Framlingham Castle, in Suffolk, is one of the most important and beautiful medieval castles in the British Isles. It was built by Bigod, the second Earl of Norfolk, in about 1190, on the site of an earlier timber castle. It changed hands on several occasions and was at one time in the possession of Mary Tudor: here she waited during the summer of 1553 with a large encampment of followers, awaiting the results of the succession following the death of her brother, Edward VI.
The Archaeological Survey & Investigation Team had previously carried out work at Framlingham Castle, in 1997 & 2002, focussing on the mere and the earthwork remains respectively. This work provided a better understanding of the castle and its immediate environs, and enabled a Conservation Plan for Framlingham Castle to be prepared, a document which outlined a long-term management and conservation strategy for the monument.
In 2007, English Heritage's Archaeological Survey & Investigation Team undertook an investigation of the castle's broader landscape setting. Framlingham was the main administrative centre, or 'caput', of an Anglo-Saxon estate, and it is likely that a Norman precursor to the present castle was deliberately located where the castle is today, on the site of the Saxon caput, in order to reinforce the new Norman lord’s claim to the older territory.
The origins of the town may also go as far back as the early Norman period. The church was probably built at the same time as the curtain wall of the present castle (circa 1200), as the latter would have cut off access to the existing castle chapel, possibly the original parish church. The properties along Church Street around the market place probably represent a planned development, but it is not clear if this was a single phase.
The market place may once have been larger, with the block south of the church encroaching onto it in the medieval period. Field investigation has shown that a park pale survives along much of the eastern side of Framlingham Great Park and along the southern side of Bradhaye.
Through a combination of field reconnaissance, plan analysis and documentary research, a better understanding of the castle and its setting in the wider landscape has been achieved. This research will be incorporated into a new display centre within the castle.
The detailed survey and investigation of the castle earthworks in 2002 revealed that the defences consist of a large earthen mound with a many-turreted stone curtain wall enclosing the main domestic buildings - but interestingly without any keep. A small bailey (known as the Lower Court) overlooked the Mere, a large artificial lake on the western side. A larger, roughly kidney-shaped outer bailey surrounded most of the eastern and southern sides.
For further information on our investigations, please contact the Archaeological Survey & Investigation Team at English Heritage's Cambridge Office on 01223 582700.
Paper copies of the reports on the archaeological investigations at Framlingham Castle can be ordered online, ref. AI/24/2002 & RDRS 106-2007. An electronic version of the 2007 report (3.2MB) can be downloaded here by clicking on the 'Also of Interest' link on the right hand side of this page.
Framlingham Castle is cared for by English Heritage and is open to the public.
