Fotheringhay Castle

Fotheringhay Castle stands in the quiet village of Fotheringhay, 6 kilometres north of Oundle in Northamptonshire. It was a Norman motte-and-bailey castle built around 1100 by Simon de Senlis, Earl of Northampton. The castle passed to Scottish princes through marriage and later became a royal possession. Richard, Duke of York, made it his main home and his sons Edward IV and Richard III were born there. Mary, Queen of Scots, was tried and executed in the castle in 1587. The castle’s history includes sieges, royal grants and political intrigue. Ranulf de Blondeville held it in the 13th century before King Henry III took control. During the Wars of the Roses it remained a Yorkist stronghold. Elizabeth I visited in 1566 and Mary, Queen of Scots, spent her last days imprisoned there. Today only earthworks and scattered masonry remain. The site offers wide views along the Nene valley from its raised motte. The inner bailey once held a great hall and other buildings, but the castle was dismantled in the 17th century. The surviving remains are protected as a Scheduled Monument and open to visitors.