 Despite numerous attempts by local city and crown officials to halt this, Redhead continued to cause considerable damage before being forced to stop.Proposals were made to pull down Clifford's Tower altogether in 1596, but were turned down because of the strength of local feeling.Maintaining the castle was becoming increasingly expensive, and in 1614 King James sold the lease on Clifford's Tower and the surrounding land to John Babington and Edmund Duffield, a pair of property speculators.