In the civil wars the castle was
defended for the king by the rector of Ashwell, co. Rutland. In 1649,
the parliament ordered it to be demolished; satisfaction was, however,
made to the earl, whose son rebuilt the castle after the Restoration.
John, the ninth earl, succeeded his father in 1679. He preferred the
baronial retirement and rural quiet of Belvoir, to the busy court;
though he was created Marquess of Granby, in the county of Nottingham,
and Duke of Rutland. He died in 1710-11, and was succeeded by his son
John;[4] whose eldest son became the third Duke of Rutland, and was
the last of the family who resided at Haddon, Derbyshire. He died in
1779, and was succeeded by his grandson, Charles, Lord Ros, fourth
duke, who died lord lieutenant of Ireland in 1787, when his son John
Henry, the present and fifth duke succeeded to the titles and estates.
[3] As illustrative of the folly and superstition of the times,
it may be interesting to explain this. Joan Flower, and her two
daughters, who were servants at Belvoir Castle, having
been dismissed the family, in revenge, made use of all the
enchantments, spells, and charms, that were at that time supposed
to answer their malicious purposes. Henry, the eldest son, died
soon after their dismissal; but no suspicion of witchcraft arose
till five years after, when the three women, who are said to have
entered into a formal contract with the devil, were accused of
"murdering Henry Lord Ros by witchcraft, and torturing the Lord
Francis, his brother, and Lady Catharine, his sister.
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