Nothing now survives of Fotheringay Castle, save for a melancholic mound that overlooks a pretty and tranquil stretch of the River Nene. In summer the dense tangle of clinging vegetation that carpets the steep slopes of the castle knoll, is punctuated by a profusion of Scottish thistles that are known locally as “Queen Mary’s tears”. They are about the only reminder to commemorate the fact that on this spot, in February 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, placed her neck upon the block and was beheaded.
It was in June 1567 that Mary, having been defeated in battle by the Scottish nobles, was taken prisoner and led weeping through the streets of Edinburgh, where thousands of her subjects lined the way, waving placards depicting her as a mermaid – the symbol of a prostitute -, and shouting “Burn the whore! Kill her! Drown her! She is not worthy to live! “I will hang and crucify them all”, was her response. In the late July of that year she was forced to abdicate and her infant son was crowned James V1 of Scotland. Then, on 13th May 1568, having escaped from captivity, she made a final attempt to regain her throne at the battle of Langside. Her army was virtually annihilated, and she fled the battlefield knowing that all was lost. For the next three nights, having shaved her auburn tresses for disguise, she headed south intending to throw herself upon the mercy of her English cousin, Elizabeth 1st. On 16th May 1568, Mary, Queen of Scots, climbed into an open boat and was rowed across the Solway Forth to England, where for the next nineteen years, she would be both an unwilling and unwelcome guest, held captive at a string of houses and castles.
