SHORT HISTORY (for me anyway!).
This scheduled ancient monument is a medieval structure set in 38 acres, perched on a grassy ledge overlooking the Dove Valley. Although its history is reported to date back to the 11th century, the ruins of the Castle, as seen today, derived from the 14th and 15th centuries.
In the early 16th century, Tutbury Castle was visited by Henry VIII, who would have witnessed first hand the imposing fortresses decline as even then it required extensive repairs.Tutbury was not exclusively known as a prized royal residence as it was used by Elizabeth I to keep Mary Queen of Scots captive.
Mary was confined at the castle for the first time in 1569 and allegedly complained of the damp, wet plaster and draughty old ill-fitting carpentry. Mary would be relocated several times with her final incarceration at Tutbury lasting almost a year and at Christmas 1585 she left the castle for the last time. By the late 16th century the fabric of the castle began to decay, though James I stayed there a number of times between 1619 and 1624.
During the English Civil War the castle was held by Royalist forces and re-fortified for the Crown. An unsuccessful siege by Parliamentary forces in 1643 was later followed by a successful siege in 1646. The terms of surrender included the destruction of the castle, with Parliament ordering demolition work to be carried out in 1647. Despite some rooms being repaired after the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy, the castle never returned to its full state. A folly was built on top of the motte in 1780, and today the remains of the towering civil war ramparts along with some of the castle’s indoor rooms with their original 16th and 17th century furniture and a large fireplace are open to the public.
Full details on their website at: https://tutburycastle.com/
. Didn’t know there was a tent convention when I got there so didn’t get any closer clips than I got. Ce la vie I guess!
Got it wrong too Richard and said the “eleventeenth century”. Doh! 
