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Earls of Shrewsbury occupied the castle from 1412 when the Lady Ankarat de Verdun married Sir John Talbot – the title remained in the same family until the 1920's.
Charles Talbot (15th Earl of Shrewsbury) nephew John Talbot (16th Earl of Shrewsbury) took over the state and set about creating the Alton Towers we know today from Alton Abbey. John moved the seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury to Alton Towers and was well known as a generous man who supported both schools and churches.
Talbot was originally the British marque used to sell imported French Clement Bayard cars. Founded in 1903, this business venture was financed by Charles Chetwynd Talbot – 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Aldolphe Clement-Bayard.
Web links
All about the Earls of Shrewsbury http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_of_Shrewsbury
History of Alton Towers http://old.towerstimes.co.uk/history/history/ & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Alton_Towers
Alton Towers Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_towers
Alton Towers Home Page http://www.altontowers.com/
History of Talbot Cars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talbot