After the fall of the Lovell family following their support of the Lancastrian cause during the Wars of the Roses, the castle was confiscated in 1461 and passed through several owners until bought by Sir Thomas Arundell of Lanherne in 1544.

[4] The Arundells were an ancient and prominent Cornish family, the principal branches of which were seated at the manors of Lanherne, Trerice, Tolverne and Menadarva in Cornwall.

[4] The family slowly recovered power through the English Commonwealth and the Glorious Revolution, until the eighth Baron, Henry Arundell, borrowed sufficient funds to finance rebuilding.

In the Middle Ages, the ground sloped away more steeply than today so that the building stood at the top of a low ridge of land.

As usual with mediaeval castles, the approach to the main door was protected by a deep ditch crossed by a drawbridge, with a portcullis inside the doorway.

Above the coat of arms is the head of Christ in a niche with the inscription Sub nomine tuo stet genus et domus.

Evidence gathered from other castles from the same era suggests that there would have been an elaborate and impressive roof over the well, carved and painted with the emblems of the Lovells and the Arundells.

In 1644 when the south-west side of the castle was blown up during the Civil War, the courtyard changed from a dark and claustrophobic place to a light, spacious sanctuary.

At the top of the stairs leading from the courtyard, any medieval visitor would have found themselves in a passageway that, on the left, led into the great hall behind a wooden screen with arched openings.

[8] The tall windows and the old wooden roof were retained, and it is thought that this was to preserve some elements of Lord Lovell's castle.

The lobby was a narrow room which was used to entertain guests with sweetmeats after the meal while the tables were being cleared in the great hall to create space for dancing.

The castle, including the grotto on the north side of its grounds, appeared in the 1991 Kevin Costner feature Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.