The mysterious ruined castle an hour from Coventry where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner

VaselineMay 26, 2024

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The mysterious ruined castle an hour from Coventry where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner

Today, the village of Tutbury, nestled by the River Dove on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border, is a quiet place. But it once played an important role in the historical events of Great Britain.

On a hill overlooking the village is a castle, now in ruins since it was devastated in the English Civil War. Less than a hundred years before it was a home – or prison – for Mary, Queen of Scots.

And here she is believed to have been involved in the plot that led to her death. After her final stay in Tutbury, Mary was taken to Fotheringhay, where she was executed just a month after her arrival.

Read more: The secret castle near Coventry with a moat, a ghost and a sunken garden

But the history of Tutbury Castle is not just about Mary, Queen of Scots. With a naturally defensive position, it is believed to have been an occupied area since the Stone Age, with the castle itself dating back to the Norman era when the new regime stamped its authority on the Midlands. Over the years it has been visited by many English kings and was the home of John of Gaunt, 2nd Duke of Lancaster.

By the time of Mary’s incarceration there as a prisoner of Queen Elizabeth, the castle was less familiar. Queen Mary was said to hate the castle, where she was held on several occasions between 1569 and 1585, and described it as “sitting directly on the top of a mountain in the middle of a plain”.

Mary Queen of Scots(Image: Daily Record)

The castle fell to Parliamentary forces in 1646 during the English Civil War and was destroyed after a siege.

Today, the castle ruins are open to the public, and while it doesn’t have the fame of a place like Warwick Castle, there’s plenty to keep families busy, including events, re-enactments and ghost hunts. Plus, admission costs a fraction of the price.