162 WOODSFORD CASTLE. 



Time would fail to do more than name the families who have 

 in turn held Woodsford Castle, nor are long pedigrees generally 

 desired, perhaps, on these occasions. In a word, then, the 

 Beletts, de Bryans, Staffords, and, for the last 300 years and 

 more, the Strangways, have been successive owners from Domes- 

 day time to this day. 



Now to turn to the building. The ground floor and first floor 

 of the main parallelogram and of the north tower, as well as the 

 second floor of the latter, are mediaeval. The rest of the second 

 floor is modern, perhaps only of last century. Further, the whole 

 west wing is modern, but partly on an old foundation. This found- 

 ation is that of a destroyed tower, one of four formerly standing. 

 A striking building the castle must then have been, with a tower 

 standing out at each corner, one near the middle of the east 

 side, and the existing stair turret, between the western towers. 

 Furthermore, the walls were then capped in whole or in part 

 with machicolated parapets and covered with a lead roof. And 

 Hutchins, ed. i, says that even in 1774 there was a high stair 

 turret,* overtopping the house. From this lordly estate the 

 castle fell owing to the rebellion of Hugh Stafford in 1460. At 

 least the delightful writer of Coker's Survey says that this is "the 

 greatest Probabilitie." Yet, as he affirms that " the neighbour 

 inhabitants " said that they saw the siege, the question arises 

 whether it may not have happened about 100 years later, when a 

 Stafford rebelled against Queen Mary. In any case, Coker says 

 "the Castell is now allmost ruinated" by a cannonade from. a 

 rising ground then, if not now, called Gunhill. Between this 

 event and 1774 we may hold that the castle was repaired into its 

 present state, with two annexes, one on the east, one on the 

 north, both removed 30 or 40 years ago. And this repair largely 

 consisted in putting on the roof which we see, perhaps the 

 largest thatched house-roof in the kingdom. It has been said 

 that West Stafford Rectory roof, close by, has this dignity. The 

 Rector has most kindly given the length and breadth of the 



* Possibly this may be the existing north turret, which in that case has since 

 been lowered. 



