04/10/2026
The Location:
Framlingham Castle.
The Team:
Emily_paranormal and a small team of investigators.
The History:
Framlingham Castle, located in Suffolk, is a magnificent fortification with a rich, turbulent history spanning over 800 years. Best known as the stronghold where Mary Tudor was proclaimed Queen of England in 1553, its story is deeply intertwined with English nobility and power struggles.
Key Historical Eras
* Early Beginnings & The Normans (12th Century):
Following the Norman Conquest, the manor was given to the powerful Bigod family, Earls of Norfolk. Roger Bigod built the first timber castle here around 1148. However, after Roger joined a rebellion against King Henry II, the royal army destroyed the castle in 1177.
* Rebuilding and Architectural Innovation (c. 1190–1213):
Roger Bigod II rebuilt the castle in stone, creating the iconic curtain wall and distinctive high brick chimneys that still define its silhouette today. Unusually, the castle lacks a traditional central keep, relying instead on its immensely strong stone walls and 13 mural towers for defense.
* The Bigod Fall & The Brothertons:
By the late 13th century, the Bigod line ran out of direct heirs, and the castle reverted to the Crown. It eventually passed to Thomas of Brotherton, son of King Edward I, and subsequently became a prized property of the Mowbray family.
* The Golden Age of the Howards (15th–16th Centuries):
Through marriage, Framlingham passed to the Howard family, the Dukes of Norfolk. They transformed the fortress into a luxurious Tudor residence, hosting lavish visits from nobility.
* Mary Tudor and the Crown (1553):
Following the death of King Edward VI, his Protestant advisors attempted to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne. Mary Tudor fled to Framlingham Castle to gather her supporters. Backed by an army of nobles and commoners, she successfully rallied her forces here before marching to London to claim her crown as Queen Mary I.
* Decline and the Poor Law (17th–19th Centuries):
By the 17th century, the castle had lost its military relevance. In 1636, Sir Robert Hitcham purchased the estate and left it in his will for charitable purposes. The interior buildings were demolished in 1639, and a poorhouse was built inside the castle walls, operating until the mid-19th century.
Framlingham Today
Now in the care of English Heritage, Framlingham Castle is celebrated not only for its striking architecture but also for its accessible wall walk, which offers panoramic views across the Suffolk mere and countryside.
The Investigation:
Vigil 1: (Attic)
During set up, a music box did activate, but we can't be sure if it picked up Emily's movement, although she was nowhere near it at the time.
Also a short time later, the bell activated, signalling a change in temperature. A few of us saw a shadow moving at the opposite end of the attic, but we were all accounted for and all sitting at the time.
Later myself and Genine saw a dark movement outside the doorway leading from the attic space, so Emily placed a motion sensor in that area, nothing happened.
What we did experience was taps, a faint bang that sounded like a door being slammed and even a whistling.
I did a call out, during this time I asked for a sound
(music box played), then i asked for the music to stop, it did immediately.
Emily on Necrophonics...
Guess what, Yeah
(in response to did you live here)
Your ears, Circle.
Following that last word, we formed an energy circle..
I was between Frankie & Genine, we were all holding hands when suddenly I noticed the energy behind me get heavier, Frankie started to shake, I asked if she was OK, and she said she was fine, but I also noticed she was gentley swaying back and forth, then Genine began to sway, after a short while things settled down and we broke the circle but myself, Genine and Frankie all felt drained, towards the end even Emily began to feel affected...
During a break Genine showed me her compass, it actually dates from WW2, the thing was, the needle was supposed to point North, but it kept moving, as though something had control of it. This technique was tried in both the cafeteria and the gift shop with identical results.
Vigil 2: Outside Upper Level.
After a break we split up into two smaller group's...
Emily & Mel headed for the bakehouse, while i took everyone else up to the battlements
During our vigil we had a few temperature changes on the Bell but other than that not much else was experienced in our area, however strange lights in the sky caught our attention so basically a ghost hunt quickly turned into UFO spotting. 😉
Vigil 3: Bakehouse.
Emily and Mel headed up to where we were as it was time to change places.
I headed back down to the Bakewell along with Genine, Evie & Kieron.
Andrew (National Trust) also joined us...
We began by introducing ourselves then Genine started calling out, using a rempod bear for the answers...
Are you Male? Yes
Are you over 60? Yes
(Music box played)
Did you live here? Yes
(Knocking)
Not much else seemed to be happening, so we moved on.
After a short break, we continued...
Vigil 4: Tower 1 (Gatehouse)
Mel on Estes.
Light, Westhouse, break,
keep up, You've got this, Disraeli, was this referring to former prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, secure, escape, noose, mersonary, no mercy, Carol, miscarriage, gone, Harris, struggle.
Bell activated, temperature drop
During her estes session, Mel kept reaching out, as though someone was standing near her.
Vigil 5: Attic.
For our final vigil of the night, i joined forces with Genine and Frankie.
Upstairs we had some good results with the bell
(Temp change), also rempod bear activity as well as whistling heard.
After a while it went quiet so we headed down to the museum floor.
Both Frankie and myself went into the display room, while Genine headed downstairs for an outside vigil on her own.
Vigil 6: Museum area.
In here we had a few good results on the bell
(signifying magnetic change)
While we were talking about a specific room on the stairs, where Emily had just been on a solo vigil, nicknamed the naughty room, again the bell sounded a response.
Vigil 7: Outside area.
We decided to join Genine for a final stroll around the perimeter wall, as we were talking, we heard loud footsteps moving past us and towards the Gatehouse, the path is gravelly and so the footsteps were clearly heard by all three of us, we shone our torches up the path, but there was no one in sight, we walked upto the Gatehouse only to find the main doors firmly locked.
Shortly after this, we began to pack up.
The investigation ended at midnight.
Summary:
What a fantastic location Framlingham Castle is, it's History going back centuries and some of the past owners were only too happy to make themselves known to us.
Last night I had only begun to scratch the surface, and hopefully a future visit will be on the cards.
Many thanks to Emily paranormal for organising a fantastic night
Also to all the other Investigators that were there last night, it was an absolute pleasure working alongside you
