The sale of Belchamp Hall and Manor

This page is about the sale of Belchamp Hall in 1611 by John Wentworth to John Raymond.

The hall at this time was an Elizabethan manor house and stood on the site of the current Georgian, Queen Anne style, hall that was built in 1720.

Belchamp Hall and manor "came to" Sir Roger Wentworth in 1539. His grandson John sold the hall to John Raymond in 1611. The Wentworth family were "well connected" in the local area and owned many estates of which Belchamp Walter was only one.

There are many clues to the destiny of the Wentworth family and there are many memorials to be found in local churches around Belchamp Walter. During the period leading up to the sale in 1611 there were many political "maneuvers" connected to the general history of the country.

The involvement of the Wentworth family, the Rich Family and Lord and Lady Maltravers is key to some of these transactions. Both the Sir Hugh Rich and Maltravers were residents of Gosfield Hall, Essex. Lord Rich of Leez was Lord Chancellor in the reign of Edward VI and Lady Maltravers became Mistress of Gosfield and she was a Lady due to her second marriage to Lord Maltravers.

Richard Rich was instrumental in and a benficiary of the Dissolution of the monastries under Henry VIII (1536 - 1541)

Jacobean Building Boom

As a consequence of the Dissolution of the monastries many former religious properties were used as the site of many Jacobean mansions. Some of these houses include Melford Hall, Audley End, the Oxborough Estate and Leez Priory to mention a few.

The Wentworth family are also known for the construction of Gosfield Hall and were influencial in East Anglia during the Jacobean era. The Wentworth family had many properties in the area and the orignal Belchamp Hall was one of them. The building is more likley to have been an Elizabeth structure and pre-dated the conversion of priories and abbeys. (Leez Priory, Melford Hall and Audley End)

The present Belchamp Hall is a Georgian structure in the Queen Anne style which was popular at the turn of the 17th century. The Hall was built for John Raymond III in 1720. John Raymond III died in 1720 at the age of 31 so he did not get to enjoy his new house and as a young man at the time of its conception it was quite an undertaking.

Lord Maltravers

The Wikipedia page says about Lord Maltravers: