Astley Castle

Astley Castle is a ruinous moated fortified 16th century manor house in North Warwickshire, England.

Sir John Grey married Elizabeth Woodville who after his death in 1461 went on to become Queen of Edward IV.

Astley Castle was slighted and forfeited and sold by the Crown to Edward Chamberlain who restored and carried out many alterations to the fabric.

Ann Hughes, links Astley to the "rebel towns" described by royalist propaganda broadsheets as governed by low-born tinkers, cobblers and pedlars, pointing out that Hunt was "an illiterate shoemaker" before the war, prosecuted in 1647 for 'requisitioning' a gentleman's horse.

The small but active Astley garrison compares with Tinker Fox's celebrated band of 7 officers and 42 troopers at Edgbaston Hall, George Kendall's 6 officers and 21 soldiers at Maxstoke Castle and Waldyve Willington's garrison of around 130 soldiers at Tamworth Castle (including 'the town company') in accounts from July 1645 (SP 28/123/part 2).

Most of these horse troops were probably quartered in the village, with some of the officers and Goodere Hunt's foot soldiers occupying the castle (SP 28/122/part 2).

In the early 2000s the owners together with English Heritage, the local authority and the Landmark Trust planned for restorations that were finished in 2012.