From the middle of the sixteenth century the Uhrovec estate belonged to the Zay family, and stayed theirs until the end of the Kingdom of Hungary — long enough that the village itself was called Zay-Ugróc after them. Under the Zays this was not simply a farming village but a small craft town holding the right to keep markets, which is why it has something like a centre and a memory of guilds. The family ran the estate from the castle at first, then in 1613 built themselves a Renaissance manor house down among the houses and moved into it. Comfort beat defence: from then on the castle was an office and a storehouse, and the manor was home.Od polovice šestnásteho storočia patrilo uhrovské panstvo Zayovcom a zostalo im až do zániku Uhorska — tak dlho, že sama obec sa po nich volala Zay-Ugróc. Za Zayovcov to nebola len poľnohospodárska dedina, ale remeselné mestečko s trhovým právom, a preto má čosi ako centrum a pamäť na cechy. Panstvo najprv riadili z hradu, no v roku 1613 si postavili dolu medzi domami renesančný kaštieľ a presťahovali sa doň. Pohodlie zvíťazilo nad obranou: hrad odvtedy slúžil ako kancelária a sklad, domovom bol kaštieľ.
