other town officials, so administratively the place was no better than a village. In the contemporary village is “The Throne”, a large 400-year-old building - King Charles I spent the night here on 5 September 1645, after the Battle of Naseby during the English Civil War. Back then the edifice was the “Unicorn Inn”, but that business moved across the street to new premises later in the century and the former hostelry was renamed in honour of the visit. The Market Hall (demolished in the 1860s) was a fine timber-framed building allegedly erected by John Abel (1578-1675), and located on the south-east corner of the marketplace infill. It has a large upper chamber over an open ground floor, supported by ornately carved timber posts. A drawing of it survives by Joseph Murray Ince 1839, which is now at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in the USA. Also, paintings by William Pitt of the mid 19th century feature it. William Crowther, a native who made his fortune as a haberdasher in London, left a legacy to found a Free Grammar School for local boys in 1653. A timber-framed edifice was provided on the west side of Hereford Street (now Hereford Road), and the school was opened in 1655. The building survives as the “Old Grammar School”. In the early 18th century a charity school for girls also existed. John Birch, a soldier and politician who fought for the Parliamentarian cause in the First English Civil War, sat in the House of Commons at various times from 1646. He purchased the Garnstone estate and became the Lord of the Manor, having himself elected as a Member of Parliament in 1679. He remained as such until his death in 1691, and has an impressive monument in the parish church. His nephew, also called John Birch, then became Lord of the Manor and was also a borough MP when he died in 1735. There are several surviving 17th century town buildings, evidence of prosperity. Also, the burgage tenements were being broken up, and many of their smallholdings were being hived off and consolidated as farm fields. This occurred on the castle site. The confusion, venality and corruption occurring at elections (votes were being sold for £10-15 each; £2275-3300 in 2021 values) drew the attention of Parliament, and in 1736 it was resolved to restrict the franchise to occupiers (owners, or tenants having