She was given a chamber in the south-west tower of the castle and although she was referred to as a guest, she was, in fact, a prisoner, although she was treated well by her captors, and even occasionally allowed to take part in the hunt, under strict supervision, of course.
Whilst held captive in Bolton Castle, Mary was permitted to spend two days as a guest of Sir Christopher Metcalfe in Nappa hall (now a listed building and centre of a busy farm). Here it is said that she forgot about her troubles and partook of singing and dancing with her host. It is said that Mary's ghost haunts Nappa Hall: "I was in the hall, playing hide and seek with the farmer's daughter, a child of about four years old. The hall was dimly lit by a fire and a candle in a room in the east tower. Whilst we played, someone entered the hall from the lower end, and walked towards the dais. Thinking it was the farmer's wife, I ran after her, and was going to touch her, when she turned round, and I saw her face. It was lovely and her dress seemed to be made from black velvet. After looking at me for a moment, she went on and disappeared through the door leading to the winding stone staircase in the direction of the turret of the west tower. Her face, figure and general appearance reminded me of portraits of Mary Queen of Scots."
Mary Queen of Scots spent six months at Castle Bolton out of a total of 19 years held in captivity in England.
