Honour of Framlingham

The Honour of Framlingham was a medieval landholding centred on Framlingham Castle in Suffolk, England. Originally held by the Bigod family, Earls of Norfolk, it later passed to the Ufford family, the de la Pole family, and eventually the Howard family, Dukes of Norfolk. The honour comprised numerous manors across Suffolk and was one of the most important baronial estates in East Anglia.

After Mary I used Framlingham Castle as her base in 1553 during her successful claim to the English throne, she restored the estate to the Howard family, long-time Dukes of Norfolk and former holders of the Honour of Framlingham. The Howards retained the property into the 17th century until Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk sold it in 1635 to Sir Robert Hitcham, a lawyer, MP and alumnus of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Hitcham bequeathed the castle and its associated lands to Pembroke College in 1636, instructing that the internal buildings be demolished to construct a workhouse for the poor. The college still holds the estate, transferring guardianship of the castle to the Ministry of Works in 1913 (which later transferred it to English Heritage) while retaining manorial rights. In 1864, part of the estate was donated for the foundation of Framlingham College, a public school established in memory of Prince Albert.