He became a Member of Parliament for West Looe, Cornwall from 1597 to 1598; for King's Lynn, Norfolk from 1604 to 1611; for Cambridge in 1614 and for Orford, Suffolk from 1624 to 1626.
He died on 15 August 1636 and now lies in a tomb in the Church of St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham.
His will stated that the castle, save for the outer walls, be demolished and the stone used to build a poor house.
The inner buildings were duly demolished and a poor house, Sir Robert Hitcham's Almshouses, was built in its place.
[5] He bequeathed the site of the castle to the Master, Fellows and Scholars of Pembroke College, Cambridge.