Founded in 1071, Tutbury Castle has witnessed sieges, royal intrigues, and the long imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots, whose apparition in white still glides through the Great Hall before fading at the window where she once prayed for release. Staff have also encountered a “Red Lady,” thought to be a servant who died in childbirth, and a soldier in armor patrolling the ruined walls. Electronic voice phenomena have captured pleas in archaic Scots dialect, and sudden spikes of perfume—rose and myrrh—often accompany Mary’s reported appearances. Castle custodian Lesley Smith has hosted numerous televised investigations, confirming consistent readings near Mary’s cell. Few English fortresses combine such historical weight with so many independently documented hauntings.