HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 61 



This Castle, after a long siege, being much battered, was sur- 

 rendered by the garrison to Colonel Brereton in 1648 ; it was then 

 greatly demolished by the Parliament forces ; and when the event 

 of the war was determined, the fortifications were destroyed by an 

 order from the usurpers of power. This demolition, and the dilapi- 

 dations of time, have finally reduced this onc.e-beautiful and lofty 

 edifice to a picturesque ruin. A considerable part of the gateway 

 remains ; and from the few vestiges of the castle, it appears to have 

 been built of hewn freestone, with admixtures of gypsum. A round 

 tower, intended to appear as a ruin, has been erected on a high 

 mound by Lord Vernon, the present possessor, who holds the castle 

 and circumjacent grounds by lease from the Crown. A building has 

 been erected among the ruins, which is the residence of the steward, 

 who entertains the tenants occasionally at wakes, &c. A large room 

 in this house is used for assemblies ; and the Minstrel's Court is 

 annually held in it. The green park around the Castle-hill is now 

 a pasture for sheep and cattle ; the prospect from the summit of the 

 hill is very extensive, and commands a picturesque view of Need- 

 wood Forest. 



Tutbury is a pleasant little town, containing about one thousand 

 inhabitants. There was a weekly market held here prior to the 

 Norman invasion, but it is now discontinued. A large cotton 

 factory has been established in this town by Bott and Co. ; it is 

 supplied with water from the Dove, and gives employment to a con- 

 iderable number of men, women, and children. Several wool- 

 combers are also employed in this town. 



The Dove fertilizes the rich meadows on its banks, and affords a 

 supply of trout and other .fish to the inhabitants of the town. There 

 is an excellent stone bridge over the river at Tutbury ; and the 

 turnpike road from Burton-upon-Trent to Uttoxeter passes through 

 the town. The soil of this parish is generally rich, abounding with 

 alabaster and marl ; and the meadows are occasionally improved by 

 the inundations of the Dove. 



Tutbury Church is a vicarage, dedicated to the Virgin Mary ; 

 it constitutes a portion of the ancient priory church, and is a large 

 edifice, with an embattled tower, surmounted by four pinnacles. 

 The principal entrance is an archway of exquisitely rich and 

 .beautiful Saxon architecture, and is perhaps the most perfect speci- 

 men of the kind in the Island. This entrance is a low semi-circular 

 arch, with a similar arched window above it ; it is partly composed 

 of alabaster, richly ensculptured with a variety of grotesque figures ; 



