One of the most controversial and polarizing figures in British history is said to make a haunting return each year to a hotel built from the stones of the castle where she met her tragic end.
Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, on 8 February 1587, after her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, sentenced her to death – a decision she made reluctantly. The English sovereign authorised the execution for treason after Mary was implicated in a plot to overthrow Elizabeth, which was uncovered when spymaster Francis Walsingham intercepted her correspondence with the conspirators.
Although her guilt was considered clear, Elizabeth feared that executing a crowned monarch would set a dangerous precedent that could be used against her. However, Mary's legend has survived the centuries and, according to tradition, her spirit appears every year around the anniversary of her death at The Talbot Hotel, in the town of Oundle.
Oundle is just three miles from Fotheringhay and is a historic market town. One of its most notable buildings is the Grade I listed hotel, with a history closely linked to the ill-fated queen. There has been an inn on the site since the 1500s, throughout the Tudor period, and the building that stands today was rebuilt in 1626. According to many accounts, stones from Fotheringhay Castle itself were used in its construction.
Local folklore also says that the wooden panelling of the rooms, the large arched window and the hotel's staircase come from the ancient castle - the same one where Richard III was born. Today, all that remains of the castle is a grassy hill, after it was abandoned for centuries and completely destroyed in 1628.
According to another story, Mary's executioner spent the night before the execution at The Talbot Hotel, where he dined on pigeon pie.
Marian Pipe, author of the book Northamptonshire Ghosts and Legends, told Northants Live that “the tragic queen is said to haunt the upper stairs and two bedrooms on the top floor. Many people have seen the ghostly figure of a woman in a long black dress, standing at the foot of the bed in one of the rooms. She is sometimes seen gazing sadly out of the arched windows by the stairs.”
According to witnesses, guests sleeping on that floor are occasionally awakened by the sound of a woman crying for hours. It is said that the apparitions occur more often after interventions or changes to the building.
Ghost hunters believe that the anguish of Mary’s final journey has been “imprinted” into the physical material of the stairs, which were later moved to the inn. Over the centuries, many recurring apparitions have been reported, but the most famous remains a ghostly figure in a long black dress – the color Mary wore during her execution, although it is known that she wore blood-red robes underneath – slowly descending the oak stairs.
Visitors who have stayed in the "Mary Queen of Scots" room, at the top of the stairs, report hearing incessant, painful cries coming from the walls for hours.
There is also a visible indentation in the wood on the banister of the stairs. Legend has it that it was created by Mary's heavy royal seal ring, as she held onto the banister for support as she walked to her death. /GazetaExpress/
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