Editing Framlingham Castle (section)

===14th century===
[[Image:Framlingham walls closeup.jpg|thumb|The 12th-century walls of the Inner Court]]
[[Edward II of England|Edward II]] gave the castle to his half-brother, [[Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk|Thomas of Brotherton]], the Earl of Norfolk.<ref name=RidgardP4/> Records show that Framlingham was only partially furnished around this time, although it is unclear if this was because it was in limited use, or because fittings and furnishings were moved from castle to castle with the owner as he traveled, or if the castle was simply being refurnished.<ref>Alexander, pp.20–1; Ridgard, p.4.</ref> The castle complex continued to thrive, however, on Thomas' death in 1338, the castle passed first to his widow, Mary de Brewes, and then in 1362, into the Ufford family.<ref name=RidgardP4/> [[William de Ufford, 2nd Earl of Suffolk]] held the castle during the [[Peasants' Revolt]] of 1381, with much of the revolt occurring close to Framlingham.<ref name=RidgardP5>Ridgard, p.5.</ref> From the Uffords, the castle passed first to [[Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk|Margaret of Brotherton]], the self-styled "Countess-Marshall", and then to [[Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk|Thomas de Mowbray]], the [[Duke of Norfolk]].<ref>Ridgard, p.5; Stacey, p.28.</ref> The Mowbrays seem to have used Framlingham Castle as their main seat of power for most of the 15th century.<ref name=RidgardP5/>

With as many as 83 people living in the castle at any one time, the castle played a major role in the surrounding economy during the period.<ref>Smedley, p.53, cited Alexander, p.21.</ref> Large amounts of food and drink were purchased to support the household – over twelve months in 1385–6, for example, over £1,000 was spent, including the purchase of {{convert|28,567|impgal|L}} of [[ale]] and 70,321 loaves of [[bread]].<ref name=autogenerated2>Alexander, p.21.</ref>{{#tag:ref|It is impossible to accurately compare 14th century and modern prices or incomes. For comparison, £1,000 represents the typical average annual income for an early 15th-century baron.<ref>Pounds, p.148.</ref>|group="nb"}} By the 14th century the castle was purchasing goods from across western Europe, with [[wine]] being imported from France, [[venison]] from parks as far away as [[Northamptonshire]] and [[spice]]s from the [[Far East]] through [[London]]-based merchants.<ref name=AlexanderP22>Alexander, p.22.</ref> The castle purchased some goods, such as [[salt]], through the annual [[Stourbridge Fair]] at nearby [[Cambridge]], then one of the biggest economic events in Europe.<ref name=AlexanderP22/> Some of this expenditure was supported by the [[demesne]] manor attached to the castle, which comprised {{convert|168|ha|acre|abbr=off}} of land and 5,000 days of [[serf]] labour under feudal law.<ref>Ridgard, p.19.</ref> A [[vineyard]] was created at the castle in the late 12th century, and a [[bakery]] and a [[horse mill]] were built in the castle by the 14th century.<ref>Ridgard, pp.13, 21.</ref> Surrounding manors also fed in resources to the castle; in twelve months between 1275 and 1276, £434 was received by the castle from the wider region.<ref name=AlexanderP22/>{{#tag:ref|It is impossible to accurately compare 13th century and modern prices or incomes. For comparison, £434 represents around two-thirds the average income for a major baron of the period.<ref name=autogenerated3 />|group="nb"}}

Two large lakes, called [[Mere (lake)|meres]], were formed alongside the castle by damming a local stream.<ref name=autogenerated4 /> The southern mere, still visible today, had its origins in a smaller, natural lake; once dammed, it covered {{convert|9.4|ha|acre|abbr=off}} and had an island with a [[dovecote]] built on it.<ref>Taylor, p.40; Liddiard (2005), p.114; Stacey, p.16.</ref>{{#tag:ref|By placing the dovecote on an island, the surrounding mere would have protected the doves from vermin.<ref>Alexander, p.30.</ref>|group="nb"}} The meres were used for fishing as well as for boating, and would have had extensive aesthetic appeal.<ref>Liddiard (2005), p.106.</ref> It is uncertain exactly when the meres were first built.<ref name=AlexanderP29>Alexander, p.29.</ref> One theory suggests that the meres were built in the early 13th century, although there is no documentary record of them at least until the 1380s.<ref>Alexander, pp.29–30.</ref> Another theory is that they were formed in the first half of the 14th century, at around the same time as the Lower Court was constructed.<ref name=AlexanderP29/> A third possibility is that it was the Howard family who introduced the meres in the late 15th century as part of their modernisation of the castle.<ref name=JohnsonP45>Johnson, p.45.</ref>