Editing Stokesay Castle (section)

===18th–19th centuries===
[[File:Stokesay Castle hall, 1868.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A sketch of the castle's [[hall]], including workers and visitors, by Frances Stackhouse-Acton in 1868]]

During the 18th century, Stokesay Castle continued to be leased by the Baldwyn family, although they sublet the property to a range of tenants; after this point it ceased to be used as a domestic dwelling.<ref>{{harvnb|Summerson|2012|p=35}}; {{harvnb|Cordingley|1963|p=91}}</ref> Two wood and plaster buildings, built against the side of the [[hall]], were demolished around 1800, and by the early 19th century the castle was being used for storing grain and manufacturing, including barrel-making, coining and a smithy.<ref>{{harvnb|Summerson|2012|pp=35, 37}}</ref>

The castle began to deteriorate, and the [[antiquarian]] [[John Britton (antiquary)|John Britton]] noted during his visit in 1813 that it had been "abandoned to neglect, and rapidly advancing to ruin: the glass is destroyed, the ceilings and floors are falling, and the rains streams through the opening roof on the damp and mouldering walls".<ref>{{harvnb|Summerson|2012|p=35}}; {{harvnb|Britton|1814|p=145}}</ref> The smithy in the basement of the south tower resulted in a fire in 1830, which caused considerable damage to the castle, gutting the south tower.<ref>{{harvnb|Summerson|2012|p=37}}</ref> Extensive decay in the bases of the [[cruck]] tresses in the castle's roof posed a particular threat to the hall, as the decaying roof began to push the walls apart.<ref>{{harvnb|Chitty|1999|p=91}}; {{harvnb|Cordingley|1963|p=102}}</ref>

Restoration work was carried out in the 1830s by [[William Craven, 2nd Earl of Craven]].<ref name=Chitty1999P91>{{harvnb|Chitty|1999|p=91}}</ref> This was a deliberate attempt at conserving the existing building, rather than rebuilding it, and was a very unusual approach at this time.<ref name=Chitty1999P91/> By 1845, stone [[buttress]]es and pillars had been added to support parts of the hall and its roof.<ref>{{harvnb|Summerson|2012|p=37}}; {{cite web | url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/stokesay-castle-info-for-teachers/stokesaycastle.pdf | title=Stokesay Castle: Information for Teachers | mode = cs2|page=1| access-date=28 December 2013 |publisher=English Heritage}}</ref> Research by [[Thomas Hudson Turner|Thomas Turner]] was published in 1851, outlining the history of the castle.<ref>{{harvnb|Turner|1851}}; {{cite web | url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stokesay-castle/history-and-research/research/ | title=Research on Stokesay Castle | mode = cs2|access-date=28 December 2013 |publisher=English Heritage}}</ref> [[Frances Stackhouse Acton]], a local landowner, took a particular interest in the castle, and in 1853 convinced William to carry out further repair work on the castle, under her supervision, at a cost of £103.<ref name=Summerson2012P38>{{harvnb|Summerson|2012|p=38}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|It is challenging to accurately compare 19th-century and modern prices or incomes. £103 could equate to between £8,825 and £233,300 in 2012 terms, depending on the measure used, and £215,000 to between £16 million and £329 million.<ref name="Measuring Worth"/>|group="nb"}}

In 1869 the Craven estate, {{convert|5200|acres}} in size but by now heavily mortgaged, was purchased by [[John Derby Allcroft]] for £215,000.<ref>{{harvnb|Hall|2010|p=146}}</ref> Allcroft was the head of [[Dents]], a major glove manufacturer, through which he had become extremely wealthy.<ref>{{harvnb|Summerson|2012|p=36}}</ref> The estate included Stokesay Castle, where from around 1875 onwards Allcroft undertook extensive restoration work over several years.<ref name=Summerson2012P38/> Stokesay was in serious need of repairs: the visiting writer [[Henry James]] noted in 1877 that the property was in "a state of extreme decay".<ref name=Summerson2012P38/>

Allcroft attempted what the archaeologist Gill Chitty has described as a "simple and unaffected" programme of work, which generally attempted to avoid excessive intervention.<ref>{{harvnb|Chitty|1999|p=91}}; {{cite web | url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stokesay-castle/history-and-research/history/ | title=History of Stokesay Castle | mode = cs2|access-date=28 December 2013 |publisher=English Heritage}}</ref> He may have been influenced by the contemporary writings of the local [[vicar]], the Reverend James La Touche, who took a somewhat romanticised approach to the analysis of the castle's history and architecture.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stokesay-castle/history-and-research/research/ | title=Research on Stokesay Castle | mode = cs2|access-date=28 December 2013 |publisher=English Heritage}}; {{harvnb|La Touche|1878}}</ref> The castle had become a popular sight for tourists and artists by the 1870s and the gatehouse was fitted out to form a house for a caretaker to oversee the property.<ref>{{harvnb|Chitty|1999|p=91}}; {{harvnb|Summerson|2012|p=38}}; {{cite web | url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stokesay-castle/history-and-research/history/ | title=History of Stokesay Castle | mode = cs2|access-date=28 December 2013 |publisher=English Heritage}}</ref> Following the work, the castle was in good condition once again by the late 1880s.<ref name=Summerson2012PP38>{{harvnb|Summerson|2012|pp=38, 40}}</ref>