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Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Fremingham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 surrmounted 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 site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major remains.

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

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TM287637

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 390442

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 0001

• Web site links
  • http://www.castles-abbeys.co.uk/Framlingham-Castle.html
    http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/framlingham%20castle.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/framlingham/framlingham.php
    http://www.framlingham.com/tourism/castle.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/156/framlinghamcastle.htm
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_Framlingham.htm
    http://accessibility.english-heritage.org.uk/default.asp?wci=Node&wce=8030
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.23
• Books
  • 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
    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
    Stevenson, 1908, in Redstone, Memoirs of Old Suffolk (London) p108-68 [history only]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p277-82
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p171-4
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p293
    Clay, n.d. c.1800, History and Description of Framlingham (Halesworth) esp. p26-32
    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
    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
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
    Knocker, G.M., 1956, 'Excavations at Framlingham Castle, 1954' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol27 pt2 p65-88
    Baillie Reynolds, 1951, 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
  • Brown, Moraig., 2003, Framlingham Castle (English Heritage)
    Renn, D.F., 1988, Framlingham and Orford castles (English Heritage)
    Raby, F.J.E. and Baillie Reynolds, P.K., 1987, Framlingham Castle, Suffolk (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)
• 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]