The rise and fall of the castle where a queen met her end
In short: Fotheringhay Castle was once a formidable Norman stronghold and a favoured residence of the Dukes of York. Today, only earthworks remain of the site where Richard III was born and Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed. Its history spans centuries of royal intrigue, rebellion, and eventual systematic destruction.
Founded around 1100 by Simon de Senlis, Fotheringhay Castle began as a classic motte-and-bailey fortification in Northamptonshire. Its strategic importance was clear from the start, as it passed through the hands of Scottish princes and English kings alike. By the 15th century, it had become the principal seat of the Dukes of York. It was here that Richard III was born in 1452, and the castle served as a power base for his father, Richard, Duke of York, during the turbulent Wars of the Roses.
The castle is perhaps most infamous as the final prison of Mary, Queen of Scots. After eighteen years of captivity elsewhere, she was moved to Fotheringhay, where she stood trial in the Great Hall in October 1586. Following her conviction for treason, she spent her final night in the castle chapel before her execution on a scaffold within the Great Hall on 8 February 1587. This event marked a grim chapter in the site's history, cementing its place in cultural memory, later appearing in works ranging from Donizetti's 1835 opera Maria Stuarda to Sandy Denny’s 1969 folk song.
Despite its royal pedigree, the castle's decline was swift. By the late Elizabethan period, it had fallen into disrepair. A report from 1635 described the structure as ruinous, and it was completely dismantled shortly thereafter, with most of its masonry removed. Today, the site is a protected Scheduled Monument. Visitors can still see the earthworks and the remains of the motte, which measures 70 metres in diameter at its base, offering a glimpse into the scale of a fortress that once dominated the Nene valley.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Fotheringhay Castle
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