battle of Shrewsbury in which Thomas Percy was captured. Two days later, on 23 July, he was beheaded and his property – including Wressle Castle – was subsequently confiscated by the crown. Between 1403 and 1471 ownership of the castle swapped between the crown and those the reigning monarch chose to grant it to, though only for short periods. In 1471, Wressle Castle was given to Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, returning it to the Percy family. His son, Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, undertook an extensive programme of refurbishment at Wressle Castle, refurbishing the interior and updating the gardens. At the time he was one of the richest men in England. The Northumberland Household Book was compiled around this time and details day-to-day domestic activities at the castles of Wressle and Leconfield, and is used by historians to study the late medieval household. Percy died at Wressle in 1527 and was succeeded by his son, Henry Algernon Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland. The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular revolt against the rule of Henry VIII in 1536 partly in response to the dissolution of the monasteries. The rebels in Yorkshire were led by Robert Aske and in October he sought the support of the Percy family. Aske travelled to Wressle Castle and tried to persuade Henry Algernon Percy, who at the time was suffering from illness, to join the rebellion. Though initially opposed to Aske, Percy eventually gave him control of Wressle Castle. Percy had fallen out with his younger brothers, and when he died in 1537 his one surviving brother did not inherit because he was imprisoned for his role in the Pilgrimage of Grace. In 1537, the crown again resumed control of Wressle Castle, and Henry VIII visited for three nights in 1541. Antiquarian John Leland visited Wressle Castle in about 1540. He wrote in his Itinerary that the castle was "one of the most proper beyond the Trent, and seemeth as newly made ...The castle is all of very fair and great squared stone, both within and without". He also gave the first surviving description of the castle gardens, noting that they were "exceedingly fair" and with orchards beyond the moat. The Scottish nobleman Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox was lodged at Wressle in January 1545. The castle was garrisoned by parliamentarians during the English Civil War during which time it