The Shrawardine estate, around the ancient Castle of Shrawardine, was in medieval times a possession of the FitzAlan family. The Castle was, in their time, known as ‘Castle Isabel’ – probably taking its name from either Isabel de Albini, or d’Aubigny, the wife of John FitzAlan, or, by corruption, from Isabella de Mortimer, the wife of his son and namesake. The FitzAlans sold the estate after 1583 when they were fined £10,000 for treasonable offences, and the property was acquired by Sir Thomas Bromley, Lord Chancellor. At the time of the Civil War, the Castle was the seat of his grandson Henry Bromley, High Sheriff of Shropshire, who was also one of the King’s Commission of Array.

In the church register at Shrawardine there is a note made by the then rector, Thomas Browne:

Much of the settlement of Shrawardine including the church was destroyed by fire for the purpose of preserving the Garrison and, Browne continues, within the Castle

The Bromleys thereafter seated themselves at Holt Castle in Worcestershire.

Sir William Vaughan’s tough stance in the skirmishes earned him the nickname of ‘the Devil of Shrawardine’ and the Castle was left as a mere pile of ruins and outworks.