Acton Burnell Castle Acton Burnell Castle is a 13th - century fortified manor house , located near the village of Acton Burnell , Shropshire , England ( ) . It is believed that the first Parliament of England at which the Commons were fully represented was held here in 1283 . Today all that remains is the outer shell of the manor house and the gable ends of the barn . It is a Grade I listed building of the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest . Initial building . The manor house was built in 1284 by Robert Burnell , Bishop of Bath and Wells , friend and advisor to King Edward I . Its position was important at the time because it was near to the old Roman road of Watling Street . The extent of the estate is not known , as much of the building has been completely destroyed or remains undiscovered . It would have been substantial enough to accommodate Edward I and his retinue , soldiers and advisers , but was never an actual castle . Robert Burnell was granted a royal licence to crenellate and fortify the manor on 28 January 1284 , a benefit only extended to trusted people . The building was rectangular with a tower at each corner . It was three storeys high consisting of a hall , solar , bedrooms , offices , chapel and kitchen . Robert Burnell also built the nearby Church of St Mary and the surrounding village . Prior to this , in the autumn of 1283 , Edward I had held a Parliament at Acton Burnell , presumably in the adjacent great barn , the only building large enough . It is significant in that it was the first time in English history that the law - making process included the Commons . The law passed became known as the Statute of Acton Burnell , a law giving protection to creditors , indicating the increasing significance of traders during those times . Subsequent owners . When Robert Burnell died in 1292 , the estate was passed down through the family line , eventually becoming owned by the Lovels of Titchmarsh , via a marriage . Following the Battle of Stoke Field in 1487 , the land was confiscated by Henry VII , who in turn granted it to Thomas Howard , 2nd Duke of Norfolk . By the time it passed to the Smythe family in the mid - 17th century , it had been mostly demolished . Today Acton Burnell Castle is maintained by English Heritage . All that remains open to the public is the shell of the former private residence , accessible via a footpath through a small wood . Acton Burnell Hall . This hall was built near to the castle in 1814 by the Smythe family . The hall is in classical style and is a Grade II * listed building . It is surrounded by parkland , with two lakes and a Gothic folly ( Sham Castle ) . This folly has round towers , gothic windows and dates to 1780 , standing on a mound in a field surrounded by trees . Acton Burnell Castle was another folly in the grounds . Large entrance doors were knocked through the private residence buildings . A pyramid roof structure was placed on top of a tower , turning it into a dovecote . Monks from the monastery of St Gregory ’ s , Douai , took refuge with Edward Smythe , the 5th baronet , until his death , whereupon they moved to Downside , Somerset in 1814 . The relatively modern Hall and surrounding land is now a privately owned college , " Concord College " . The gable ends of the great barn , where the parliament sat , survive and are situated on the private land .