Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder built Donnington Castle in 1386 under a licence granted by Richard II. It was roughly rectangular, with a curtain wall, a round tower at each corner and two square towers midway along the north and south walls. The courtyard measured 67 feet (20 meters) north to south and 108 feet (33 meters) east to west.
In 1398 it was sold to Thomas Chaucer as a residence for his daughter Alice. Henry VIII visited in 1539 and Elizabeth I in 1568.
In the Civil War Sir John Boys held it for the King. Parliamentarians besieged it from October 1644, and the garrison held out for 18 months before Boys surrendered in April 1646. Parliament then voted to demolish the castle, leaving only the twin-towered gatehouse. English Heritage cares for the ruins, and the site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
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