However, in the early decades of the 21st century the original bed of the Aa closer to the castle, was restored and now gets enough water.

In the cellar there is a loam layer containing fragments of bog iron and tuff, remnants of the first castle.

Aboveground most of the main castle is 15th and 16th century, but the semi-circular form of the older parts still betrays its motte origin.

The bridge leading to the inner courtyard ends on the base of a disappeared square gate tower.

That year Count Jan of Megen was in control of the lordship, and he remained so till his death in about 1346.

[2] In a 1359 act Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg and his wife Joanna, Duchess of Brabant declared that Heeswijk and half of Dinther were within Brabant, but that Jan van Benthem had joined the war against County of Flanders voluntarily.

Such a voluntary involvement did create enemies, and in 1371 and 1372 Heeswijk Castle was attacked by Guelders and the Duchy of Jülich.

[3] Jan van Benthem could maintain himself in Heeswijk, and so he 'sold' to Knight Dirk de Rover in 1374.

Walraven of Bentheim son of Jan regained the estate in 1379, and so the transaction might not have been a final sale.

In 1398 Guelders troops burned down the villages of Heeswijk and Dinther, but could not conquer the castle.

As a younger son Hendrick did not succeed to the main part of his father's estate, which included the Lordship of Breda.

The younger daughter Elselina married Eustache de Bousies lord of Vertaing, Feluy, Gosselies, Rommeries etc.

Their second son Pieter de Bousies lord of Vertaing would inherit all of his aunt Jeanne's estate.

[7] Margaretha of Culemborg, widow of Pieter de Bousies remarried to Willem van Egmond Stadholder of Guelders.

Their daughter Anna brought Boxmeer, Haps, Stevensweert and Spalbeek to the Counts of 's-Heerenberg by marrying Willem III van den Bergh.

The property of Pieter de Bousies could did not move with his widow, but was inherited by his sisters: Margaretha, Anthonia, Johanna and Isabella.

In 1485 the Count of Oettingen became lord of Heeswijk and Dinther on account of his wife being a daughter of Isabella.

He married Maria Magdalena van Strijen lady of Zevenbergen, Noordeloos, Heemskerk and Capelle aan de IJssel.

During his rule the Guelders army invaded and burned the area in 1512–1513, but did not succeed in capturing Heeswijk Castle.

Corneille sold Heeswijk and Dinther in 1555 to Johan I of East Frisia, a non-ruling count of that house.

[11] Johan married Dorothea of Austria (1516–1572) a bastard of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, heiress of Falkenburg, Durbuy and Halem, lady in waiting to Queen Maria of Hungary.

The Eighty Years' War reached the environs on 's-Hertogenbosch in 1572-1573 when first Gorinchem and Zaltbommel, and then Geertruidenberg joined the Dutch Republic.

His sister Dorothea married lieutenant general James 't Serclaes (?-1624) older brother of Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly and got Jan Werner.

On 14 March 1633 Jan Werner married Maria Françoise de Montmorency, but the next generation of the Tilly's would not get Heeswijk, in 1647 it was sold.

[19] Jonkheer Matthijs van Asperen, captain in the Dutch army then bought Heeswijk and Dinther in 1649 and became the official lord in May 1650.

In 1672 the French king Louis XIV stayed at Heeswijk Castle during his campaign against the Dutch Republic.

[20] Mr. Cornelis Speelman became the next lord in 1740, because he had married Jacob's sister Agatha van der Hoeven in 1716.

Cornelis Jacob was succeeded by his son Abraham Florentius (1784-1840), but in 1834 the family sold their property in Heeswijk and Dinther.

The current castle museum attempts to reflect the life and traditions of the middle of the 19th century.

Under the promenade cellar roofs (wedding) receptions can be held and the carriage house of the castle accommodates training facilities as well as congress and presentation rooms.