Tutbury Castle

Located within Staffordshire, England, Tutbury Castle stands today as a reminder of the English monarchy's turbulent past. Starting as a Saxon fort, the site was granted as a gift by William the Conqueror, and over time became owned by the Duchy of Lancaster. The owners of Tutbury Castle have been involved in conflicts against the reigning monarch of the time, leading to the castle undergoing multiple seiges and confiscation to the Crown. Mary, Queen of Scots, was held captive at this location by Queen Elizabeth the first, and it was one of the final locations Mary stayed before her execution. The castle was a stronghold for King Charles the first during the English Civil War, and upon being captured by parliamentary forces, it was ordered that Tutbury Castle be destroyed; leaving it as the ruins seen today.

There are a few spirits said to haunt this location, but the most famous is that of Mary, Queen of Scots. She has been seen on a number of occasions, dressed in either black or white. King Charles the first is thought to haunt the King's bedroom, as is a little girl. A mysterious figure in Tudor armour called 'The Keeper' has also been seen here, usually standing around the gateway and telling visitors to 'get thee hence'.

History

Tutbury Castle overlooks the River Dove and is located in the village of Tutbury, which is within Staffordshire, England. It's though that the site Tutbury Castle stands on was once the location of an Iron Age hill fort, and excavations have unearthed Stone Age items. It's also said that the site was owned by the Saxon kings of Mercia, and that it was named Tutbury in honour of the Nordic god Thor, a diety who was possibly worshipped here. Other theories to the name is that it means 'a fortified place', and that it was named after a settler here.

The history of Tutbury Castle really begins following the Norman conquest of 1066. Henry de Ferrers, a Norman Baron who held over 200 manors, fought for William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. For his service, William awarded Henry with extensive lands in Derbyshire and Leicestershire. I've seen a number of dates surrounding the origins of Tutbury Castle around this time. It's been said that the castle was built in 1068, 1071, and 1086. From what I can gather, it seems a man called Hugh d'Avranches had built a manor on the site, or converted any pre-existing fort into a manor, during 1068. Hugh d'Avranches then exchanged the manor for the Earldom of Chester. The exchange could have been done in 1071, or the passing of property from William the Conqueror to Henry de Ferrers could have been done within this year. 1086 may have been the date the manor became upgraded into a more fortified Castle structure. None of this is certain though, and is just my speculation from varying dates I've found regarding Tutbury Castle's origins and the history of it's ownership.

From Henry de Ferrers' ownership, Tutbury Castle was passed to his descendants. One of these descendants was Robert de Ferrers, a man who became the first Earl of Derby during 1138. It was during the 1100s that the wooden tower which stood on the motte was replaced with a stone keep. When Robert de Ferrers died in 1139, his son who was also called Robert de Ferrers became the second Earl of Derby. The second Earl married Margaret Peverell, a woman who had strong connections to Peveril Castle in Castleton. The first seige occured during 1153 when Henry of Anjou, later King Henry II, attacked the castle. This seige will have occured under the second or third Earl's ownership of Tutbury Castle.

The third Earl, and next to own Tutbury Castle, was William de Ferrers. During 1173, William rebelled against Henry II while siding with Prince Henry; an act resulting in the Welsh Prince of Deheubarth, Rhys ap Gruffydd, placing the castle under seige. A couple of years later, in 1175, William came to terms with Henry II and it is ordered for the castle to be destroyed. This does not last though, and the castle is only badly damaged as a result. The castle is restored by 1201, and during 1251 King Henry III spent a few days at the newly rebuilt castle. This peace with the monarchy also did not last for long as, during 1263, Robert de Ferrers, the sixth Earl of Derby, rebelled against King Henry III. This rebellion was known as the Second Baron's Revolt and was led by Simon de Montfort. The civil war resulted in an attack on Tutbury Castle in 1264, and severe damage was caused by Lord Edward. Edward was the son of Henry III, and would later become King Edward I.

The rebels of the Second Baron's War were defeated in 1265, and their possessions, including the estates of Robert de Ferrers, were confiscated. Tutbury Castle was given to Edmund Crouchback, another son of Henry III. Edmund was made the first Earl of Lancaster in 1267, and restoration to the castle occured somewhere around 1270. The castle has remained within the hands of the Dukes and Earls of Lancaster ever since this event. Further substantial repairs were made to the castle in 1298 and, under the ownership of Earl Thomas, the addition of the main gateway was built between 1313 and 1314. The gateway cost £100. Then, in 1322, the castle was burnt and looted following the Battle of Burton Bridge. He castle lay derelict for some time but, despite the damage, the castle had not been destroyed; meaning that it was possible for Edward II to stay at Tutbury Castle in 1323.

A significant event in the castle's history occured in 1362 when John of Gaunt, the second Duke of Lancaster, inherited ownership of the castle through marriage. Tutbury Castle was further repaired under his ownership, and it was John's primary residence until he died in 1399. Upon John's death, the castle officially became the property of the Crown. During 1404, a new tower and west wall was built; and during the 1440s, a new south tower and south curtain wall were built. The next change of ownership came in 1449 when Henry VI gave the castle to Margaret of Anjou as part of their marriage settlement. It was under Margaret's ownership that the north tower, also known as Queen Margaret's Tower, was built. I've found that the north tower was built in either 1434 or 1457, but due to the detail about it being built under Margaret's ownership; I would assume 1457 to be the correct date.

King Henry VIII then visited the castle in 1511, and further improvements were made in 1566 when the lodging was repaired and made watertight following acknowledgement that the castle needed extensive repairs. It was then on the 4th of February 1569 that one of the most important historical events of Tutbury Castle occured. On this date, Mary, Queen of Scots, was first imprisoned at this location by Queen Elizabeth I. Mary was held at this location on and off over the course of fifteen years. It's said that Mary hated Tutbury Castle and described it as 'sitting squarely on top of a mountain in the middle of a plain'. It's also said that she complained of the damp, the wet plaster, and the draughty old carpentry.

Mary's keeper at Tutbury Castle was George Talbot; the Earl of Shrewsbury, and constable of Tutbury Castle. While imprisoned, Mary was limited to embroidery, playing cards, and reading as forms of entertainment. She was moved to Wingfield Manor in the April of 1569, and then returned to Tutbury in the September of the same year. During November 1569, Mary was then moved again to Coventry for a short period of time before being moved to Chatsworth House in the May of 1570. Mary was moved back to Tutbury Castle in the January of 1585, except this time she had a new keeper. Instead of the Earl of Shrewsbury, Mary was guarded by Sir Ralph Sudler; the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In April 1585, Ralph was replaced by Sir Amyas Paulet. Amyas was greatly disliked by Mary, and one of Amyas' first actions was to remove Mary's chair along with the royal cloth of the estate. It was then on the 24th of December 1585 that Mary was moved to Chartley Hall, and then to Fotheringhay Castle. It was at Fotheringhay Castle that Mary was beheaded in the February of 1586 at the age of forty-four. It was decided to execute Mary because many viewed her as the rightful heir to the throne of England instead of Queen Elizabeth I and, while imprisoned, Mary had become implicated in the Babington Plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I.

Another royal visit occured at Tutbury Castle when James I visited during 1619. It's said that he stayed a few times between 1619 and 1624. Both James I and Charles I used Tutbury Castle as a hunting lodge. During 1635, a more comfortable house was built into the castle wall. It was during 1642 that the English Civil War begun, and as a result Tutbury Castle was a target for parliamentary forces. An unsuccessful seige of the castle took place during 1643, and then Charles I and Rupert visited the castle in 1645. The next seige was during 1646 and lasted three weeks until a surrender finally occured. The parliamentary forces to claim the castle were commanded by Sir William Brereton. Tutbury Castle was one of the final locations to hold out for Charles I during the English Civil War, and as a term of surrender it was ordered by Parliament for demolition work to be done in 1647 to the castle. This demolition left the castle in the ruins which stand today.

The restoration of the monarchy in 1660 led to some of the rooms of the castle being repaired, but it never returned to how it once was. Another reason for the ruins being so bare is that stone and timber were stolen by locals during 1662. Tutbury Castle has a large gap in it's history following this date. The next detail in it's history is when the tower which tops the motte was added. The round tower which stands there today is not original to the structure, but is instead a folly which was built by 1773. The builder is said to have been George Venables-Vernon, who was made the first Baron Vernon of Kinderton in 1762. It's usually said that the round tower was built between 1780 and 1792 by George, the second Lord Vernon. I've found that the later date, although usually said in sources, is apparently wrong due to an error made in a text which hasn't been amended; and so many people think the between 1780 and 1792 time period is wrongly accurate.

The castle was later turned into a farm during the 1800s and more buildings were added. There was a proposal in 1832 to turn the castle into a prison, but this proposal was rejected. In the mid-1800s Tutbury Castle started to become a tourist attraction with admission charges being introduced in 1847. Sadly, the victorians did lots of graffiti and caused further damage to the castle. A preservation project was introduced in both 1913 and 1952. The farm no longer operated on the site, and the cow shed was converted into a tearoom.

It's thought that Tutbury Castle would have been more of a fortified town than a castle, but today all that remains is ruins. These ruins are open to the public, and there are still some indoor rooms which are furnished with original furniture and a large fireplace which all date back to the 1500s and 1600s. The oldest part of the castle is the Normal Chapel, but only ruins remain of this structure. The second oldest part is the gate tower within the inner bailey, which can still be seen today. The Great Hall and King's Bedroom have been preserved, and there is a medieval herb garden. Today Tutbury Castle serves as a privately-run tourist attraction and the curator of Tutbury Castle is Lesley Smith. Lesley has been in this role since the year 2000 until 2024, and possibly beyond.

Hauntings

A number of spirits are said to haunt the ruins of Tutbury Castle. The most famous of these spirits is Mary, Queen of Scots. During 2004, there were claims that Mary was seen standing at the top of the south tower while wearing a full white Elizabethan gown. The reports said that she looked down at forty men who were being guided around the castle, and they all saw her. This occurance happened at midnight, and it was assumed that the figure was Leslie Smith as she often dresses up as historical figures. It has been said that Lesley, and the other staff members, do not own a white gown as described by the men and so they have been ruled out of the sighting. The men were disturbed by the sighting, and they all said that they witnessed Mary's ghost despite the fact it was dark at the time. A woman in black, also believed to be Mary, has been seen looking out of the window of the Great Hall by people leaving the castle in their cars. Another Mary sighting occured in 1984 when a serving marine saw Mary walking quickly across the grass on a hot afternoon. Then, one summer, Mary was seen by several senior members of staff and some archaeologists who were carrying out a five year dig at the castle. It is said a lady in white haunts the castle, although it's unsure if this is Mary or someone else. A humanoid white mist is said to appear near the north tower which could be the white lady, it could be Mary, or it could be someone else. It's been said that the most likely time to see Mary's ghost is between 10:15pm and 11:00pm.

Another famous figure possibly haunting the castle is Charles I. A male has been seen dressed in 1600s clothing within the King's Bedroom, and so it has been assumed this man is Charles I. The King's Chamber is said to be the most haunted part of the castle with not only Charles possibly being seen here, but orbs and a little girl too. A time slip event has also occured withing the King's Bedroom twice. A young boy experienced one of these events in the 1960s and the investigator Jordan, of 'Brookes Paranormal', experienced a time slip event during the August of 2018 when he saw many dead soldiers around the castle and had to leave the room. People also tend to faint within the King's Bedroom for no reason, and the lights flicker. People also feel faint and like they've been touched by someone in the hall adjacent to the King's Chamber.

The little girl mentioned earlier is called Ellie, and is thought to be seven years old with the appearance of a five year old. There has been some speculation that she is a long-haired boy, but the concensus seems to be that Ellie is a girl. She has been seen in the main building, aside from the King's Bedroom, and is known to hold people's hands and tug on their clothes. She has also been known to grab people's rings and cause an electric pulse in the arm. A little boy has also been seen in the main building, often sitting on the steps in the Great Hall. It's said that when he appears, he is so vivid that people often think that he is a real boy and not a spirit. He has been seen wearing a white shirt.

A dark hooded figure is also said to haunt the castle, and the final 'known' spirit is that of a huge man in full tudor armour. This man is known as 'The Keeper' and steps in and out of the gateway. He also commands visitors of the castle to 'get thee hence'. Bangs and taps have been heard in the Great Hall, and it's been speculated that a drummer boy haunts the space near to the north tower as unexplained drumming can sometimes be heard from this location. It's thought that the drummer boy was killed by an arrow in the head and that his drumming was to warn of an attack.

Summary of Hauntings

1. Mary, Queen of Scots, wears white or black Elizabethan gown - Everywhere

2. Charles I, elegant 1600s clothing - King's Bedroom

3. The Keeper, huge man, full tudor armour - gateway

4. Ellie, seven years old, appears as five years old, holds hands, tugs clothes - King's Bedroom

5. Little boy - stairs of Great Hall

6. Dark hooded figure

7. Drummer boy, drumming heard - near north tower

8. White mist, humanoid - near north tower

9. Lady in white - top of south tower

10. Woman in black - through window of Great Hall

11. Bangs and taps - Great Hall

12. Lights flicker - King's Bedroom

13. Time slips - King's Bedroom

14. Fainting - King's Bedroom and adjacent hall

15. Orbs - King's Bedroom

My Thoughts

If anyone is unaware of what time slips are, I will likely do a post on them at some point, but there are moments where it's thought an individual becomes momentarily displaced in time. This means, to the individual effected, they see the location as it was during a past time. I haven't yet heard many instances of this happening, so I haven't theorised much about them. It's a complex matter to decide if I think they're possible because it raises questions over what time is beyond a man-made construct. It also raises questions regarding if time travel can be possible. I do feel time slips are a more sound theory than, say, stone tape theory though as the time slip theory likely doesn't rely on a trigger for a time slip to occur.

With very little knowledge of time slips, I would say something akin to a time slip would be possible for the spirit to experience. This would manifest in an extreme psychic event for a living individual where their spirit has traversed to another time, possibly appearing as a spirit in that time. For onlookers in the present, it would probably look like the individual has zoned out for a few moments. So yes, I think time slips are possible; but not as I suspect is commonly believed. I feel it would be a form of astral projection where the spirit leaves the body for a few moments. If this is the case, there should be no evidence to suggest time slips are phenomena tied to specific locations but rather to people who may be sensitive.

For the hauntings, I have listed Mary, the woman in black, the lady in white, and the white mist all as seperate pieces of phenomena. From my research, there isn't enough evidence connecting them all as being the same person and so they should be treated as seperate with potential to be the same. The reason why I have listed Charles I and the man in a 1600s outfit as the same is because the location of the King's Bedroom, along with clothing from the same era, ties these two entities together without conflicting evidence to them being anything other than the same.

I feel it would be incredibly interesting to investigate Tutbury Castle due to the amount of emotion which would have occured here through the various seiges, along with Mary's imprisonment. I feel it would be an incredibly active site despite it being mostly ruins. I agree Mary's spirit would likely be here due to the time spent here and emotion she would have exerted in this location. I also think previous owners, along with past residents, would also be present. I think so little phenomena aside the figures have been reported due to it being a mostly outdoor location.

As for if I think any hauntings have been exaggerated for tourism purposes: absolutely. Apparently Lesley is keen to promote the paranormal angle of the castle, and the staff are quick to dismiss that anything paranormal has occured. This suggests to me that the bulk of the reported hauntings could have been staged for promotional purposes. I still think that some activity will occur here though. Having said that, the bulk of this location's history was over by the 1700s. That could make this location an interesting case study for my theory on 'Energy Wells' which says a person can go anywhere they want after they die, but are drawn to where they exerted their energy during life. This theory explains why Mary is reported to be at Tutbury Castle and not at her place of execution. It also explains why activity may be dim, despite it having a violent history. The energy wells from before the 1700s may have dried up, and so the spirits present here may be running out of energy without a means of effectively replenishing it.

As a result, if you intend on investigating Tutbury Castle, I would recommend taking tesla coils or plasma balls with you. You would likely need a device which will provide a high amount of energy for the spirits to use, and if they use it then I feel you will have many experiences. I also suggest investigating this location during a storm, when it's foggy, or after heavy rainfall has occured. I also suspect water is a factor when it comes to the strength of a haunting, so high amounts of moisture in the air or around the land should provide results.

Thank you!

Thank you for reading to the end of this post! I found it particularly interesting to find connections to not only Peveril Castle, which I have visited fairly recently, but also to the Earl of Shrewsbury. The Earl is connected to Alton Towers, which is my favourite place to be, so it's always a pleasant surprise when there is a connection to that location. It was also incredibly interesting to find out about another occurance of a time slip. I'll definitely have to do a properly researched post on time slips, and a properly researched post where I lay out my Energy Well Theory.

A special thank you goes to Damain, Nicolette, Kerry, GD, The Cornish Ghost Whisperers, Beardo Gets Scared, Starlight Phoenix Paranormal, Paranormal Penny Pinchers, the Australian Paranormal Society, and Codegas Codex of Curiousity for your continued support of The True Paranormal. If you want to follow The True Paranormal you can do so on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Tumblr. You can also subscribe to The True Paranormal on YouTube, or directly to this website through the bar on the left which will give you email notifications. That bar also lists all of the links which will take you to The True Paranormal's various social media platforms. If you want to contact me about your own experiences, or about anything at all paranormal, you can email thetrueparanormal1@gmail.com

A Donations Message

At the moment I don't have any ads running on anything, and I intend on the blog always being free for everyone to view because I believe knowledge should never be kept behind a paywall. I do, however, still need an income in order to continue writing articles. If you would like to donate towards The True Paranormal, you can do so via PayPal. If you are interested, my username is Daniel Carr and my paypal email is danielcarr130913@gmail.com. If you donate, I will be sure to thank you across social media and in my articles. Anything donated is much appreciated.

Sources I Have Used

1. Duchy Of Lancaster

2. History Hit

3. Britain Express

4. The Folly Flaneuse

5. Derby Days Out

6. Tripadvisor

7. Cheshire Now

8. Castle Finders

9. Ecastles

10. Country Images Magazine

11. Lesley Smith Historians