Fotheringhay Castle today may just look like a mound of earth, or a hill surrounded by
a ditch and a fence, but it’s story is linked closely to some of the most significant events
of the Medieval and Tudor Period. The only stone work that remains of the castle is part
of the wall surrounded by a metal fence, but it’s an incredible place to visit. Hidden
behind a farm, it’s the place where the most shocking execution of the reign of Elizabeth
I took place, and it’s also the place where Richard III one of the most notorious kings
of England was born. So join us today as we look at Fotheringhay Castle, and remember
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A castle was created at Fotheringhay following the Norman Conquest around the year 1100.
It sits next to the River Nene, and was owned at one point by David the King of Scotland.
The Castle passed through Scottish princes, and during the Medieval period it say a lot
of action. It was taken during the Second Barons’ War, and successive Kings of England
granted the castle to many different princes. It is a castle that is linked mostly to the
House of York, and today these links can still be seen as inside of the local Church there
is much iconography devoted to the Yorkist dynasty. Interestingly much of the stonework
for the church came from parts of the castle. Fotheringhay Castle was the favourite residence
for Richard the Duke of York, who was married to Cecily Neville. They were an influential
family, and together the couple fathered two sons who would go on to be future Kings of
England, Edward IV and Richard III.
Richard III was born actually inside of Fotheringhay Castle in 1452, and he went onto becoming
one of the most iconic and notorious English Kings. Richard has been portrayed in Shakesapeare
as the ultimate villain, mostly due to his suspected involvement in the death of his
nephews the Princes in the Tower, whom he was supposed to be protecting. Following this,
Richard then seized the throne for himself, deposing the young to be Edward V before he
even had time to be crowned. It was suspected that Edward was murdered along with his brother
on the orders of Richard, but Richard’s reign ultimately came to an end two years
later following his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field during the Wars of the Roses.
He was slain on the battlefield allegedly close to Henry Tudor, but his whole life began
inside the confines of Fotheringhay Castle, which today doesn’t stand.
The most historically significant event that took place at the castle was the execution
of Mary Queen of Scots. Mary had been imprisoned for 18 years after fleeing Scotland, and Elizabeth
I kept a close eye on her. However she began to become implicated in a number of different
plots, and one of these was the Babington Plot. This saw Anthony Babington along with
other conspirators communicate with Mary via coded messages, and it was planned to break
the Scottish Queen out of prison and assassinate Elizabeth. She became embroiled in the Catholic
plot to place her on the throne, after the planned murder of Elizabeth I. However after
Francis Walsingham’s spy network uncovered the full scope of the plan, Mary Queen of
Scots was placed on trial and was convicted of treason. Fotheringhay Castle at this time
was used as a state prison, and her trial took place inside the Great Hall on the 5th
October 1586.
The Great Hall today would be found at the bottom of the Bailey. The mound of earth that
stands held the keep, but there were separate buildings below the keep, such as the Great
Hall, the Chapel and also lodgings. This area also contained the kitchens and bakehouse,
as well as other gatehouses, but today nothing stands and it is only the grassed piece of
land you can see today. But it was inside here where Mary’s execution took place.
It was said that, ‘On February 7th 1587, the representatives of the English Queen reached
the castle of Fotheringhay, where the Queen of Scotland was confined at that time, between
two and three o’clock in the afternoon. They read their commission regarding the execution
of the prisoner, and said that they would proceed with their task the next morning between
7 and 8 o’clock. The jailer was ordered to have everything ready.’ Mary inside the
castle begged for more time to arrange her affairs, but she was told she must die and
to be ready for the specific time in the morning, saying her execution could not be delayed.
Inside of Fotheringhay, Mary then spent the rest of the day and the early hours writing
good-bye letters to friends and family, and saying goodbye to her ladies in waiting, and
she spent much time in prayer. The Scaffold had been created in the middle of a large
room, assumed to have been the Great Hall, and it measured 12 feet along and 2 feet in
height, and was covered by linen cloth. Upon her execution time, Mary entered the room
full of grace as if she was attending a ball rather than her death. She asked for help
onto the scaffold, and once on there she rejected the Protestant minister she had been provided,
and asked her ladies to help her remove her head-dress. The executioner asked for her
forgiveness, and Mary gave him this which was customary, and then she prepared for her
death. She said goodbye to her ladies, and then a handkerchief was placed over her eyes.
She then laid her head on the block, and the execution was performed poorly.
Mary Queen of Scots’ head was not taken off in one clean strike. The first strike
embedded the axe into her neck, but it did not severe her head from her body. The next
strike did not either, and in fact the executioner used his axe like a saw following the two
strikes. After this the executioner picked up her head, declared ‘God save Queen Elizabeth,’
however Mary was wearing a wig and her head then fell onto the floor. All of her possessions
were then burned to prevent relics being taken of the Catholic Queen. The Castle was clearly
an important site, and must have been seen as a valuable prison to hold prize assets
such as Mary, however within 50 years of her execution it was in a ruined state.
Today hardly anything exists of Fotheringhay Castle apart from the earthworks and a small
amount of masonry that remains. But this would have been one of the highest thought of fortifications
across Medieval and Tudor England, as it was deemed a place to house the most valuable
prisoner of Elizabeth I’s reign. It was a Motte and Bailey Castle, flanked by the
River Nene that added some defence too. It was a mighty castle, but today its incredibly
sad that nothing stands except the earthworks. It would have been a brilliant place to visit,
and it’s a place that holds such a rich history, and it was the setting of one of
Tudor England’s most shocking executions.
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Once again thanks for watching.