again confiscated for a period, and his son, Henry, was executed by Henry VIII in 1539 and his properties confiscated, permanently breaking the link between the Courtenay family and the castle. After his death, a survey praised the castle as having "all manner of houses of offices", but from this time onwards the castle appears to have been abandoned and left to decay, although there is evidence that the lead and some of the stonework was taken for use on other projects. The castle's deer park was rented out by the Crown after Courtenay's execution. Ownership of the castle remained important, however, as from 1623 onwards ownership carried the right to appoint Okehampton's two Members of Parliament. Despite the battle of Sourton Down being fought in 1643 near Okehampton during the English Civil War, the castle played no part in the conflict. A bakehouse was established in the castle in the late-17th century, reusing parts of the western lodgings. The deer park was removed during the 18th century, reverting to farmland. In the 18th century, the castle became a popular topic for painters interested in the then fashionable landscape styles of the Sublime and the Picturesque. Richard Wilson painted the castle in 1771, dramatically silhouetting the keep against the sky, producing what historian Jeremy Black describes as a "calm, entranching and melancholic" effect. Thomas Walmesley's rendition went further, depicting Oakhampton Castle surrounded by an imaginary, Italianate lake in 1810. Thomas Girtin painted the castle in 1797, as did his friend J. M. W. Turner in 1824. Sir Vyell Vyvyan conducted some minor repairs to the castle during the 19th century. 20th-21st centuries In the early 20th century Okehampton Castle was bought by a local man, Sydney Simmons, who between 1911 and 1913 cleared away the vegetation that had grown over the castle and conducted some repairs to the stonework. Simmons passed the castle to the Okehampton Castle Trust in 1917, who carried out limited repairs over the coming decades. The Ministry of Public and Works took over the site in 1967 and extensive restoration work was subsequently carried out. Extensive archaeological investigations were carried out in the 1970s at the site by Robert Higham. In the 21st century, the castle is operated as a tourist attraction by English Heritage. It is protected under law as an ancient monument and as a grade I listed building. Architecture Okehampton Castle was built