Marguerite, Queen of England and the disappearing castle

It was a grandly named dower house where a Queen of England died. Now it has disappeared into the mists of time. Marlborough Castle, last home of a devoted wife and consort, is now little more than a mound. But at one time it was an important royal possession and part of the story of Marguerite, Queen of England.

Marguerite, second wife of King Edward I, died there on February 14th 1318. It had been her royal residence for the best part of a decade and she wasn't the first Queen Dowager to retire there. Three decades earlier, her husband's mother, Queen Eleanor, had spent time at Marlbourgh following the death of Henry III. But Marguerite didn't just go to Marlborough to nurse a broken heart. She wanted to get as far away from court as possible.

Unlike other Plantagenet Queens, Margaret wasn't running from her own misdemeanours when she headed west from London to Wiltshire. Edward I had died on July 7th 1307 and within months, Marguerite, like many at court, had become astounded by the attitude and actions of his successor, his surviving son from his first marriage, now Edward II. The young Edward had favourites and wasn't afraid of showing it. When Marguerite's niece, Isabella, arrived in England to marry the new king, he stunned many but especially his bride by heaping favours on Piers Gaveston at their wedding celebrations. Queen Marguerite settled at Marlborough and kept a low profile. But her interest in court affairs didn't stop.

Gaveston was accumulating wealth and power at an alarming rate and there is some evidence that Marguerite helped take action against him. She seems to have been in contact with her half-brother, the all powerful and silently ruthless King Philip IV of France, to send funds to those plotting to bring down Gaveston. He fell from grace in 1312 and was summarily executed by his rivals in the same year. Whether Marguerite went to Marlborough to avoid court intrigues or to plot silently and safely will never be known for, despite her image as a quiet and self effacing queen, she was smart enough to leave no documentary trail.

Instead, she continued to live unmolested at Marlborough until her death in 1318. Queen Marguerite wasn't old when she died, just 38 or 39, and she had never remarried, saying that ''all men died for me'' when her husband, King Edward, passed away. Known throughout life for her piety, she was buried at Christ Church, Greyfriars in London in a Franciscan habit. Meanwhile, Marlborough Castle passed through more royal hands before falling into ruin. It was rebuilt as a country house by the Seymour family after it was gifted to them by Edward VI but by the 19th century, it was a coaching inn. The later house would go on to be converted into part of the main body of Marlborough College. Meanwhile, a tree covered mound within the College's grounds is now remembered as the ruins of the original castle. A royal home, a queenly residence and the final home of a mysterious but kindly Queen of England.