DiCamillo Companion
England

Tutbury Castle

Tutbury, Burton-on-Trent

Staffordshire

England

Circa Date: Probably 11th century core w/14th, 15th, 17th & 19th century alterations and additions

Status: Ruin

Mostly destroyed 1647-48

House Open to Public: Yes

Country House: No (Other)

crown This house has been used for TV and Film

An 1804 copperplate engraving of the Castle from "England Delineated"

  • Earlier Houses: There have been buildings on, or near, the site of the current house since the Stone Age.

    House & Family History: Tutbury was one of the great power centers of medieval England. The Castle was visited by many English kings, and, during the 14th century it, was a seat of the mighty John of Gaunt, 2nd Duke of Lancaster, who established a great annual feast here. John of Gaunt was a prince (the third son of King Edward III), a military leader, a statesman, and founder of the royal House of Lancaster. In this last capacity, he is generally regarded as an ancestor of all English monarchs, beginning with his son, Henry IV. Mary, Queen of Scots, was held prisoner at Tutbury, off-and-on, between 1569 and 1585. Mary did not like her accommodation, complaining of the dampness and lack of grandeur (the British Library has, in its collection, a sketch of the layout of Mary’s rooms at Tutbury). By the early 17th century Tutbury was in slow decline, though this did not stop the king, James I, from staying here a number of times between 1619 and 1624. Later in the 17th century, during the English Civil War, the Castle was held by a Royalist garrison. In 1643 Parliamentary troops attempted, unsuccessfully, to dislodge the garrison; in April 1646, after a three-week siege, Tutbury surrendered to Parliamentary forces. In 1647-48, as punishment for being a Royalist stronghold, Parliament ordered that the Castle be destroyed. The destruction was incomplete, leaving the ruins that are today a popular tourist attraction.

  • House Listed: Grade I

    Park Listed: Not Listed

  • "A History of Britain" (2000 - TV documentary series).

  • Past Seat / Home of: Henry de Ferrers, 12th century; Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby, until 1269. Edmund Plantagenet (Crouchback), 1st Earl of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Leicester, and Earl of Derby, 1269-96; Thomas Plantagenet, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, 1296-1322; John of Gaunt (Plantagenet), 2nd Duke of Lancaster, 14th century.

    Current Ownership Type: The Crown / Royal Family

    Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction

    Ownership Details: Owned by The Duchy of Lancaster.

  • House Open to Public: Yes

    Phone: 01283-812-129

    Website: http://tutburycastle.com/

    Historic Houses Member: No

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