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forces from Banbury, to prevent its being garrisoned by 
the Parliamentarian forces. I believe the ruins of this fine 
mansion are still existing. 
On the 16th of January, 1646, Astley House, commonly 
known by the name of Astley Castle was surprised by 
my Lord of Loughborough’s forces; the Governor a 
shoemaker, and the rest in the house taken prisoners and 
carried away, with most of the arms and ammunition. 
This is the last incident of a warlike nature I have as 
yet met with relating to this county. 
The distress occasioned by these unhappy wars may be 
in some degree estimated from a Petition addressed to the 
Earl of Denbigh, preserved amongst the manuscript 
volumes I have already alluded. This Petition, to which 
no date is affixed, but which was probably presented in 
1644-1645, is as follows :— 
“To the Right noble. & truly noble Bazill Earle of Denbigh 
Lord Lieut generall of the counties of warrick, Stafford, 
Worc: and Salop the humble Petition of ye Inhabitants 
of Lillington 
“‘Sheweth That whereas your good Lordship out of 
your especiall care & opon onavoydable necessity have 
issued out your warrants for the raysing of a company of 
horse for ye safe guard of ye County whereby wee are 
enjoyned to send in to your Lordship two horses howso- 
ever wee are wonderfully willing to satisfy your Lo: 
expectation yet such is our present weake state not onely 
by former losses sustained and taxes imposed but also & 
most cheifly by the late heavy burthen of 4 troupes con- 
sisting of aboue 220 psons opon free quarter who besides 
the eating of our pvision in our houses and barnes, & 
spending our seed pvided for ye grounds have much 
