James I. was entertained at Ashby, by the then Earl of Huntingdon, with 

 his whole court for many days, during which time dinner was served by thirty 

 poor knights, wearing velvet gowns and gold chains. The cost of this visit 

 was defrayed by the sale of twenty-four manors and thirty-two lordships. 



The Earl was also favoured by a visit from Anne, the Queen of James I., 

 and his son Prince Henry. 



In the time of the Civil Wars, Ashby Castle was fortified for the king by 

 Col. Henry Hastings (second son of Henry, Earl of Huntingdon) before men- 

 mentioned, afterwards created Lord Loughborough, who maintained frequent 

 skirmishes with Lord Grey of Groby. 



During these troublesome times, the Castle served as a place of refuge for 

 several learned divines of the Church of England who had been hunted out 

 of their benefices. 



On the 25th of May, 1645, the king marched to Ashby on his way to 

 Leicester to invest the garrison there commanded by Lord Grey. 



After the surrender of the town, on the 1st June, the king appointed Lord 

 Loughborough governor of the garrison at Leicester. 



Very soon afterwards, after the king's disastrous defeat at Naseby, on the 

 14th of the same month, the chronicler writes — " Towards night on that 

 dismal Saturday we inarched (for we had left running) to Ashby about ten in 

 the morning, and went to Lichfield that night, and thence to Wales." 



On the 1 8th, after the surrender of Leicester, Lord Loughborough returned 

 to Ashby, and on the 20th Sir Thomas Fairfax's army sat down before Ashby, 

 which for several months after was closely beseiged. In September the gar- 

 rison was reduced to 60 men. At the end of October 600 more of the king's 

 forces joined them. In January, 1645-6, the garrison made several suc- 

 cessful sallies, but on the 7th of February, at night, a strong party of horse 

 came from Leicester undiscovered, surprised the sentinels, fell in at the turn- 

 pike, broke the chain, and entered fhe town, where they took 100 horse 

 with much pillage, and returned to Leicester without opposition. 



On Saturday, 28th February, the articles for the surrender of the Castle 

 were agreed to by Parliament. By these articles it was appointed that on 

 Tuesday, March 3rd, 1645, Col. -General Hastirgs should begin to sleight the 

 works and fortifications of the town and garrison of Ashby, and that at the 

 end of three months Col. Hastings should deliver the Castle into the hands 

 of his brother the Earl of Huntingdon. 



"At the end of November, 1648, the Parliament then sitting at Leicester, 

 having sent some of their members to view Ashby Castle, employed divers 

 persons to demolish these goodly towers by undermining. William Bain- 

 brigg, of Lockington, commanding a party of horse for that occasion, and 

 having the oversight thereof."* 



After this event the family of Hastings fixed their abode at Donington 

 Park. 



Nicholls' Leicestershire. 



