Henry, brother of Thomas the late Earl of Lancaster, procured in the first parliament after the accession of Edward the third, a remission of the forfeited estates of the family; and upon the death of the countess Alice, the wife of his late brother, her honors and splendid inheritances devolved to him, partly by the will of her father Henry de Laci, and partly by reason of a render made by him to Edward the first, and a re-grant by charter from that monarch to the heirs of Henry de Laci, with remainder to the heirs of Edmund Plantagenet.
Henry Earl of Lancaster died without male issue, but left two daughters Maud and Blanche; the former of whom married William of Bavaria, and left no issue; but Blanche became the sole heir of her father, and married John of Gaunt, who, by reason of the inheritances, was created Duke of Lancaster. By her he had issue, at the castle at this place, the celebrated Henry of Bolingbroke; upon whose accession to the throne, the whole patrimony, through the line of Lancaster, became invested in the crown; and in his reign was counted one of the manorial possessions of the king, denominated honors.
THE CASTLE.
On the south side of the town is the scite of the castle, which is now only to be distinguished by the traces of its foundations, encompassed by a moat.
The seclusion of this spot amongst steep hills, with only an opening to the level country, southward, rendered it in the early mode of warfare a desirable situation for a place of defence, since it was at all times secure from the emergencies of a sudden surprise. The advantages of such a situation were not overlooked by William de Romara, who about the early part of the reign of king Stephen, erected his castle at this place.
From the testimony of Mr. Gervase Holles, who is the only person that has left us a description of this castle, it appears to have been a very spacious square edifice, characterized in its construction by strength and uniformity, and containing beside numerous apartments, all the conveniences of warfare. [70] By queen Elizabeth it was improved by elegant and extensive erections, and though afterwards neglected, yet it remained a place of importance down to the time of the civil wars in the reign of Charles the first, when for some time it withstood a siege by the parliamentary forces.
After the defeat of the royal army at Winceby, this castle was compelled to yield to the army of the parliament, who, after dismantling it, left it silently to decay. For a many years part of a circular building, said to be the gate-house, continued standing; but in May 1815, the last remaining fragment of this once formidable structure fell to the ground.
To the east of the enclosure may be seen the entrenchments, behind which the assailants, in 1643, protected themselves in their attack on this castle.
