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Elizabeth I it was actually given from royal ownership into the hands of the Lord Chancellor, Sir Christopher Hatton, in 1572. Hatton is often described as a suitor to Elizabeth as well as being her dance teacher. Hatton made into a comfortable stately home.

By 1636 the castle was sold to Sir John Bankes, who was Charles I's Attorney General and Lord Chief Justice. It was though only to be used as a holiday home rather than a main residence, during the civil war though it was a focus for Royalist resistance in Dorset. The death of Sir John Bankes early in the Civil War though left the defence of the castle to Lady Mary Bankes. It was Brave Dame Mary who managed to see of a six week siege in 1643. Two years later though the Parliamentarians returned to lay siege.

The castle stayed firm though, despite the use of cannons against the defensive walls. A two month siege only ended in 1646 when a member of the defensive force betrayed the royalists and let the besieging forces into the castle. To ensure that the castle could never again hold out the walls were systematically destroyed by undermining the walls with explosives. The debris was used by the villagers of Corfe Castle to construct houses in the village; an impressive amount of the castle still remains though.

With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the castle could well have been rebuilt. The Bankes family though had no real desire to live in a castle and so built their new home at Kingston Lacy a number of miles away near Wimborne.

The ruins of the castle now belong to the National Trust as it was left as part of the Kingston Lacy estate as bequeathed by Ralph Bankes in 1981. As such the castle is open to the general public all year round; in fact the castle is only shut on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The castle hosts an open air theatre and living history exhibit, as well as guided tours that can last for up to 90 minutes. In addition to tourists Corfe Castle is a favourite destination for school parties who can be seen climbing all over the mound and ruins.

The castle is a great destination for everyone, though and adults can enter the castle for GBP5.60, with children at half that price. At very reasonable prices it is no wonder that almost 200,000 people visit each year. Remember though that whilst it is accessible to those in wheelchairs, it may be a struggle to get around the whole castle.

Corfe Castle village is now one of the county's most popular tourist destinations. Corfe Castle is more than

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