The house was surrounded on 1 November 1645 by forces led by Colonel John Hutchinson and Colonel-General Sydnam Poyntz. The summons to surrender was rejected by Philip Stanhope. Lucy Hutchinson, the wife of Colonel John Hutchinson, described some of the tactics of the defenders: The house was stormed on 3 November. The attack started at 4 o'clock and lasted just half an hour. Stanhope was killed and many defenders (160 Royalists) were massacred, and 140 were taken prisoner. Shelford House was plundered for valuables and burnt to the ground. On the following day, Colonel-General Sydnam Poyntz moved to Wiverton Hall in Nottinghamshire which suffered the same fate. The house was rebuilt after the civil war (c.1678) by another son of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield, Arthur Stanhope (1627–1677). This building still exists, although it has now been vacated by the Stanhopes. The site is now used as a farm.