Framlingham Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Fremingham

In the civil parish of Framlingham. In the historic county of Suffolk (Modern Authority of Suffolk, 1974 county of Suffolk).

Large ringwork and bailey, started sometime after 1086 and destroyed 1175. Rebuilt from 1189. Ring surmounted by curtain wall with 13 square towers dating from late C12. Taken without a fight in 1215. Converted into Tudor residence. Interior medieval buildings lost but curtain remains basically intact and to full height. In flint and coursed septaria with frees tone quoins and dressings. Battlemented curtain walls and 13 square cowers built by Roger Bigod II in a reconstruction of 1190-1200, incorporating fragments, between the 6th and 7th towers, of walls and of a stone hall built in the early C12 by Hugh Bigod. Gateway and bridge built by Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, circa 1520-30 to replace the earlier drawbridge. His arms are set over the entrance in a worn stone panel. The red brick chimney-stacks with ornamental shafts which top the towers were added at about the same time; some are dummies. In 1635 the castle was sold by Theophilus Howard, Earl of Suffolk, to Sir Robert Hitcham, who bequeathed it in the following year to Pembroke College, Cambridge, stipulating that the buildings within the walls should be demolished and a Poor-House built. The buildings were gradually demolished during the course of the next century.
This was the site of a Saxon manorial caput, possibly containing a minister church. The dating of the earthworks is uncertain and the relationship between the castle ditches and the town ditches is uncomfortable. Magnus Alexander (2007, p52-3) suggests further areas for research mainly focusing on the Saxon history of the site. The unusual form of Framlingham Castle is often noted and I suspect the answer lies in the form of the Saxon settlement and manorial complex.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 286297; 286298)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TM287637

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 390442
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is FML 001 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castles-abbeys.co.uk/Framlingham-Castle.html
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/framlingham/framlingham.php
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/156/framlinghamcastle.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.23
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/framlingham.html
• Books
  • Liddiard, Robert, 2005, 'The Castle Landscape of Anglo-Norman East Anglia: A Regional Perspective' in Harper-Bill, C. (ed), Medieval East Anglia (Woodbridge, Boydell) p33-51
    Morris, M., 2005, The Bigod Earls of Norfolk in the Thiteenth Century (Woodbridge)
    Brown, Moraig, 2002, Framlingham Castle, Suffolk (English Heritage Report AI/24/2002)
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p76-9
    Martin, Edward, 1999 [3edn], 'Medieval Castles' in Dymond, David and Martin, Edward (eds) An Historical Atlas of Suffolk (Lavenham) p58-9
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p234-5
    Ridgard, J. (ed), Medieval Framlingham: Selected Documents 1270-1524 (Woddbridge: Suffolk Records Society Vol27)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p457
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p233-5
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, N., 1961, The Buildings of England: Suffolk (London, Penguin) p198-9
    Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p327-35
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wall, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Suffolk Vol1 p596-8 [plan] http://www.archive.org/stream/victoriahisto01page#page/596/mode/1up
    Stevenson, 1908, in Redstone, Memoirs of Old Suffolk (London) p108-68 [history only]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol1 p277-82 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland01mack#page/277/mode/1up
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p171-4 http://www.archive.org/details/abbeyscastlesanc00timbrich
    Green, R., 1865 [2edn], A Guide to the Town of Framlingham, its Church and Castle (London)
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p293
    Green, R., 1834, The History, Topography and Antiquities of Framlingham and Saxstead in the County of Suffolk (London)
    Clay, n.d. c.1800, History and Description of Framlingham (Halesworth) esp. p26-32
    Loder, R., 1798, The History of Framlingham in the County of Suffolk (Woodbridge)
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p272
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol5 p64-9
• Journal Articles
  • Morris, Marc, 2006, 'An Englishman's home' Heritage Today Vol74 p24-7
    Plowman, D., 2005, 'Framlingham Castle, a political statement?' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol41.1 p43-49
    Smedley, W., 2005, 'A newly discovered fragment of a daily account book for Framlingham Castle, Suffolk' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol41.1 p51-55
    Anon, 2004, 'Framlingham Castle earthwork survey commissioned' CSG Newsletter Vol6 Issue1 p6
    Owles, E.J., 1973-6, ‘Archaeology in Suffolk, 1974’ Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol33 p215
    Renn, D., 1973, 'Defending Framlingham Castle' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol33 pt1 p58-67
    Coad, J.G., 1971, 'Recent excavations within Framlingham Castle (with a note by S. Moorhouse)' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol32 pt2 p152-63
    (Coad), 1971, Medieval Archaeology Vol15 p148 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    Knocker, G.M., 1956, 'Excavations at Framlingham Castle, 1954' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol27 pt2 p65-88
    Baillie Reynolds, 1952-3, 'Framlingham Castle' The Archaeological Journal Vol108 p151-3
    Brown, R.Allen, 1950, ‘Framlingham Castle and Bigod 1154–1216’ Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol25 pt2 p127-48 [reprinted in Brown, R.Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers, (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p187–208]
    Phipson, R.M., 1863, 'Framlingham Castle' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol3 pt3 p386-93
• Guidebooks
  • Stacey, Nicola, 2009, Framlingham Castle (London: English Heritage)
    Brown, Moraig., 2003, Framlingham Castle (London: English Heritage)
    Renn, D.F., 1988, Framlingham and Orford castles (London: English Heritage)
    Raby, F.J.E. and Baillie Reynolds, P.K., 1987, Framlingham Castle, Suffolk (London: English Heritage)
    Raby, F.J.E. and Baillie Reynolds, P.K., 1946 [abridged edn], Framlingham Castle, Suffolk (HMSO)
    Raby, F.J.E. and Baillie Reynolds, P.K., 1938, Framlingham Castle, Suffolk (HMSO)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p440-1
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#suff10]
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Alexander, Magnus, 2007, Framlingham Castle, Suffolk The Landscape Context (English Heritage Research Department Report Series No106) http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/Framlingham_Report_106-2007.pdf?1248950966