This document pardons a woman, who had been accused of stealing cloth and jewels from a merchant. The crime didn’t take place in Framlingham castle, but it does reveal how people born in the castle might move away. The precise details of the alleged theft and the reasons that the woman was accused in the first place remain a mystery.
Evidence of a woman who lived or was born in the Framlingham Castle pardoned for theft, 1358 – Patent Rolls, Edward III 1358-1361, Volume 11, p. 58, Membrane 5, June 20, 1358 Westminster, 32 Edward III, part I (catalogue reference: C 66/254, m. 5)
Translation
Pardon to Katherine Crane of Framlyngham Chastel, indicted [charged] of having stolen from the house of John Wodeward in Pulham a statute merchant of 14l [fourteen pounds] and cloths of wool and linen and other jewels to the value of 10l of the king’s suit for the felonies [serious crimes] and any consequent waivers; as the said John has acknowledged before trustworthy persons that the premises do not contain the truth. Dated, 20 June 1358
Simplified translation
Pardon to Katherine Crane of Framlingham Castle who had previously been charged for stealing £14, cloths of wool and linen, and jewels to the value of £10 (ten pounds) from the house of John Woodward, a merchant, in Pulham. She has been pardoned because John has acknowledged before trustworthy persons that the accusations against Katherine do not contain the truth. Dated 20 June
Questions
- Do you think it reveals anything about the function of Framlingham Castle in Medieval England? If not, do you think the record is valuable for any other reason?
- If you were writing a history of Framlingham castle, how might you use this source? If this document didn’t exist, would it really matter for our understanding of Framlingham Castle, and the people who lived there?