Tutbury - St Mary

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned in (now ruined) Tutbury Castle in 1569.

The castle had been the headquarters of Henry de Ferrers once, who with his wife Bertha endowed Tutbury Priory with two manors in about 1080. It would seem that Tutbury at that time was a dependency of the Norman abbey of St Pierre‑sur‑Dives.

St Mary´s church was completed around 1089 uns served the monks and he parish. The West front of the church, the oldest surviving part of the building, is dated from around 1160 - 1170. Most of the nave was rebuilt in the 13th century. At the Reformation the eastern part of the church, which served the monastic community, was demolished along with the priory buildings. The South tower appears to be a 16th-century addition. The north aisle is an addition of 1820-2 by Joseph B H Bennett. The chancel was replaced in 1866


The western portal - details / The carving style is very reminiscent of archivolts from the Poitou area in France.