 William Peveril had custody of royal lands such as the district of Hope , and although he had his own estates , he relied on continued royal favour to maintain power in this way . In 1100 the new king , Henry I , granted William " his demesne in the Peak " . Thus the Peak became an independent lordship under William Peveril 's control , and the castle became an important centre of administration for the area , allowing the collection of taxes . Castleton benefited from the castle 's new status and began to grow as the lordship 's economic heart . William Peveril died in 1114 and was succeeded by his son , William Peveril the Younger . In the civil war known as The Anarchy between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda , Peveril backed the losing side and his fortunes suffered after his capture at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141 . In 1153 Peveril was suspected of attempting to poison Ranulf de Gernon , 4th Earl of Chester . In 1153 the future King Henry II accused Peveril of " plundering and treachery " and threatened to confiscate his estates and hand them over to the Earl of Chester . Two years later Henry , now king , followed through his threat . The Earl of Chester was dead by this time , and the king kept the property for himself . Once under royal control , Peveril became the administrative centre of the Forest of High Peak . 
