Places: Fotheringhay Castle, Nottinghamshire, England

Some places are known for the tragedies that took place there.  Fotheringhay Castle in Nottinghamshire, England will always be associated with February 8, 1587, a day of infamy to Scots everywhere as the execution date of Mary Queen of Scots.  However, long before Mary there was an association with Scotland, and with impending tragedy.

William the Conqueror granted the property that would become Fotheringhay to the wife of the Earl of Northumberland.  Her daughter, Maud, married two powerful men, Simon de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon, and later Prince David of Scotland, who became Earl of Huntingdon after Simon's death and on his marriage to Maud.  What's a Scottish prince doing with a castle in England?  Nobles of the time owned property in many different areas besides their own native land.  Scottish princes were often at the English court, either as exiles or hostages and it was more convenient to give them property of their own to support their stay.  David I later became King of Scots, but held on to the property, which passed down to other Scottish princes until the reign of King John.  John, excommunicated by the Pope and ever suspicious of the loyalty of his barons, demanded that the then Earl of Huntingdon, another David, send his sons as hostages and turn over Fotheringhay Castle.  In 1215, as part of the terms of Magna Carta, some barons managed to recover their confiscated lands and the Earls of Huntingdon recovered Fotheringhay.

But not for long.  In 1218, David of Huntingdon rebelled against King Henry III and the castle was permanently forfeited to the crown.  It was granted to William Marshal, Jr., 2nd Earl of Pembroke.  Later, the castle was granted to the 1st Earl of Kent when he married the then-King of Scotland's sister.  It would pass to the Earl of Albermarle before Henry III retained the castle again.  The castle remained in royal hands until the reign of Richard II, when he gave it to a cousin, John of Brittany, Earl of Richmond.  John's daughter inherited the property, but died in 1377 and the castle changed hands again, going to Edward III's son, Edmund of Langley.  Edmund was the 1st Duke of York and we know where this story is heading.  The castle became a favorite residence of the Dukes of York, including Richard, 3rd Duke of York and his formidable wife, Cecily Neville.  Several of their children were born there, including Richard of Gloucester, the future Richard III, who first opened his eyes on this earth in 1452.  The castle remained in the York family until Cecily Neville's death, when it again reverted to the Crown.

None of the Tudors took an interest in the castle, until it became a needed prison for Mary, Queen of Scots.  There were several reasons for this.  Elizabeth I generally kept Mary in places that were far enough from the border to prevent her escaping back to Scotland, but far enough from London that Mary wouldn't think to make a mad dash there, either.  Mary was beheaded in the castle's great hall in February, 1587 and the castle was abandoned again.  Over time, it fell into ruin.  Locals carted away the stones for their own use, and today only the outline and one foundation stone remain.  The stone is surrounded by a fence commemorating the site as Richard's birthplace, and Mary's execution site.