Dudley Castle was garrisoned by Royalist troops during the English Civil War & was twiced besieged.
Popular legend maintains that the Castle was bombarded from Kates Hill in the first siege of 1644. The seige was raised by a Royalist relief column & as a result of this skirmish was fought at nearby Tipton Green.
In 1646 a renewed attempt on the castle was made under the command of Sir William Brereton, a formidable parliamentarian general.
The Royalist, Colonel Leveson, surrendered the castle on the 13th May, 1646. He rode out of the castle accompanied by 340 men. For Dudley the Civil War was over.
Despite Brereton's contention that the castle should be preserved as a parliamentarian stronghold, Dudley Castle suffered the fate of so many of England's noble fortresses. In 1647, by order of parliament, the Keep, gatehouse & various portions of the curtain wall were slighted. Dudle Castle would never again play a part in the military history of England.