daughter, Elizabeth;<ref name=merv/> a marriage of step-children.

==Trial on charges of rape and sodomy==
In 1630, Castlehaven was publicly accused of allowing another man to rape his wife and committing sodomy with two of his servants.<ref name=Massarella>{{cite journal | last =Massarella | first =Derek | title ='& thus ended the buisinisse': A Buggery Trial on the East India Company Ship Mary in 1636 | journal =The Mariner's Mirror | volume =103 | issue =4 | page = 423| publisher =Society for Nautical Research | location =Portsmouth, United Kingdom | date =November 2017| doi =10.1080/00253359.2017.1376480 | s2cid =165473426 }}</ref> Castlehaven's son, James, claimed that it was the extent of Castlehaven's "uxoriousness" toward his male [[favourite]]s which led to his initial lodging of a complaint.<ref>{{harvnb|Herrup|1999|p=19}}.</ref>

At a [[List of trials of peers in the House of Lords|trial by his peers]], it was stated that one such favourite, Henry Skipwith, had arrived at [[Fonthill Gifford]] in 1621 and that within a few years he was so close to Castlehaven that he sat at the family's table and was to be addressed as "Mister Skipwith" by the servants. Several years later, Giles Broadway arrived at the house and received similar treatment. It was not long before Castlehaven was providing Skipwith with an annual pension, and he was accused of attempting to have Skipwith inseminate both Anne and her daughter Elizabeth, to produce an heir from Skipwith instead of his son.

Charges were brought against Castlehaven on the complaint of his eldest son and heir, who feared disinheritance, and were heard by the [[Privy Council of England|Privy Council]] under the direction of [[Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry|Thomas Coventry]], [[Lord High Steward]]. Lady Castlehaven gave evidence of a household which she said was infested with debauchery, and the Attorney-General acting for the prosecution explained to the court that Castlehaven had become ill because "he [[Atheism|believed not God]]", an impiety which made Castlehaven unsafe. However, he insisted he was not guilty and that his wife and son had conspired together in an attempt to commit [[judicial murder]]. All witnesses against Castlehaven would gain materially by his death (as the defendant put it: "It is my estate, my Lords, that does accuse me this day, and nothing else")<ref name=merv/> and "News writers throughout England and as far away as Massachusetts Bay speculated about the outcome."<ref name=merv/>

Castlehaven maintained his innocence, and the trial aroused considerable public debate. After some deliberation, the Privy Council returned a unanimous verdict of guilty on the charge of rape. The sodomy charge was also upheld, but by a slim margin as not all jurors agreed that actual penetration had taken place.<ref name=Massarella/> The case remains of interest to some as an early trial concerning male homosexuality, but ultimately its greatest influence proved to be as a precedent in spousal rights, as it became the leading case establishing an injured wife's right to testify against her husband.<ref name=merv/>

Castlehaven was convicted for his [[sexual crime]]s: namely the "unnatural crime" of [[sodomy]], committed with his [[page (servant)|page]] Laurence (or Florence) FitzPatrick; and assisting Giles Browning (alias Broadway) in the rape of his wife Anne, Countess of Castlehaven, in which Lord Castlehaven was found to have participated by restraining her.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rictornorton.co.uk/touchet.htm|title=The Trial of Mervyn Touchet, Earl of Castlehaven 1631|last=Norton|first=Rictor}}</ref> [[Attainder]] was decreed. Under the terms of the attainder, Castlehaven forfeited his English barony of Audley, created for ''heirs general'', but retained his Irish earldom and barony since it was an entailed honour protected by the statute ''[[De donis conditionalibus|De Donis]]''.

==Confession of Faith and Execution==
[[File:Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven Signed Confession of Faith 1631.jpg|thumb|right|The original signed Confession of Faith of Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven that was read out at his request on the scaffold on 14 May 1631 at [[Tower Hill]] in London immediately prior to his execution by beheading.]]
In the days leading up to Castlehaven's execution, [[Thomas Winniffe]] the Dean of St Paul's and a Doctor Wickham visited Castlehaven daily, both to comfort him and settle him in his religion. Winniffe drafted a Confession of Faith and Castlehaven signed it.<ref name="TOTLA">{{Cite book |last1=|first1=|title=The Trial of the Lord Audley, Earl of Castlehaven, For inhumanely Causing his Own Wife to be Ravished and for Buggery |date=1679 |publisher= |isbn=|pages=13| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rwFmAAAAcAAJ}}</ref>

On Saturday 14 May 1631, Castlehaven, accompanied by Winniffe and others, left the [[Tower of London]] and ascended the scaffold at [[Tower Hill]] which had been constructed for his execution. Concerned about rumours suggesting his lack of faith had prompted his downfall, he said the following to the assembled crowd:

<blockquote>''Now forasmuch as there hath been speech and rumour of my unsettledness in my religion, I have for explanation, thereof, not only made Confession of my Faith to two worthy doctors; but for better satisfaction to the world in that point, express the same in writing under my hand signed; which as it is here set down, I desire may be publicly read.''<ref>{{cite book |author= |title=The Trial of the Lord Audley, Earl of Castlehaven, For inhumanely Causing his Own Wife to be Ravished and for Buggery|year=1679|publisher= |pages=10| isbn=}}</ref></blockquote>

That signed Confession of Faith was then read aloud on the scaffold by a young gentleman:<ref>{{cite book |author= |title=The Trial of the Lord Audley, Earl of Castlehaven, For inhumanely Causing his Own Wife to be Ravished and for Buggery|year=1679|publisher= |pages=11| isbn=}}</ref>

<blockquote>In the name of God Amen

I Mervyn Earle of Castlehaven, being in my full strength and memorie (thanks bee given unto my maker) having been branded and openlie accused for change, alteration and doubtfulness of my faith and religion, if thoughtfull like a Christian man to give satisfacction upon what grounds I stand for my belieifes and to express it under my hand for the satisfaccion of all charitable people & Christian men.

First I doe believe in the blessed and glorious Trinity three persones and one eternall and everliving God, God the Father, God my Redeemer, & God my Sanctifier. I doe rely wholie upon the merit death and passion of oue blessed Saviour Christ Jesus and upon his mediation for the remission of my Sinnes.

I doe believe and use wth most humble reverence Our Lordes praire, the Creed of the Apostles, and the ten Comandemts as they are sett downe & allowed by the Church of England.

I doe believe the Canonicall Scriptures, and that they are written by the inspiration of the holie Spiritt.

I doe believe the booke of Comon praier allowed in the Church of England to bee an excellent forme for the Service of God and soe use the same, and for the rest of my beliefe I doe referr it to the true Orthodox faith of oue Church of England and from the Articles received att this present In the Church of England and confirmed by Authoritie of Parliament I doe not differ in any point, renouncing all the superstitions and Erroures taught or believed in the Church of Rome or anie other Church, in wch faith I will confirme (God willing) to my lives end, in testimonie whereof I have hereunto subscribed my hand.

Castelhaven<ref>{{cite book |author= |title=The Trial of the Lord Audley, Earl of Castlehaven, For inhumanely Causing his Own Wife to be Ravished and for Buggery|year=1679|publisher= |pages=11| isbn=}}</ref></blockquote>

After that, Castlehaven acknowledged the King’s mercy; said a short private prayer; laid his head on the block and was [[Decapitation|beheaded]] with a single stroke.<ref>{{cite book |author= |title=The Trial of the Lord Audley, Earl of Castlehaven, For inhumanely Causing his Own Wife to be Ravished and for Buggery|year=1679|publisher= |pages=12–13| isbn=}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
Castlehaven's Irish titles passed to his son [[James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven|James]].

Elizabeth was estranged from her husband and left to fend for herself in England, often in the company of Lady Elizabeth Petre, herself estranged from her husband [[William Petre, 4th Baron Petre]]. James was married to Elizabeth Graves within months of his first wife's death.<ref>{{harvnb|Herrup|1999|p=105}}.</ref>

Laurence FitzPatrick and Giles Browning were each put on trial for their roles in the offences. FitzPatrick testified that Lady Castlehaven "was the wickedest woman in the world, and had more to answer for than any woman that lived". Both men were convicted and subsequently executed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rictornorton.co.uk/touchet.htm|title=The Trial of Mervyn Touchet, Earl of Castlehaven 1631|last=Norton|first=Rictor}}</ref>

The historian [[Cynthia Herrup|Cynthia B. Herrup]],{{sfn|Herrup|1999|p=112}} writes that Anne "always insisted upon her innocence, and in theory, her husband’s condemnation should have vindicated her" but that "her life after 1631 was a very partial exoneration" and "The most popular verse circulating after the trial portrayed Castlehaven as a cuckold rather than the Countess as a victim." In ''[[The Complete Peerage]]'', Cokayne adds that the death of Castlehaven was certainly brought about by his wife's manipulations and that her undoubted adultery with one Ampthill and with Henry Skipwith renders her motives suspicious.

==Children==
Mervyn Touchet's first marriage (before 1608) was with Elizabeth Barnham (1592 – c. 1622–4), daughter of London alderman [[Benedict Barnham]] and his wife, [[Dorothy Smith (Lady Pakington)|Dorothea Smith]], and they had six surviving children:

* [[James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven]] (1612–1684), who married Elizabeth Brydges (1614 or 1615 – 1679), daughter of [[Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven|his stepmother]], but left no surviving children
* Lady Frances Touchet (born 1617)
* [[George Anselm Touchet|Hon. George Touchet]] (died {{circa| 1689}}), who became a Benedictine monk
* [[Mervyn Tuchet, 4th Earl of Castlehaven]] (died 1686)
* Lady Lucy Touchet (died 1662)
* Lady Dorothy Touchet (died 1635)

His second marriage was with [[Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven|Lady Anne Stanley]], 22 July 1624, daughter of [[Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby|Ferdinando Stanley]] and [[Alice Spencer]]. From this marriage there was one daughter:

* Anne Touchet, died young.

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite book|last=Herrup|first=Cynthia B.|author-link=Cynthia Herrup|title=A House in Gross Disorder: Sex, Law, and the 2nd Earl of Castlehaven|year=1999|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=0-19-512518-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Lacey|first=Brian|title=Terrible Queer Creatures: A History of Homosexuality in Ireland|year=2008|publisher=Wordwell Books}}
*{{Rayment|date=February 2012}}
*[http://rictornorton.co.uk/touchet.htm Rictor Norton, "The Trial of Mervyn Touchet, Earl of Castlehaven, 1631", ''The Great Queens of History''. Updated 8 August 2009]

{{s-start}}
{{s-reg|ie}}
{{s-bef | before = [[George Tuchet, 1st Earl of Castlehaven|George Tuchet]] }}
{{s-ttl | title = [[Earl of Castlehaven]]
| years = 1617–1631 }}
{{s-aft | after = [[James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven|James Tuchet]] }}
{{s-reg|en}}
{{s-bef | before = [[George Tuchet, 1st Earl of Castlehaven|George Tuchet]] }}
{{s-ttl | title = [[Baron Audley]]
| years = 1617–1631 }}
{{s-vac | forfeit
| next = [[James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven|James Tuchet]] }}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castlehaven, Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl Of}}
[[Category:1593 births]]
[[Category:1631 deaths]]
[[Category:Barons Audley|*12]]
[[Category:Earls of Castlehaven|*02]]
[[Category:Executed politicians]]
[[Category:People convicted under a bill of attainder]]
[[Category:Executions at the Tower of London]]
[[Category:Executed English nobility]]
[[Category:People executed for sodomy]]
[[Category:Sex scandals in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:People executed by Stuart England by decapitation]]
[[Category:Members of the Middle Temple]]
[[Category:English politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:People executed for rape]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of England for Dorset]]

Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo

2025-08-23T08:42:29Z

2A00:23C7:C8BC:C501:FCD0:1359:6492:7715: /* History */Added link

{{short description|Dukedom of Spain}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox nobility title
| name = Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo
| image = [[File:COA Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo.svg|150px]]
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| creation_date = 30 January 1812
| creation =
| monarch = [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand VII]]
| peerage = [[Spanish nobility|Peerage of Spain]]
| baronetage =
| first_holder = [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]]
| last_holder =
| present_holder = [[Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington|Charles Wellesley, 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]]<ref>[https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2010/06/12/pdfs/BOE-A-2010-9317.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) - 12 June 2010]</ref>
| heir_apparent = Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington
| heir_presumptive =
| remainder_to =
| subsidiary_titles = [[Duke of Wellington (title)|Duke of Wellington]]
| status =
| extinction_date =
| family_seat =
| former_seat =
| motto = ''Virtutis Fortuna Comes''
| footnotes =
}}
'''Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo''' ({{langx|es|Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo}}) is a hereditary title in the [[Spanish nobility|Peerage of Spain]], accompanied by the dignity of [[Grandee]]. It was conferred by King [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand VII]] on the British General [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]], then 1st Viscount Wellington, later 1st [[Duke of Wellington (title)|Duke of Wellington]], in 1812, after his important victory at the [[Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812)|Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo]] that same year, as a [[victory title]]. As [[List of dukes in the peerage of Spain|all dukedoms but one in the peerage of Spain]],{{efn|With the exception of the [[Duke of Fernandina|Dukedom of Fernandina]].}} it has Grandeeship attached.

==History==

Historically, this Spanish dukedom is held by the successors of the 1st Duke of Wellington holding the title of [[Duke of Wellington (title)|Duke of Wellington]], although this has not always been the case because of different succession laws. Traditionally, when titles were created, the first holder could determine how their title would pass: in the United Kingdom, almost all ducal titles were created with [[agnatic primogeniture]], while Spanish titles usually passed either by male primogeniture or by agnatic primogeniture. This changed with the 2006 reform to Spanish nobility succession, which enforced succession by absolute primogeniture to all titles.

In 1943, [[Anne Rhys, 7th Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo|Anne Rhys (''née'' Wellesley)]], the only daughter and eldest child of [[Arthur Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington]], inherited the Spanish dukedom but not the British titles of her family, which passed to her uncle [[Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington]] after her younger brother was killed in action during the Second World War. In 1949 Anne renounced the title in favour of her uncle.

In 2010, [[Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington|The 8th Duke of Wellington & 9th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] ceded the Spanish dukedom to his eldest child, [[Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington|Charles Wellesley, Marquess of Douro]], who, in accordance with Spanish procedure, made formal claim to the title with the Spanish authorities on 10 March 2010.<ref>[http://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-B-2010-11181 Anuncio de la Subsecretaría (División de Tramitación de Derechos de Gracia y otros Derechos), sobre solicitud de sucesión por cesión en el título de Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, con Grandeza de España]</ref> [[Juan Carlos I of Spain|King Juan Carlos of Spain]], through his minister, granted the succession of the dukedom to the Marquess of Douro by Royal Decree of 21 May 2010.<ref>{{cite journal| title=BOE-A-2010-9317 Orden JUS/1527/2010, de 21 de mayo, por la que se manda expedir, sin perjuicio de tercero de mejor derecho, Real Carta de Sucesión en el título de Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, con Grandeza de España, a favor de Lord Charles Wellesley. | journal=[[Boletín Oficial del Estado|Official State Gazette]]|page=50503|id=
BOE-A-2010-9317|date=12 June 2010 | url=https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2010-9317 |location=Spain|language=es}}</ref> The new Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo succeeded his father as Duke of Wellington in 2014.
[[File:Coat of Arms of the Duke of Wellington (Spain).svg|thumb|Arms of the [[Duke of Wellington (title)|Dukes of Wellington]] as Dukes of Ciudad Rodrigo]]

==Dukes of Ciudad Rodrigo since 1812==
* [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (1769–1852) from 1812
* [[Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (1807–1884) from 1852
* [[Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington|Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (1846–1900) from 1884
* [[Arthur Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley, 4th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (1849–1934) from 1900
* [[Arthur Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington|Arthur (Charlie) Wellesley, 5th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (1876–1941) from 1934
* [[Henry Wellesley, 6th Duke of Wellington|Henry (Morney) Wellesley, 6th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (1912–1943) from 1941. Upon his death in 1943, the title went to his sister Anne.
* [[Anne Rhys, 7th Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (1910–1998) from 1943, ceded the title to her uncle in 1949
* [[Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington|Gerald (Gerry) Wellesley, 8th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (1885–1972) from 1949, ceded the title to his son 1968
* [[Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington|Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 9th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (1915–2014) from 1972, ceded the title to his son 2010
* [[Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington|Arthur Charles Wellesley, 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo]] (b. 1945) since 2010

== Order of succession ==
{{As of|2024}} the [[heir apparent]] to the Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo is the 10th Duke's eldest child, Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington. Lord Mornington has fraternal twins, a first-born daughter, Lady Mae Madeleine Wellesley, and a second-born son, Arthur Darcy Wellesley, Viscount Wellesley. Lady Mae Madeleine is Lord Mornington's [[heir apparent]] to the Spanish dukedom as the eldest child, while Viscount Wellesley is the heir to the British dukedom as the eldest male, which could lead to another separation of these titles.

== Family tree ==
{{Dukes of Wellington family tree }}

==See also==
*[[List of dukes in the peerage of Spain]]
*[[List of current grandees of Spain]]
*[[Duke of Wellington]]
*[[Prins van Waterloo]]
*[[Duque da Vitória]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciudad Rodrigo, Duke of}}
[[Category:Dukes of Ciudad Rodrigo| ]]
[[Category:Dukedoms of Spain]]
[[Category:Wellesley family|*]]
[[Category:Grandees of Spain]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1812]]
[[Category:Peerages created for UK MPs]]