St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham
Encyclopedia
St Michael the Archangel in Framlingham
, Suffolk
, known affectionately as St Mike's, is a Church of England
church dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel
. It was the burial site of the House of Howard. The church was declared a Grade I listed building in 1966.
has been built, rebuilt and added to down the ages. A surviving feature, the capitals of the chancel
arch, date from the twelfth century but the majority of the church was built in the Perpendicular style between 1350 and 1555. The roof is especially glorious with intricate fan tracery
which conceal hammer beams. The roof itself dates from about 1521.
Framlingham was a major seat of the Earls and Dukes of Norfolk. Vast estates of the Norman
Bigods
were forfeited to Edward I and Framlingham
came to Thomas of Brotherton, eldest son of Edward and Margaret of France. After many other changes of inheritance, in about 1635 Sir Robert Hitcham
bequeathed the Framlingham estate to Pembroke College, Cambridge
who remain Lords of the Manor to this day. The church contains many fine tombs including that of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
.
, and only three of those are Thamars. The other examples being in Gloucester Cathedral
and St Nicholas's church in the hamlet of Stanford upon Avon, Northamptonshire.
The painted front pipes belong to the Thamar organ first built for the church's patrons, Pembroke College Cambridge, by Thomas Thamar in 1674 just after the Restoration (celebrated by the hatchment on the south wall); the only other painted pipes of this style are to be found in Gloucester Cathedral
. The case is believed to date back to before 1630 (maybe much earlier – 1580 has been mentioned) and some of the pipework may at least pre-date the Commonwealth.
In 1707 the College decided it would like a larger and more up to date organ by Father Smith for their Wren
chapel; the Thamar organ came to St. Michael's in 1708 along with its case. It was placed on a gallery where it stayed until 1898. For a period the organ was moved about the church first to the north aisle and then into the chancel until 1970 when the gallery was recovered from the castle and reunited with the organ in its present position under the leadership of Michael Gillingham and with the aid of the Pilgrim Trust.
The organ's history contains many mysteries. One concerns the famous and historic organ builder John Byfield who worked on the organ during 1740 according to reports in the Ipswich Journal. When Hunter rebuilt the organ in 1898 he used most of most of Thamar's pipework on the great organ except for the cornet and trumpet which he replaced with a harmonic flute and gamba. The cornet went missing and the trumpet was lost. The swell incorporated at least three eighteenth century stops.
The restoration by Bishop and Son of Ipswich in 1970 was sensitive and imaginative. The Thamar organ was restored with no additions or subtractions (apart from a board for bottom C#). The cornet was rediscovered in the Rectory attic and repaired, restored and reconstructed. A very old rank of trumpet pipes was found to replace the lost set. The swell was matched up to complement the great and based on its 18th Century content. The pedal was likewise treated. The Cromorne was introduced by John Budgen of Bishops and is an excellent and versatile addition to the swell organ. A pedal reed was also added. The organ specification is available at the National Pipe Organ Register.
The organ has illustrious associations: Mendelssohn
is believed to have given lessons to Caroline Attwood when he visited her elder brother George Attwood, then Rector. Mendelssohn knew George's father, Thomas Attwood
, composer and organist of St. Paul's Cathedral and one time pupil of Mozart.
of Thetford Priory
)
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
The tomb of Thomas Howard stands immediately to the south of the high altar. It shares English and French features and is uncommon for Northern European legacy, rather reminiscent of Italian tombs. Around the four sides are the figures of the twelve apostles together with Aaron
and St. Paul the Apostle, the last major display of religious imagery in England before the iconoclastic phases of the English Reformation
ruled it out forever. Significant for being the commission of an 'over mighty subject' rather than a royal, parts may be taken from the monument
of his father Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
at Thetford. Three male bodies interred in the 3rd Duke's monument, perhaps the 1st, 2nd and 3rd dukes, were all removed here after the dissolution.
Wives of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk
He himself is buried at St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London
, executed there for trying to make a 4th marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots. In their robes of state and resting their heads and feet on emblems connected with their Houses, his wives Mary FitzAlan
and Margaret Audley are represented, though only Margaret is buried here. The large space between the effigies is said to have been reserved for Norfolk himself, his third wife, or even Mary, Queen of Scots. The sides are decorated with their heraldic quarterings. It would seem that at some former period there were columns which supported a canopy over the monument which must have rendered it highly magnificent.
In 1842 this vault was opened and found to be empty but for a skull and some ashes. Tradition has it that the inhabitants of the town hid some of their valuables in the monument during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and swept it clean afterwards.
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Before his own death in 1613 Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton
, Surrey’s youngest son made arrangements for his father’s and mother's remains to be removed to Framlingham and this monument portraying them both to be erected in 1614. The Latin
inscription refers to Surrey as being the son of the Second Duke which is technically correct as after the battle of Bosworth the Dukedom was rendered extinct and the Second Duke became the First Duke of the new creation.
The tomb chest is not a religious example but rather extolling the virtues of its subjects. His 2 sons kneel at the foot end. At the head end are Howard's 3 daughters:
By about 1976 the whole monument was subsiding in the centre and the ends collapsing in on itself. The restoration was entrusted to John Green and the monument was duly cleaned and restored to its full brilliance. It was when it was being cleaned that Mr Green found the dowell holes next to Surrey’s calf where there once was a coronet
(not worn, since he died in disgrace). A new coronet was made of lead casting with large fish weights for the baubles, the whole thing was then painted, gilded, and placed in position.
Framlingham
Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District of Suffolk, England. Commonly referred to as "Fram" by the locals, it is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has a population of 3,114 at the 2001 census...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, known affectionately as St Mike's, is a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
. It was the burial site of the House of Howard. The church was declared a Grade I listed building in 1966.
History
The Church of Saint Michael FramlinghamFramlingham
Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District of Suffolk, England. Commonly referred to as "Fram" by the locals, it is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has a population of 3,114 at the 2001 census...
has been built, rebuilt and added to down the ages. A surviving feature, the capitals of the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch, date from the twelfth century but the majority of the church was built in the Perpendicular style between 1350 and 1555. The roof is especially glorious with intricate fan tracery
Fan vault
thumb|right|250px|Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey, Bath, England. Made from local Bath stone, this is a [[Victorian restoration]] of the original roof of 1608....
which conceal hammer beams. The roof itself dates from about 1521.
Framlingham was a major seat of the Earls and Dukes of Norfolk. Vast estates of the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Bigods
Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk
Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk was born in Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire, England.He was the second son of Roger Bigod , Sheriff of Norfolk, who founded the Bigod name in England...
were forfeited to Edward I and Framlingham
Framlingham
Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District of Suffolk, England. Commonly referred to as "Fram" by the locals, it is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has a population of 3,114 at the 2001 census...
came to Thomas of Brotherton, eldest son of Edward and Margaret of France. After many other changes of inheritance, in about 1635 Sir Robert Hitcham
Robert Hitcham
Sir Robert Hitcham was a Member of Parliament and Attorney General.Robert was born of lowly origin and educated at the Free School at Ipswich and later Pembroke College, Cambridge, studying law...
bequeathed the Framlingham estate to Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
who remain Lords of the Manor to this day. The church contains many fine tombs including that of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
.
The 1708 Thamar Organ
One of the most noted features of the church is the world famous Thamar organ. Only eight large-scale organs in total survived the English Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, and only three of those are Thamars. The other examples being in Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the river. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter .-Foundations:The foundations of the present...
and St Nicholas's church in the hamlet of Stanford upon Avon, Northamptonshire.
The painted front pipes belong to the Thamar organ first built for the church's patrons, Pembroke College Cambridge, by Thomas Thamar in 1674 just after the Restoration (celebrated by the hatchment on the south wall); the only other painted pipes of this style are to be found in Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the river. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter .-Foundations:The foundations of the present...
. The case is believed to date back to before 1630 (maybe much earlier – 1580 has been mentioned) and some of the pipework may at least pre-date the Commonwealth.
In 1707 the College decided it would like a larger and more up to date organ by Father Smith for their Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
chapel; the Thamar organ came to St. Michael's in 1708 along with its case. It was placed on a gallery where it stayed until 1898. For a period the organ was moved about the church first to the north aisle and then into the chancel until 1970 when the gallery was recovered from the castle and reunited with the organ in its present position under the leadership of Michael Gillingham and with the aid of the Pilgrim Trust.
The organ's history contains many mysteries. One concerns the famous and historic organ builder John Byfield who worked on the organ during 1740 according to reports in the Ipswich Journal. When Hunter rebuilt the organ in 1898 he used most of most of Thamar's pipework on the great organ except for the cornet and trumpet which he replaced with a harmonic flute and gamba. The cornet went missing and the trumpet was lost. The swell incorporated at least three eighteenth century stops.
The restoration by Bishop and Son of Ipswich in 1970 was sensitive and imaginative. The Thamar organ was restored with no additions or subtractions (apart from a board for bottom C#). The cornet was rediscovered in the Rectory attic and repaired, restored and reconstructed. A very old rank of trumpet pipes was found to replace the lost set. The swell was matched up to complement the great and based on its 18th Century content. The pedal was likewise treated. The Cromorne was introduced by John Budgen of Bishops and is an excellent and versatile addition to the swell organ. A pedal reed was also added. The organ specification is available at the National Pipe Organ Register.
The organ has illustrious associations: Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn
Mendelson is a Polish/German Jewish family name, meaning "son of Mendel", Mendel being a Yiddish diminutive of the Hebrew given name Menahem, meaning "consoling" or "one who consoles".Mendelssohn is the surname of a number of people:...
is believed to have given lessons to Caroline Attwood when he visited her elder brother George Attwood, then Rector. Mendelssohn knew George's father, Thomas Attwood
Thomas Attwood
Thomas Attwood was a British economist, the leading figure of the underconsumptionist Birmingham School of economists, and, as the founder of the Birmingham Political Union, a leading figure in the public campaign for the Great Reform Act of 1832.He was born in Halesowen, and attended Halesowen...
, composer and organist of St. Paul's Cathedral and one time pupil of Mozart.
Howard family monuments
The church contains family burials of the House of Howard (mostly moved after the dissolutionDissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
of Thetford Priory
Thetford Priory
Thetford Priory is a Cluniac Priory located at Thetford, Norfolk, England.One of the most important East Anglian monasteries, it was founded in 1103 by Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk and dedicated to Our Lady....
)
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 3rd Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
The tomb of Thomas Howard stands immediately to the south of the high altar. It shares English and French features and is uncommon for Northern European legacy, rather reminiscent of Italian tombs. Around the four sides are the figures of the twelve apostles together with AaronAaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
and St. Paul the Apostle, the last major display of religious imagery in England before the iconoclastic phases of the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
ruled it out forever. Significant for being the commission of an 'over mighty subject' rather than a royal, parts may be taken from the monument
Church monument
A church monument is an architectural or sculptural memorial to a dead person or persons, located within a Christian church. It can take various forms, from a simple wall tablet to a large and elaborate structure which may include an effigy of the deceased person and other figures of familial or...
of his father Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal , styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1514, was the only son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk by his first wife, Katherine Moleyns...
at Thetford. Three male bodies interred in the 3rd Duke's monument, perhaps the 1st, 2nd and 3rd dukes, were all removed here after the dissolution.
Wives of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 4th Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.Norfolk was the son of the poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. He was taught as a child by John Foxe, the Protestant martyrologist, who remained a lifelong recipient of Norfolk's patronage...
He himself is buried at St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of LondonTower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, executed there for trying to make a 4th marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots. In their robes of state and resting their heads and feet on emblems connected with their Houses, his wives Mary FitzAlan
Mary FitzAlan
Lady Mary FitzAlan, Duchess of Norfolk was the youngest daughter and child of Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel and his first wife Lady Catherine Grey. Because her only brother had predeceased her, she and her elder sister, Jane FitzAlan were co-heiresses to the earldom of her father...
and Margaret Audley are represented, though only Margaret is buried here. The large space between the effigies is said to have been reserved for Norfolk himself, his third wife, or even Mary, Queen of Scots. The sides are decorated with their heraldic quarterings. It would seem that at some former period there were columns which supported a canopy over the monument which must have rendered it highly magnificent.
In 1842 this vault was opened and found to be empty but for a skull and some ashes. Tradition has it that the inhabitants of the town hid some of their valuables in the monument during the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and swept it clean afterwards.
Henry Howard, Earl of SurreyHenry Howard, Earl of SurreyHenry Howard, KG, , known as The Earl of Surrey although he never was a peer, was an English aristocrat, and one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry.-Life:...
Before his own death in 1613 Henry Howard, 1st Earl of NorthamptonHenry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton
Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton was a significant English aristocrat and courtier. He was suspect as a crypto-Catholic throughout his life, and went through periods of royal disfavour, in which his reputation suffered greatly. He was distinguished for learning, artistic culture and his...
, Surrey’s youngest son made arrangements for his father’s and mother's remains to be removed to Framlingham and this monument portraying them both to be erected in 1614. The Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
inscription refers to Surrey as being the son of the Second Duke which is technically correct as after the battle of Bosworth the Dukedom was rendered extinct and the Second Duke became the First Duke of the new creation.
The tomb chest is not a religious example but rather extolling the virtues of its subjects. His 2 sons kneel at the foot end. At the head end are Howard's 3 daughters:
- Jane, who wears a coronet
- in the centre is Katherine who married Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron BerkeleyHenry Berkeley, 7th Baron BerkeleyHenry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley was an English peer and politician. He was the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire and Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire as well as Baron Berkeley....
- MargaretMargaret HowardMargaret Howard may refer to:*Margaret Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, née Margaret Audley, *Margaret Howard, Countess of Nottingham, née Margaret Stewart,...
who married Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of BoltonHenry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of BoltonSir Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton, KG was the son and heir of John Scrope, 8th Baron Scrope of Bolton and Catherine Clifford, daughter of Henry Clifford, Earl of Cumberland....
(1534-1592).
By about 1976 the whole monument was subsiding in the centre and the ends collapsing in on itself. The restoration was entrusted to John Green and the monument was duly cleaned and restored to its full brilliance. It was when it was being cleaned that Mr Green found the dowell holes next to Surrey’s calf where there once was a coronet
Coronet
A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
(not worn, since he died in disgrace). A new coronet was made of lead casting with large fish weights for the baubles, the whole thing was then painted, gilded, and placed in position.