Fotheringhay Castle

Fotheringhay Castle, also known as Fotheringay Castle, was a High Middle Age Norman Motte-and-bailey castle in the village of Fotheringhay 3+1⁄2 miles (6 kilometres) to the north of the market town of Oundle, Northamptonshire, England (grid reference TL061930). It was probably founded around 1100 by Simon de Senlis, Earl of Northampton. In 1113, possession passed to Prince David of Scotland when he married Simon's widow. The castle then descended with the Scottish princes until the early 13th century, when it was confiscated by King John of England.

By 1220, Fotheringhay Castle was controlled by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester. In January the following year, it was briefly captured by William II de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle, in his rebellion against King Henry III. Forz abandoned the castle, Henry III took it under his control, and Fotheringhay remained in royal hands until the reign of Edward II. It was a favoured residence of the Dukes of York, and King Richard III was born there in 1452. It was also the final place of imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was tried and executed in the castle in 1587.

The castle was dismantled in the 1630s and most of the masonry was removed, leaving only the earthworks. The site is protected as a Scheduled Monument and is open to the public.

Text adapted from “Fotheringhay Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Fotheringhay Castle ranks #505 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #39 of the 329 mapped in England. Founded c. 1100, it is older than 87% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 317 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 17,159 times in the last 60 days, more than 96% of the atlas. 3 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Cambridge, 52 km away. See how England compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗