(among others) passed to the son of his sister, William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam. The castle underwent further restoration in the late 19th century. The house later passed from the Watsons, through the maternal line, to Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 5th Baronet in 1925. He lived here with his wife, Lady Mary Faith Montagu, a daughter of the 9th Earl of Sandwich, until 1967, when he transferred it to his nephew, Commander Michael Saunders. Today the mainstay of the castle is the home of the Saunders-Watson family led by James Saunders Watson, the son of Michael Saunders, who achieved £4,000,000 in revenue from its events and rentals in 2017. He served as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire for 2018/19. Location The parish borders directly onto the town of Corby. Rockingham (and Corby) are part of North Northamptonshire, part of the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire. The castle overlooks the villages of Rockingham and Caldecott, and has views over the Welland Valley. Privately owned, it is open to the public for events and on certain days. The place was visited by writer Charles Dickens, who was a friend of Richard and Lavinia Watson, ancestors of the current family. The castle is arguably the inspiration for Chesney Wold in Dickens' novel Bleak House, published in 1853. The castle takes its name from the manor of Rockingham, which was the only manor of the parish which in turn had markedly few churchlands, especially as is common after the dissolution of the monasteries. Rockingham Forest was, largely outside of the parish, named after the place during the time of William the Conqueror because of the castle's importance as a royal retreat. A cricket pitch lies within the grounds and is home to Old Eastonians Cricket Club. Filming Rockingham Castle was used as a principal setting for the BBC English Civil War period drama By the Sword Divided. In the TV series, "Arnescote Castle" was the home of the Royalist Lacey family. The castle also featured in the film Top Secret!, which starred Val Kilmer. See also Castles in Great Britain and Ireland List of castles in England References Further reading External links Official website Photos of Rockingham Castle and surrounding area on geograph Castles in Northamptonshire Country houses in Northamptonshire Historic house museums in Northamptonshire Gardens in Northamptonshire Grade I listed buildings in Northamptonshire