Strategically located high on a hilltop, Launceston Castle was built by the Normans to control the main route between Cornwall and Devon. The traditional motte and bailey castle was fortified and extended several times to become the only walled town in Cornwall. It largely served as an administrative headquarters and as a base for assize courts for the Earl of Cornwall. It later became a prison, its most famous inmate being George Fox, the founder of Quakerism. It became derelict in the 19th century and today the ruins are cared for by English Heritage.