Tutbury, celebrated for its ruined castle, was once a market town seated on the south bank of the River Dove.

The tower on top of the motte dates from the mid 18th century. The original Norman castle is said to date back to 1071 belonging first to Hugh de Avranches and then to Henry, Lord of Ferriers and Chambrais in Normandy.

In 1174, following a disagreement with William Ferriers, King Henry II lay siege to the castle and ordered it to be demolished. In 1263 it came under further attack from Prince Edward (the future King Edward I). Two years later, Henry III gave Tutbury Castle to his younger son Edmund. It has remained in the hands of the Earls and Dukes of Lancaster ever since.

In 1362, new walls, towers and buildings were added on by John of Gaunt, second Duke of Lancaster. And in the late 16th Century the castle was used to keep Mary Queen of Scots imprisoned.

The final straw came in 1646, during the Civil War when Parliamentary forces inflicted even more damage leaving the ruin