The History – the English Civil War in the East Midlands and its aftermath

The East Midlands was one of the key theatres during the first Civil War. Lord Henry Hastings of Loughborough (who is mentioned in one letter as a friend of the Abney family) as Colonel General of the Royalist Forces was garrisoned at his family seat at Ashby-de-la-Zouch and other strategic strongholds in the area. He was able to call upon the coalminers employed by his family to create a "flying army" when required. The area between Ashby and Leicester became a buffer zone between Lord Hastings' Forces to the north and the Parliamentary Forces of the south at Warwick and Leicester.

Ashby paid an important part in the Royalist defence of the Midlands particularly during the siege after 1644. The castle was defended by Lord Hastings supported by James Abney but the decisive defeat of Charles I at his last battle in nearby Naseby in June 1645 eventually spelled the end of Ashby and ultimately the first Civil War. The castle was forced to surrender in March 1646 by plague and hunger following which it was made uninhabitable. Lord Hastings moved to Donington Hall and James Abney to Willesley Hall to await events.