|
Framlingham
has been around since Anglo Saxon times and is mentioned in the
Doomsday Book (1086) when it consisted of several manors which William the Conqueror
(1066-1087) presented to Roger Bigod. The present castle was built
between 1190 and 1210 by the last Roger Bigod and only once saw
warlike activities in 1216 during King John's reign.
The castle was
home to the Bigods (1100-1306),
Thomas Plantagenet and his descendants (1312-1375), the Mowbray
Dukes of Norfolk (1375-1481), and the Howard Dukes of Norfolk (1481-1535). All these notable people
received high
honours from the monarch of their day. Nearly all were Earls Marshal
of England and Stewards of the Royal Household. Some, like the 3rd
Duke of Norfolk (1472-1554), were much more; he was Lord Treasurer,
Earl Marshal, Viceroy of Ireland, Lord High Admiral, Ambassador
in Paris, and the richest layman in England. He lived at Framlingham
until 1535 and then built a country seat at Kenninghall near Diss which
rivalled Hampton Court.
During
the time that Framlingham was the key residence of these notable
people all roads led to it. It became the economic centre of wide
estates, which in the case of the 3rd Duke of Norfolk, involved
property in Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex, Wales, and London. In the late
14th century £2,000 of goods were being managed each year by the
Framlingham warehouses, a vast sum in those days.
About 1285 a market was granted by the last Bigod (died 1306)
to be held on Tuesdays, Fridays
and Sundays. Framlingham expanded and the historic
core of the town reached its presents dimensions by 1500.
|
.gif)
.gif)
