Mary Bankes Lady Mary Bankes " née " Hawtry ( c . 1598 – 11 April 1661 ) was a Royalist who defended Corfe Castle from a three - year siege during the English Civil War from 1643 to 1646 . She was married to Sir John Bankes , Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and Attorney - General of King Charles I . Marriage and children . Mary Hawtry was born in about 1598 , the only daughter of Ralph Hawtry , Esquire of Ruislip , Middlesex , and Mary Altham . In about 1618 , she married Sir John Bankes , who later became Attorney - General to King Charles I and Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas . In 1635 , Sir John purchased Corfe Castle in Dorset with all its manors , rights , and privileges from Lady Elizabeth Coke . Sir John died on 28 December 1644 at the age of 55 . Together Sir John and Lady Mary had four sons and six daughters : Siege . In 1643 , when civil war broke out in England , she assumed control of Corfe Castle when John Bankes had been ordered by the king to travel to York . She sent her sons away for safety and remained behind with her daughters , servants , and a force of five men . In May 1643 , a force of Parliamentarians , comprising between 200 and 300 men under the command of Sir Walter Erle attacked the castle but never succeeded in capturing it . She asked for aid and a troop of 80 men under the command of Captain Robert Lawrence arrived to reinforce the garrison . In June , Commander Erle renewed his attack along with Captains Sydenham , Jarvis and Scott , a force of 500 - 600 men , and two siege engines . With Captain Lawrence ' s troops protecting the Middle Ward and the better part of the garrison , Mary and her small group defended the Upper Ward and by heaving stones and hot embers from the battlements , managed to repel the assailants , killing and wounding over 100 men . In 1646 , one of her officers , Colonel Pitman , betrayed her by leading a party of Parliamentarians into the castle via a sally gate . The Parliamentarians under the command of a Colonel Bingham reversed their jackets and were mistaken for Royalists . As a result she was forced to surrender the castle . However , because she showed such courage she was allowed to keep the keys of the castle , which are now held at Kingston Lacy near Wimborne Minster , Dorset . The castle was blown up by gunpowder the same year it was captured by the orders of the House of Commons . It is recorded that her sons Ralph and Jerome bought the manor of Eastcourt on her behalf . Upon her death , the manor passed to her daughter Joanna Borlase , who in her turn passed it on to her daughters and co - heirs Death . Lady Mary died on 11 April 1661 and was buried in St Martin ' s Church , Ruislip . On the south wall of the chancel inside the church there is a monument to Mary with this inscription : " To the memory of Lady Mary Bankes , the only daughter of Ralph Hawtery , of Riselip , in the county of Middlesex , esq . , the wife and widow of Sir John Bankes , knight , late Lord Chief Justice of His Majesty ' s court of Common Pleas , and of the Privy Council of His Majesty King Charles I of blessed memory , who having had the honour to have borne with a constancy and courage above her sex , a noble proportion of the late calamities , and the restitution of the government , with great peace of mind laid down her most desired life the 11th day of April 1661 . Sir Ralph Bankes her son and heir hath dedicated this " . Lady Bankes Infant and Junior Schools are named after her , in Ruislip Manor .