Framlingham Castle: Mary Tudor’s Ghost

Framlingham Castle stands as one of England’s finest examples of late 12th-century military architecture, its distinctive curtain wall punctuated by thirteen towers creating an imposing silhouette against the Suffolk skyline. Built by Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk, around 1190, the castle became the principal seat of the powerful Mowbray and Howard families. But Framlingham’s most significant moment came in July 1553, when Mary Tudor gathered her supporters here and successfully claimed the English throne, becoming England’s first crowned queen regnant.

Mary Tudor’s connection to Framlingham Castle runs deep. When her brother Edward VI died and Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen, Mary fled to Framlingham, where she rallied enough support to challenge Jane’s brief reign. Within days, the Privy Council acknowledged Mary as the rightful queen. This triumph—her transformation from threatened fugitive to sovereign—seems to have left an indelible impression on the castle. Her ghost is said to walk the battlements where she once stood to address her loyal supporters, still dressed in the Tudor gowns of her era.

Witnesses describe seeing a regal woman in rich 16th-century dress standing alone on the castle walls, gazing out over the Suffolk countryside as if surveying her realm. She appears most often at dusk, when the fading light casts long shadows across the castle courtyard. Some visitors report seeing her accompanied by shadowy figures in Tudor clothing—phantom courtiers who attended her during those momentous July days. The apparitions typically last only moments before fading into the stone walls.

Beyond the visual sightings, Framlingham Castle exhibits other paranormal phenomena connected to its Tudor past. The sound of voices speaking in archaic English has been recorded in empty chambers, and cold spots move through the castle interior despite no apparent source. Staff have reported the scent of Tudor-era perfumes and burning candles in areas where Mary would have resided. The castle’s great hall, though now roofless, is said to echo with the phantom sounds of celebration—perhaps Mary’s supporters toasting her victory. English Heritage, which manages the site, acknowledges the castle’s haunted reputation, and many visitors come hoping to catch a glimpse of the triumphant queen who transformed this Suffolk fortress into the birthplace of her reign.