There can be no doubt but that both towers were connected by the same 

 underground channel, which would thus form a "bolt hole" for each 

 in time of emergency. The high tower commonly called the " Earl's Tower," 

 but which I may term the keep, was guarded by a portcullis, the grooves 

 for which may still be seen. 



One account of the castle slates that this tower was inhabited by the 

 garrison, and was fortified for the general defence of the whole building, and 

 that the West, or Kitchen Tower, was inhabited by the lord's family. On 

 what grounds these statements are made I cannot tell. The Kitchen Tower 

 had but one story above the kitchen vaulting, whereas the High Tower has 

 four stories, the three uppermost of which were of a most ornate character. 

 The lowest consisted of a gloomy cellar. The second was a lofty vaulted 

 chamber or hall, with windows adorned with beautiful tracery. The third 

 story may have contained the best sleeping rooms, whilst in the uppermost 

 were rooms of no ordinary character, as may be seen by the ornate decorations 

 of a mantlepiece in the north wall. 



The small tower adjoining the newell on the east side of the keep consists 

 of six stories, besides the basement chamber, and was probably occupied by 

 servants or subordinate officers of the household when necessary. 



The windows of the Great Hall were adorned with shields of arms in 

 the time of Charles I. Mr. Simmonds, a great herald and antiquary, 

 accompanied the King to Ashby, and has left an interesting memorandum of 

 it in his collections. He observed in these windows several coats of the arms 

 of Hastings " newly set up," and also Hastings impaling Quarterly — 1st and 

 4th quarterly arg., 3 mascles in fesse, gules, for Montacute ; 2nd and 3rd per 

 pale, or and sable, a saltire engrailed counterchanged, for Pole ; 2nd gules, 

 a saltire, arg., with a label of 3 points gabonne, arg. and azure, for Nevile, 

 Earl of Salisbury and Warwick ; 3rd as the 2nd, and 4th as the 1st. 



In the recess of a fireplace in the Queen of Scots' apartment are the arms of 

 Hastings quartering Plantagenet (Margaret, sister to Edward IV.) Pole, and 

 Hungerford, carved in stone, and placed there for safety. 



There are three more shields of arms in stone near the top of the staircase 

 of the Earl's Tower. The two outer shields have simply the " maunch," 

 the arms of Hastings ; but the inner shield has a fesse between six birds, 

 apparently " rising," impaling the arms of Montacute, Earl of Salisbury. 



For a short time Ashby Castle was one of the lodging houses or prisons of 

 Mary, Queen of Scots; she came here the last week of November, 1569, 

 when on her way from Tutbury to Coventry, and, as appears by a letter dated 

 December 20, from Sir Walter Mildmay, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, 

 she was then in the joint custody of the Earls of Huntingdon and Shrewsbury. 

 The Queen was detained at Ashby more than two months. The Earl of 

 Huntingdon's trust continued until August, 1572. She was afterwards 

 removed to Buxton, then to Sheffield, 1576 ; to Chatsworth, 1577 ; to Buxton, 

 1580; to Worksop, 1583; to Wingfield Manor, 1583-5; to Tutbury; to 

 Chartley, 1585 ; and finally to Fotheringay, 1586. 



