Women on the Frontline

A look at the battle to save the homes of two formidable women who refused to bow down to the enemies at their gates but who suffered very different fates after the English Civil War.

In west London, on the banks of the river Thames, sits one of the grandest Stuart residences in England – Ham House. Ham was home to Elizabeth Murray, who would become the Duchess of Lauderdale. From a staunchly Royalist family, she was able to find personal favour with Cromwell while secretly supporting the future Charles II. Richly rewarded for her loyalty, many of her most prized possessions are in desperate need of repair and conservation.

Watching over the Purbeck Hills in Dorset are the remains of Corfe Castle, home to another set of Royalists - the Bankes family - who suffered a very different fate. Lord Bankes's wife, Mary, is said to have personally defended the castle against Parliamentarian forces until a traitor in her ranks let the besiegers in. Now, the National Trust are undertaking their biggest ever conservation project at the castle.