Editing Kenilworth Castle (section)

==History==
===12th century===
[[File:Kenilworth Castle keep, 2008.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The [[keep|great tower]] is one of Kenilworth Castle's earliest surviving structures.]]
Kenilworth Castle was founded in the early 1120s by [[Geoffrey de Clinton]], Lord Chamberlain and treasurer to [[King Henry I of England|Henry I]].<ref name="Pettifer, p.257.">Pettifer, p.257.</ref> The castle's original form is uncertain. It has been suggested that it consisted of a [[motte]], an earthen mound surmounted by wooden buildings; however, the stone [[keep|great tower]] may have been part of the original design.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.37."/> Clinton was a local rival to [[Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick|Roger de Beaumont]], the Earl of Warwick and owner of the neighbouring [[Warwick Castle]], and the king made Clinton the [[sheriff]] in Warwickshire to act as a counterbalance to Beaumont's power.<ref>Crouch, pp.116–7.</ref> It appears Clinton had begun to lose the king's favour when in 1130 he was tried for treason, although he was soon acquitted, and when he died in 1133, his son, also called Geoffrey, was only a minor when he inherited his father's estates. These included the family estates at [[Stewkley]] and [[Aston Clinton]] in [[Buckinghamshire]].<ref name="Morris 2010, p.37."/> Geoffrey II built the church of [http://www.greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/stewkley.html St Michael and All Angels] in Stewkley in 1150, which is considered one of the finest surviving original Norman Churches in England. The disputes with Beaumont continued with Geoffrey II and his uncle [[William de Clinton]], until Geoffrey was forced to come to terms with Beaumont and the dispute was eventually settled when he married Beaumont's daughter, Agnes. These disputes and the difficult years of [[the Anarchy]] (1135–54), delayed any further development of the castle at Kenilworth.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.37."/>

[[Henry II of England|Henry II]] succeeded to the throne at the end of the Anarchy but during the [[revolt of 1173–74]] he faced a significant uprising led by his son, [[Henry the Young King|Henry]], backed by the French crown. The conflict spread across England and Kenilworth was garrisoned by Henry II's forces; Geoffrey II de Clinton died in this period and the castle was taken fully into royal possession, a sign of its military importance.<ref name="Pettifer, p.257."/> The de Clintons by now had moved to their estates in Buckinghamshire.<ref name="Hull 2009, p.102."/> By this point Kenilworth Castle consisted of the great keep, the inner bailey wall, a basic causeway across the smaller lake that preceded the creation of the Great Mere, and the local [[Chase (land)|chase]] for hunting.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.37."/>

===13th century===
Henry's successor, [[Richard I]], paid relatively little attention to Kenilworth, but under King [[John I of England|John]] significant building resumed at the castle.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.37."/> When John was excommunicated in 1208, he embarked on a programme of rebuilding and enhancing several major royal castles. These included [[Corfe Castle|Corfe]], [[Odiham Castle|Odiham]], [[Dover Castle|Dover]], [[Scarborough Castle|Scarborough]] as well as Kenilworth.<ref name="Pettifer, p.258."/> John spent £1,115 on Kenilworth Castle between 1210 and 1216,<ref>Allen Brown 1955, p.394, referenced in Cathcart King 1988, p.71.</ref> building the outer bailey wall in stone and improving the other defences, including creating Mortimer's and Lunn's Towers.<ref>Morris 2010, p.29, 37; Pettifer, p.257.</ref><ref group=lower-alpha>Comparison of medieval financial figures with modern equivalents is challenging, especially with the larger sums of money used for projects such as castles. £1,100 could equate to from between £578,000 to £13m in 2009 terms, depending on the measure used.</ref> He also significantly improved the castle's water defences by damming the Finham and Inchford Brooks, creating the Great Mere.<ref>Hull 2006, p.132.</ref> The result was to turn Kenilworth into one of the largest English castles of the time, with one of the largest artificial lake defences in England.<ref>Pettifer, p.257; Thompson 1965, p.156.</ref> Because John had poured so many resources into the building of the castle and considered it an important strategic castle, he appointed household knights such as [[Robert of Ropsley]] to act as castellans. John was forced to cede the castle to the baronial opposition as part of the guarantee of the [[Magna Carta]], before it reverted to royal control early in the reign of his son, [[Henry III of England|Henry III]].<ref name="Pettifer, p.257."/>
[[File:Kenilworth Castle, 2008.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Kenilworth Castle seen from the west; by the 13th century, the foreground would have been occupied by the water defences of the Great Mere]]
Henry III granted Kenilworth in 1244 to [[Simon de Montfort]], Earl of Leicester, who later became a leader in the [[Second Barons' War]] (1263–67) against the king, using Kenilworth as the centre of his operations.<ref>Platt, p.85.</ref> Initially the conflict went badly for King Henry, and after the [[Battle of Lewes]] in 1264 he was forced to sign the [[Mise of Lewes]], under which his son, [[Edward I of England|Prince Edward]], was given over to the rebels as a hostage.<ref>Prestwich, pp.46–7.</ref> Edward was taken back to Kenilworth, where chroniclers considered he was held in unduly harsh conditions.<ref>Prestwich, p.47.</ref> Released in early 1265, Edward then defeated Montfort at the [[Battle of Evesham]]; the surviving rebels under the leadership of [[Henry de Hastings]], Montfort's [[constable#United Kingdom|constable]] at Kenilworth, regrouped at the castle the following spring.<ref>Carpenter 2004, p.381.</ref> Edward's forces proceeded to lay siege to the rebels.<ref>Prestwich, p.56.</ref>

The [[siege of Kenilworth Castle]] in 1266 was "probably the longest in English history" according to historian Norman Pounds, and at the time was also the largest siege to have occurred in England in terms of the number of soldiers involved.<ref>Pounds, p.121; Prestwich, p.56.</ref> Simon de Monfort's son, [[Simon de Montfort the Younger]], promised in January 1266 to hand over the castle to the king. Five months later this had not happened, and Henry III laid siege to Kenilworth Castle on 21 June.<ref>Morris 2010, p.40.</ref> Protected by the extensive water defences, the castle withstood the attack, despite Edward targeting the weaker north wall, employing huge [[siege tower]]s and even attempting a night attack using barges brought from [[Chester]].<ref name=HullWhitehorneMorrisP32>Hull and Whitehorne, p.32; Morris 2010, p.40.</ref> The distance between the royal [[trebuchet]]s and the walls severely reduced their effectiveness, and heavier trebuchets had to be sent for from London.<ref name=HullWhitehorneMorrisP32/> Papal intervention through the legate [[Pope Adrian V|Ottobuono]] finally resulted in the compromise of the [[Dictum of Kenilworth]], under which the rebels were allowed to re-purchase their confiscated lands provided they surrendered the castle;<ref>Carpenter 2004, p.381; Prestwich, p.57.</ref> the siege ended on 14 December 1266.<ref>Morris, p.41.</ref> The water defences at Kenilworth influenced the construction of later castles in Wales, most notably [[Caerphilly Castle|Caerphilly]].<ref>Hull 2006, p.77.</ref>

Henry granted Kenilworth to his son, [[Edmund Crouchback]], in 1267.<ref name=HullWhitehorneSharpeP32>Hull and Whitehorne, p.32; Sharpe, p.13; Morris 2010, p.41.</ref> Edmund held many tournaments at Kenilworth in the late 13th century, including a huge event in 1279, presided over by the royal favourite [[Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer|Roger de Mortimer]], in which a hundred knights competed for three days in the tiltyard in an event called "[[Round Table|the Round Table]]", in imitation of the popular [[King Arthur|Arthurian legends]].<ref name=HullWhitehorneSharpeP32/>

===14th century===
[[File:Kenilworth castle keep and great hall.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The great tower (left) and John of Gaunt's great hall (right)]]
Edmund Crouchback passed on the castle to his eldest son, [[Thomas, Earl of Lancaster]], in 1298.<ref name=WeirP105>Weir, p.105.</ref> Lancaster married [[Alice de Lacy]], which made him the richest nobleman in England.<ref name=PoundsP137>Pounds, p.137.</ref> Kenilworth became the primary castle of the Lancaster estates, replacing [[Bolingbroke Castle|Bolingbroke]], and acted as both a social and a financial centre for Thomas.<ref name=PoundsP137/> Thomas built the first great hall at the castle from 1314 to 1317 and constructed the Water Tower along the outer bailey, as well as increasing the size of the chase.<ref>Morris 2010, p.14, 29; Thompson 1977, pp.211–8.</ref> Lancaster, with support from many of the other English barons, found himself in increasing opposition to [[Edward II]].<ref name=WeirP105/> War broke out in 1322, and Lancaster was captured at the [[Battle of Boroughbridge]] and executed.<ref name=WeirP105/> His estates, including Kenilworth, were confiscated by the crown.<ref name=PoundsP137/> Edward and his wife, [[Isabella of France]], spent Christmas 1323 at Kenilworth, amidst major celebrations.<ref>Weir, p.157.</ref>

In 1326, however, Edward was deposed by an alliance of Isabella and her lover, [[Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March|Roger Mortimer]]. Edward was eventually captured by Isabella's forces and the custody of the king was assigned to [[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster|Henry, Earl of Lancaster]], who had backed Isabella's invasion.<ref>Weir, p.241.</ref> Henry, reoccupying most of the Lancaster lands, was made constable of Kenilworth and Edward was transported there in late 1326; Henry's legal title to the castle was finally confirmed the following year.<ref>Morris 2010, p.41; Weir, p.241.</ref> Kenilworth was chosen for this purpose by Isabella probably both because it was a major fortification, and also because of the symbolism of its former owners' links to popular ideals of freedom and good government.<ref>Weir, p.242.</ref> Royal [[writ]]s were issued in Edward's name by Isabella from Kenilworth until the next year.<ref>Weir, p.242; Mortimer, p.51.</ref> A deputation of leading barons led by [[Adam Orleton|Bishop Orleton]] was then sent to Kenilworth to first persuade Edward to resign and, when that failed, to inform him that he had been deposed as king.<ref>Weir, pp.252–3.</ref> Edward formally resigned as king in the great hall of the castle on 21 January 1327.<ref>Mortimer, p.53.</ref> As the months went by, however, it became clear that Kenilworth was proving a less than ideal location to imprison Edward.<ref name=DohertyPP1145>Doherty, pp.114–5.</ref> The castle was in a prominent part of the Midlands, in an area that held several nobles who still supported Edward and were believed to be trying to rescue him.<ref name=DohertyPP1145/> Henry's loyalty was also coming under question.<ref name=DohertyPP1145/> In due course, Isabella and Mortimer had Edward moved by night to [[Berkeley Castle]], where he died shortly afterwards.<ref>Doherty, pp.114–5; p.118.</ref> Isabella continued to use Kenilworth as a royal castle until her fall from power in 1330.<ref>Mortimer, p.75.</ref>

[[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster|Henry of Grosmont, the Duke of Lancaster]], inherited the castle from his father in 1345 and remodelled the great hall with a grander interior and roof.<ref>Morris 2010, p.14; Thompson 1977, pp.211–8.</ref> On his death [[Blanche of Lancaster]] inherited the castle. Blanche married [[John of Gaunt]], the third son of [[Edward III]]; their union, and combined resources, made John the second richest man in England next to the king himself.<ref name=PoundsP137/> After Blanche's death, John married [[Constance of Castile, Duchess of Lancaster|Constance]], who had a claim to the [[kingdom of Castile]], and John styled himself the king of Castile and León.<ref name=PoundsP137/> Kenilworth was one of the most important of his thirty or more castles in England.<ref name=PoundsP137/> John began building at Kenilworth between 1373 and 1380 in a style designed to reinforce his royal claims in Iberia.<ref>Emery, p.205.</ref> John constructed a grander great hall, the Strong Tower, Saintlowe Tower, the state apartments and the new kitchen complex. He made these renovations before his nephew took over his position.<ref>Morris 2010, pp.42–5.</ref> When not campaigning abroad, John spent much of his time at Kenilworth and [[Leicester Castle|Leicester]], and used Kenilworth even more after 1395 when his health began to decline.<ref>Emery, p.28; Emery 2000, p.404.</ref> In his final years, John made extensive repairs to the whole of the castle complex.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.45.">Morris 2010, p.45.</ref>

===15th century===
[[File:Model of Kenilworth Castle in 1575-80 trimmed.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A reconstruction of Kenilworth Castle, as it would have appeared around 1575–80]]
Many castles, especially royal castles, were left to decay in the 15th century; Kenilworth, however, continued to be used as a centre of choice, forming a late medieval "palace fortress".<ref>Pounds, p.256–7.</ref> [[King Henry IV of England|Henry IV]], John of Gaunt's son, returned Kenilworth to royal ownership when he took the throne in 1399 and made extensive use of the castle.<ref name="Pettifer, p.257."/> [[King Henry V of England|Henry V]] also used Kenilworth extensively, but preferred to stay in the Pleasance, the mock castle he had built on the other side of the Great Mere.<ref name="Pettifer, p.257."/> According to the contemporary chronicler [[John Strecche]], who lived at the neighbouring [[St Mary's Abbey, Kenilworth|Kenilworth Priory]], the French openly mocked Henry in 1414 by sending him a gift of [[tennis ball]]s at Kenilworth.<ref name=WalsinghamPreestClarkP399>Walsingham, Preest and Clark, p.399.</ref> The French aim was to imply a lack of martial prowess; according to Strecche, the gift spurred Henry's decision to fight the [[Battle of Agincourt|Agincourt campaign]]. The account was used by [[Shakespeare]] as the basis for a scene in his play ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]''.<ref name=WalsinghamPreestClarkP399/>

English castles, including Kenilworth, did not play a decisive role during the [[Wars of the Roses]] (1455–85), which were fought primarily in the form of pitched battles between the rival factions of the [[House of Lancaster|Lancastrians]] and the [[Yorkists]].<ref>Pounds, p.249.</ref> With the mental collapse of [[King Henry VI]], [[Margaret of Anjou|Queen Margaret]] used the Duchy of Lancaster lands in the Midlands, including Kenilworth, as one of her key bases of military support.<ref>Carpenter 1997, p.142.</ref> Margaret removed Henry from London in 1456 for his own safety and until 1461, Henry's court divided almost all its time among Kenilworth, [[Leicester Castle|Leicester]] and [[Tutbury Castle]] for the purposes of protection.<ref>Emery 2000, p.200.</ref> Kenilworth remained an important Lancastrian stronghold for the rest of the war, often acting as a military balance to the nearby castle of [[Warwick Castle|Warwick]]. With the victory of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] at [[Battle of Bosworth Field|Bosworth]], Kenilworth again received royal attention; Henry visited frequently and had a [[Real tennis|tennis court]] constructed at the castle for his use.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.45."/> His son, [[Henry VIII]], decided that Kenilworth should be maintained as a royal castle.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.45."/> He abandoned the Pleasance and had part of the timber construction moved into the base court of the castle.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.45."/>

===16th century===
[[File:Kenilworth fireplace.jpg|thumb|An alabaster fireplace in Leicester's gatehouse, with Robert Dudley's initials (R & L for Robert Leicester) and the ''Ragged Staff'' [[heraldic badge]] of the Earls of Warwick, circumscribed by the [[Order of the Garter|Garter]]]]
The castle remained in royal hands until it was given to [[John Dudley]] in 1553. Dudley came to prominence under [[Henry VIII]] and became the leading political figure under [[Edward VI]]. Dudley was a patron of [[John Shute (architect)|John Shute]], an early exponent of classical architecture in England, and began the process of modernising Kenilworth.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.46.">Morris 2010, p.46.</ref> Before his execution in 1553 by [[Mary I of England|Queen Mary]] for attempting to place [[Lady Jane Grey]] on the throne, Dudley had built the new stable block and widened the tiltyard to its current form.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.46."/>

Kenilworth was restored to Dudley's son, [[Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester|Robert, Earl of Leicester]], in 1563, four years after the succession of Elizabeth I to the throne. Leicester's lands in Warwickshire were worth between £500–£700{{#tag:ref|It is difficult to accurately compare 16th century and modern prices or incomes. Depending on the measure used, £500 in 1563 could equate to either £98,300 (using the retail price index) or £1,320,000 (using the average earnings index). A prosperous member of the gentry might expect an annual income of at least £500 during the period, with a wealthy knight like William Darrell, owning 25 manors, enjoying an annual income of around £2000.<ref name="Measuring Worth">Financial comparison based on average earnings; using the [http://www.measuringworth.com/index.php Measuring Worth] website. Retrieved 15 October 2010; Singman, p.36; Hall, p.10.</ref>|group=lower-alpha}}, but Leicester's power and wealth, including [[Monopoly#Historical monopolies|monopolies]] and grants of new lands, depended ultimately on his remaining a favourite of the queen.<ref>Asch, p.43.</ref>

Leicester continued his father's modernisation of Kenilworth, attempting to ensure that Kenilworth would attract the interest of Elizabeth during her regular tours around the country. Elizabeth visited in 1566 and 1568, by which time Leicester had commissioned the royal architect Henry Hawthorne to produce plans for a dramatic, classical extension of the south side of the inner court.<ref>Morris 2007, pp.22–35; Morris 2010, p.46.</ref> However, this proved unachievable, and instead Leicester employed William Spicer to rebuild and extend the castle to provide modern accommodation for the royal court and symbolically boost his own claims to noble heritage.<ref>Morris 2010, pp.46–7.</ref> After negotiation with his tenants, Leicester also increased the size of the chase once again.<ref>Adams, p.326.</ref> The result has been termed an English "Renaissance palace".<ref>Johnson 2002, p.142.</ref>

Elizabeth viewed the partially finished results at Kenilworth in 1572, but the complete effect of Leicester's work was only apparent during the queen's last visit in 1575.<ref name=HullWhitehorneMorrisP32P47>Hull and Whitehorne, p.32; Morris 2010, p.47.</ref> Leicester was keen to impress Elizabeth in a final attempt to convince her to marry him, and no expense was spared.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.53.">Morris 2010, p.53.</ref> Elizabeth brought an entourage of thirty-one barons and four hundred staff for the royal visit that lasted an exceptional nineteen days; twenty horsemen a day arrived at the castle to communicate royal messages.<ref>Hull and Whitehorne, p.32; Morris 2010, p.47; Johnson 2000, p.266.</ref> Leicester entertained the Queen and much of the neighbouring region with pageants, fireworks, [[bear baiting]], [[mystery play]]s, hunting and lavish banquets.<ref name="Hull and Whitehorne, p.32.">Hull and Whitehorne, p.32.</ref> The cost was reputed to have amounted to many thousand pounds, almost bankrupting Leicester, though it probably did not exceed £1,700{{#tag:ref|It is difficult to accurately compare 16th century and modern prices or incomes. Depending on the measure used, £1,700 in 1575 could equate to either £324,000 (using the retail price index) or £4,290,000 (using the average earnings index). For comparison, a wealthy knight like William Darrell, owning 25 manors, enjoyed an annual income of around £2000.<ref name="Measuring Worth"/>|group=lower-alpha}} in reality.<ref>Haynes, pp.119–120.</ref> The event was considered a huge success and formed the longest stay at such a property during any of Elizabeth's tours, yet the queen did not decide to marry Leicester.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.53."/>

An inventory of the furnishings of the castle in 1583 including paintings and tapestry runs to 50 pages.<ref>''HMC Lord De L'Isle & Dudley'', vol. 1 (London, 1925), pp.278-298.</ref> Eight tapestries had been bought from [[Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox]] with subjects including ''[[Josias]]'', ''[[Demophon of Athens|Demophon and Achilles]]'', and the ''[[Noah|History of Noah]]''.<ref>''HMC Report on the Manuscripts of Lord De L'Isle & Dudley at Penshurst Place, vol. 1 (London, 1925), pp.260-1.</ref> Kenilworth Castle was valued at £10,401{{#tag:ref|It is difficult to accurately compare 16th century and modern prices or incomes. Depending on the measure used, £10,401 in 1588 could equate to either £2,040,000 (using the retail price index) or £23,300,000 (using the average earnings index). For comparison, £10,401 was almost five times the income of a wealthy knight of the period such as like William Darrell, who owned 25 manors and enjoyed an annual income of around £2000.<ref name="Measuring Worth"/>|group=lower-alpha}} in 1588, when Leicester died without legitimate issue and heavily in debt.<ref>Sharpe, p.28.</ref> In accordance with his will, the castle passed first to his brother [[Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick|Ambrose, Earl of Warwick]], and after the latter's death in 1590, to his illegitimate son, [[Robert Dudley (explorer)|Sir Robert Dudley]].<ref name="ODNB RobDudley">Adams, Simon. (January 2008) [September 2004] [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8161 "Dudley, Sir Robert (1574–1649)"], ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', online (ed), Oxford University Press. {{doi|10.1093/ref:odnb/8161}} {{ODNBsub}}</ref>

===17th century===
[[File:Kenilworth Castle window in Leicester's gatehouse.jpg|thumb|upright|The interior of Leicester's gatehouse, converted into a domestic house by Colonel Hawkesworth after the [[English Civil War]]]]
Sir Robert Dudley, having tried and failed to establish his legitimacy in front of the Court of the [[Star Chamber]], went to Italy in 1605.<ref name="ODNB RobDudley"/> In the same year [[Sir Thomas Chaloner]], governor (and from 1610 chamberlain) to [[James I of England|James I's]] eldest son [[Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Henry]], was commissioned to oversee repairs to the castle and its grounds, including the planting of gardens, the restoration of fish-ponds and improvement to the game park.<ref>Westby-Gibson, p.459</ref> During 1611–12 Dudley arranged to sell Kenilworth Castle to Henry, by then Prince of Wales.<ref name="ODNB RobDudley"/> Henry died before completing the full purchase, which was finalised by his brother, [[King Charles I of England|Charles]],<ref>Sharpe, p.29</ref> who bought out the interest of Dudley's abandoned wife, [[Alice Dudley]].<ref name="ODNB RobDudley"/> When Charles became king, he gave the castle to his wife, [[Henrietta Maria]]; he bestowed the stewardship on [[Robert Carey, 1st Earl of Monmouth|Robert Carey, Earl of Monmouth]], and after his death gave it to Carey's sons [[Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth|Henry]] and [[Thomas Carey (English politician)|Thomas]].<ref>Sharpe, p.29; Morris 2010, p.48</ref> Kenilworth remained a popular location for both [[James I of England|King James I]] and his son Charles, and accordingly was well maintained.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.48."/> The most famous royal visit occurred in 1624, when [[Ben Jonson]]'s ''[[The Masque of Owls at Kenilworth]]'' was performed for Charles.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.48."/>

The [[First English Civil War]] broke out in 1642. During its early campaigns, Kenilworth formed a useful counterbalance to the Parliamentary stronghold of Warwick.<ref name="Roberts and Tincey, p.46.">Roberts and Tincey, p.46.</ref> Kenilworth was used by Charles on his advance to [[Battle of Edgehill|Edgehill]] in October 1642 as a base for raids on Parliamentary strongholds in the Midlands.<ref name="Roberts and Tincey, p.46."/> After the battle, however, the royalist garrison was withdrawn on the approach of [[Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke|Lord Brooke]], and the castle was then garrisoned by Parliamentary forces.<ref>Hughes, p.148</ref> In April 1643 the new governor of the castle, Hastings Ingram, was arrested as a suspected Royalist [[double agent]].<ref>Hughes, p.181</ref> By January 1645 the Parliamentary forces in Coventry had strengthened their hold on the castle, and attempts by Royalist forces to dislodge them from Warwickshire failed.<ref>Hutton, p.46</ref> Security concerns continued after the end of the [[First English Civil War|First Civil War]] in 1646, and in 1649 Parliament ordered the [[slighting]] of Kenilworth. One wall of the great tower, various parts of the outer bailey and the battlements were destroyed, but not before the building was surveyed by the antiquarian [[William Dugdale]], who published his results in 1656.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.50."/>

Colonel Joseph Hawkesworth, who was responsible for the implementation of the slighting, acquired the estate for himself and converted Leicester's gatehouse into a house; part of the base court was turned into a farm, and many of the remaining buildings were stripped for their materials.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.50."/> In 1660 [[King Charles II of England|Charles II]] was restored to the throne, and Hawkesworth was promptly evicted from Kenilworth.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.51.">Morris 2010, p.51.</ref> The Queen Mother, Henrietta Maria, briefly regained the castle, with the Earls of Monmouth acting as stewards once again, but after her death King Charles II granted the castle to [[Sir Edward Hyde]], whom he later created Baron Hyde of Hindon and Earl of Clarendon.<ref>Sharpe, p.29; Morris 2010, p.51.</ref> The ruined castle continued to be used as a farm, with the gatehouse as the principal dwelling; the King's Gate was added to the outer bailey wall during this period for the use of farm workers.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.51."/>

{{wide image|Kenilworth Castle - Hollar top panel.jpg|1000px|Kenilworth Castle from the south in 1649, adapted from the engraving by [[Wenceslaus Hollar]]. From left to right, the watergate; the relocated Pleasance; the Strong Tower, Gaunt's great hall and Saintlowe Tower; the state apartments and Gaunt's Tower; the top of the great tower; Leicester's building; Leicester's gatehouse; Mortimer's tower; the Tiltyard/causeway and the Gallery Tower. In the foreground is the Great Mere.}}
[[File:Baker KenilworthCastle HAGAM.jpg|thumb|213x213px|Kenilworth Village and Castle by [[Thomas Baker (artist)|Thomas Baker]], 1836]]

===18th and 19th centuries===
[[File:JMW Turner Kenilworth Castle 1830.jpg|thumb|''Kenilworth Castle'' by [[J. M. W. Turner]], {{circa|1830}}|209x209px]]
[[File:Kenilworth Castle by George Willis Pryce.png|thumb|''Kenilworth Castle'' by [[George Willis-Pryce]], {{Circa|1890}}|208x208px]]
Kenilworth remained a ruin during the 18th and 19th centuries, still used as a farm but increasingly also popular as a tourist attraction. The first guidebook to the castle, ''A Concise history and description of Kenilworth Castle'', was printed in 1777 with many later editions following in the coming decades.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.51."/><ref group=lower-alpha>See Sharpe, 1825 for the 25th edition of the original guidebook.</ref>
The castle's cultural prominence increased after Sir [[Walter Scott]] wrote ''[[Kenilworth (novel)|Kenilworth]]'' in 1821, describing the royal visit of Queen Elizabeth. Very loosely based on the events of 1575, Scott's story reinvented aspects of the castle and its history to tell the story of "the pathetic, beautiful, undisciplined heroine [[Amy Robsart]] and the steely Elizabeth I".<ref>Shaw, p.177.</ref> Although considered today as a less successful literary novel than some of his other historical works, it popularised Kenilworth Castle in the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] imagination as a romantic Elizabethan location.<ref>Morris 2010, pp.51–2; Shaw, p.177.</ref> ''Kenilworth'' spawned "numerous stage adaptations and [[burlesque]]s, at least eleven operas, popular [[redaction]]s, and even a scene in a set of [[diorama]]s for home display", including Sir [[Arthur Sullivan]]'s 1865 [[cantata]] ''[[The Masque at Kenilworth]]''.<ref>Hackett, p.60.</ref> [[J. M. W. Turner]] painted several watercolours of the castle.<ref>''[http://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/jmw-turner/joseph-mallord-william-turner-kenilworth-castle-from-the-south-west-r1148669 J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours]'', [[Tate]]. Retrieved 20 March 2016.</ref>
[[File:Kenilworth Castle by Francis Bedford.jpg|thumb|Francis Bedford (1816–1894), Kenilworth Castle, England, 1860s, albumen print, [https://www.nga.gov/research/library/imagecollections/features/caught-by-the-camera.html Department of Image Collections], National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC|209x209px]]
The number of visitors increased, including [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Charles Dickens]].<ref name="Morris 2010, p.52.">Morris 2010, p.52.</ref> Work was undertaken during the 19th century to protect the stonework from further decline, with particular efforts to remove [[ivy]] from the castle in the 1860s.<ref name="Morris 2010, p.52."/>

===20th and 21st centuries===
[[File:Kenilworth Castle During Floods.jpg|thumb|Flooded fields around the Castle (November 2012)|324x324px]]
The castle remained the property of the Clarendons until 1937, when [[George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon|Lord Clarendon]] found the maintenance of the castle too expensive and sold Kenilworth to the industrialist [[John Davenport Siddeley, 1st Baron Kenilworth|Sir John Siddeley]], created [[Baron Kenilworth]].<ref name="Morris 2010, p.52."/> Siddeley, whose tax accounting in the 1930s had been at least questionable, was keen to improve his public image and gave over the running of the castle, complete with a charitable donation, to the [[First Commissioner of Works|Commissioner of Works]].<ref>Smith, p.302.</ref> In 1958 his son gave the castle itself to the town of Kenilworth and [[English Heritage]] has managed the property since 1984 and is open to the public.<ref>Smith, p.302; Morris, p.52.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Places To Visit - Kenilworth Castle And Elizabethan Garden|url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenilworth-castle/|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=15 January 2019}}</ref> The castle is classed as a Grade I [[listed building]] and as a [[scheduled monument]].<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Kenilworth Castle|num=1035327|access-date=15 January 2019}}</ref>

Between 2005 and 2009, English Heritage attempted to restore Kenilworth's garden more closely to its Elizabethan form, using as a basis the description in the [[Langham letter]] and details from recent archaeological investigations.<ref>''[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.20667 Introduction to the Elizabethan Garden]'', English Heritage. Retrieved 10 October 2010.</ref> The reconstruction cost more than £2&nbsp;million and was criticised by some archaeologists as being a "matter of simulation as much as reconstruction", due to the limited amount of factual information on the nature of the original gardens.<ref>Greene and Moore, p.298.</ref> In 2008 plans were put forward to re-create and flood the original Great Mere around the castle. As well as re-creating the look of the castle it was hoped that a new mere would be part of the ongoing flood alleviation plan for the area and that the lake could be used for boating and other waterside recreations.<ref>'{{cite web|url=http://www.warwickdc.gov.uk/WDC/Your-Council/News/Warwick+District+Council+Archived+News/News+-+2008/Float+your+boat+in+Kenilworth+Moat.htm|title=Float Your Boat in Kenilworth Moat|publisher=Warwick District Council|date=5 December 2008|access-date=4 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927181140/http://www.warwickdc.gov.uk/WDC/Your-Council/News/Warwick+District+Council+Archived+News/News+-+2008/Float+your+boat+in+Kenilworth+Moat.htm|archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref>

Since 2017 an exhibition, 'Speed and Power: John Siddeley, Pioneer of the Motor Age' has been on display.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenilworth-castle/things-to-do/ |title=Things to see and do|work=Kenilworth Castle |access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref> [[BBC One]]'s ''[[Antiques Roadshow]]'' was filmed at the castle in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000t18g|title=Kenilworth Castle 1, Antiques Roadshow, Series 43|publisher=[[bbc.co.uk]]|date=7 March 2021|access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref>
{{wide image|Panorama of Kenilworth Castle from Gibbet Hill.jpg|1100px|Kenilworth Castle viewed from the south-west, where the [[Mere (lake)|Great Mere]] used to be}}

In June 2024, during a project to improve accessibility at the site for pedestrians and wheelchair users,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Giant catapult shots from 1266 attack discovered at Kenilworth Castle |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about-us/search-news/kenilworth-catapult-shots-discovered/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=English Heritage}}</ref> eight thirteenth-century catapult shots were discovered in the grounds of the Castle. They ranged between 1kg and 105kg in weight.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lawson |first1=Eleanor |title=Catapult shots from 13th Century found at castle |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1vvkxwg11zo |access-date=11 June 2024 |work=BBC News |date=11 June 2024}}</ref> The shots have been dated to the 1266 siege, with reference to a similar find unearthed in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Sonja |date=12 June 2024 |title=Catapult Shots Fired During 13th-Century Siege Unearthed at British Castle |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-catapult-fired-stones-found-at-a-british-castle-were-part-of-a-13th-century-siege-180984520/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> Dr Coutts, Principal Historic Buildings Officer at Archaeology Warwickshire, has also said of the find that "these shots were found pretty much where they would have fallen, [so] we've been able to extrapolate where the siege camps could have been located around the castle."<ref name=":0" />