During the English Civil War, after Windsor Castle was captured by parliamentarian forces, the Royalist army moved into Eton and attempted to retake the town, occupying the college. Efforts to retake Windsor were unsuccessful and the royalists eventually fled. The population was 3,526 by 1841. The college sometimes leased small plots of land to the village as an act of charity, leading to the construction of houses near the bridge. Scholars at the college also used to collect “salt” (money) from the inns of Eton High Street. This practice continued until 1845 when a scholar refused to associate with the inns because they were a “temptation” to Eton students. Eton was favourably modernised and was the first village in the UK to have its own post office and modern drainage system.