A home that brings modern luxury to a castle built by one of the heroes of Agincourt

It's easy to think of medieval society as strictly hierarchical, but there was always give-and-take — and the story of Sir Thomas Tunstall demonstrates this perfectly. Born in 1358, Tunstall was a landowner and knight in the northern reaches of Lancashire who offered his loyalty and military service, and that of his men, to the King.

Sometimes that worked in his favour. In 1402, he was granted a licence by the King to fortify his manor house, creating Thurland Castle, and to enclose 1,000 acres of land — something which would have enriched him greatly.

Being a friend of the King during the Hundred Years War was a risky business, however, as Tunstall discovered in 1415. In April of that year, with Henry V having come to the throne, Tunstall agreed an indenture agreement with the King (which survives to this day), setting out the terms of his compensation for him and his men for leaving their home, and crossing the English Channel to support Henry's military campaign in France.

On October 25 that year, the Battle of Agincourt took place; Sir Thomas fulfilled his promise, and ended up dying 11 days after the battle. No records survive, but we can safely assume that Sir Thomas succumbed to wounds sustained during what was a famous victory for the English troops.

The home Sir Thomas never returned to, Thurland Castle, survives to this day — though it's much changed, not least by Oliver Cromwell who, according to local legend, personally took part in its destruction during the Civil War. Cromwell's handiwork was comprehensively repaired in following years, becoming a home rather than a castle, but it largely burnt down in 1876, and had to be rebuilt again.

They've had better luck since then, you'll be pleased to know: Thurland Castle is in fine form these days, particularly in the shape of a home within the castle that is currently for sale: Musgrave House.

This beautiful four-bedroom home is effectively the West Wing of the castle, sitting in a wonderful position overlooking the medieval moat.

It's laid out on the simplest of floorplans, as a simple rectangular home. Downstairs, There's a kitchen — designed by Tom Howley — with a utility room, a separate dining room, snug (with its own cloakroom) and a large lounge.

The dining room opens out on to the terrace area, and the gardens beyond.

The first floor is accessed either via the stairs in one corner of the living room, or otherwise via one of the property's most handsome features: a wrought-iron spiral staircase, which wends its way up from the dining room to the landing corridor above.

The whole place is done up beautifully, it has to be said, and together with the fact that the grounds are communal, and secured and tended as part of the castle estate, makes this that rarest of birds: a castle home that's pretty much maintenance-free.

As the agents coyly put it, the property 'is particularly well suited to those seeking a luxurious lock-up-and-leave lifestyle' — in other words, a high-end holiday home ready to be rented out.

Thurland Castle has actually featured in Country Life before: it came up for sale in 1985, with the whole thing being advertised for 'offers over £500,000.

At the time, there was a suggestion (and indeed permission in place) to turn it into either a hotel or a nursing home. Instead, it became a series of apartments on this pretty spot.

We're pretty sure Sir Thomas would be glad that it remained as a home — though we'd love to know what he'd have made of the swish bathroom fittings, flatscreen TV and the Aga in the kitchen.

Musgrave House, within the grounds of Thurland Castle, is for sale through Finest — see more details.