 Many royal forests in England had a castle headquarters of this sort.In addition to serving as a residence, pleas were heard, poachers sometimes imprisoned and forest officers housed there.Despite its role as an administrative base for crown land, Ashley Castle appears always to have been considered as part of the manor of Ashley rather than as crown property, and the interests of the wardens were often allowed to overrule the interest of the sovereigns whose property they were supposed to be protecting.