" This parish, calculated to be six miles in circumference, extends from Belchamp St. Paul's to Belchamp Walter. It is distant from Castle Hedingham five, and from London fifty-two miles. "

" Some of the lands are reckoned nearly as high as any in Essex. (footnote) The name, which is written Othonis, Oten, Otten, and Otes, is believed to have been derived from Othon, or Otto, its ancient possessor. "

" There are two manors. The mansion of Belchamp Otton Hall is near the church . Some time previous to the general survey, it was held under Eustace, earl of Boulogne, by Ledmar, a freeman, and at the survey was in the possession of Ulmer. "

" In the time of King Henry the Second, one of the ancient family of Otto, or Othon, held this estate, which descended to his son William, whose son, Otho Fitz William, was sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire for nine years successively.

His wife and his son, William, in 1200, paid scutage for two knights' fees; and Otho, the son of William, or Fitz William, held one carucate and half a knight's fee of the king, as of his honour of Boulogne, whose son, of the same name, held one knight's fee here, besides what he had in Gestingthorp and Gosfield. "

" He was succeeded by Thomas, his brother's who was engraver for the king's mint, and died in 1274. (footnote) By his wife Beatrix, second daughter and co-heiress of William de Beauchamp, he had a son, who died in 1282, without issue, and three daughters, Johanna, Maud and Beatrix.

The eldest and youngest died unmarried, and Maud was married to Sir John de Botetourt, of Mendlesham, in Suffolk, in 1302. The family of Botetourt came from Normandy with the Conqueror, and were lords of Witley Castle, in Worcestershire. (footnote here) "

" Sir John de Botetourt had summonses to parliament from 1307 to 1323, (footnote Dugdale) and for his military achievements was rewarded and honoured by Edward the First. He was made governor of Briavels Castle , in Gloucestershire , and warden of the forest of Deane, in 1291, and attended that monarch in his wars and expeditions into France and Scotland ; as he did also Edward the Second ; and he was also admiral of their fleets . * He held , jointly with his wife Maud, this manor , and also the manors of Belchamp St. Ethelbert and Walter, and of Ovington, Gestingthorp , and Gosfield. "

" He died in 1324, having had by his wife Maud, Fitz-Otho, Thomas, John, Otho, Robert, and Elizabeth, married to William Latimer. "

" Thomas, the eldest son, married Joan, one of the sisters and co-heiresses of John de Somery, baron of Dudley, who brought with her a large inheritance; but he died before his father: and Sir John, the second son, inherited the Essex estates, particularly this of Beauchamp Otton, with appertenances; two parts of which he devised to Adam St. Philebert, for his life, who outlived him several years, the latter dying in 1352, Sir John having died in 1339; and Margaret, his wife, died in 1376, having had this manor in dower. (footnote here?) "

" Her son, John Botetourt, who died before her, had married Joan, daughter and co-heiress of John Gernon, of the noble family of the barons of Stansted Montfitchet, by whom he left an only daughter, Joan, a very rich heiress; who was married to Sir Robert Swynborne, of Little Horksley. "

" He died in 1391, and his wife in 1433, holding this manor, and other very considerable estates. They had five sons, who died unmarried, and two daughters, who consequently became co-heiresses to their extensive possessions; of which this manor was conveyed by Alice, the eldest daughter, to her husband, John Helion, Esq. of Bumpsted Helion; whose son, John, died in possession of it in 1450. "

" By his wife, Editha Rolfe, he had two daughters, co-heiresses. Of these, Philippa, the eldest, left no issue; but Isabel married to Humphrey Tyrell, Esq . had an only child , Anne , who, by marriage , conveyed this, with other extensive possessions, to Sir Roger Wentworth; in whose family it remained till it was sold, in 1623, by Sir John Wentworth, the last male of the family, to Thomas Smith, of Sudbury, who died in 1631, holding this manor of the honour of Clare, leaving Thomas , his son and heir; who sold the estate to Sir David de Ligne; and he conveyed it to his mother-in-law, Elizabeth de la Fountaine , for life; then to Erasmus de la Fountaine, and to John, his son and heir ; remainder to Sir David de Ligne , whose son and heir , Erasmus , left it to his son, John de Ligne ; .who , in 1693 , mortgaged it to Thomas Green and John Lynn. "

" It afterwards became the property of the Smith family , till 1686 , when it was purchased by John Poulter, attorney, of Clare; who , in 1720 , conveyed it , with other estates , to Isaac Helbutt ; from whom it passed to Mr. Moses Hart, and Wulf Ridolphus, Esq .; and successively to Mr. Napthali Hach and Mr. Levi. "

" It now belongs to Mr. William Halls , who inherits it from his brother . The manor of Vaux , or Le Vaux, seems to have derived its name from Robert de Vaux. Vals, Valibus, or Vaux, who held this estate under Roger de Bigot, at the time of the general survey. "

" In 1262, the heirs of Abel de St. Martin held it as one knights fee; and, in 1358, John de Vere, the seventh earl of Oxford, died possessed of it, it being holden of Sir John Bourchier. "

" Continuing in possession of the noble family of De Vere, it was purchased of Edward, the seventeenth earl, by William Carew, Esq. William Champion, and William Webb; from whom it passed to John Dister, clothier, of Glemsford, in Suffolk; (footnote) of whose family it was afterwards purchased, in 1715, by Mary, the wife of Dr. Bourchier, whose youngest daughter, Anne, by marriage , conveyed this estate to Mr. Alexander Cleeve, of London. "

" It afterwards became the property of Mr. Evans, of Cheping Ongar. (footnote) Gageors is an estate, sometimes called a manor, lying partly in this parish, and Gageors . partly in St. Paul's Ovington, and Tilbury. "

" Mr. Thomas Smyth was the proprietor of this estate in 1567; from whom it was conveyed to Mr. James Ray, who left it to his of the same name; from whom it was purchased by Captain Moss, the present possessor . Swinehoe is the name of an ancient manor which used to keep a court baron; the estate is not at present known , except it be a farm called Swaines, belonging to Mr. Halls. "

" White House formerly was held as two estates, one of which was named Leebelie; it was sold, by Mr. George Ray, to Mr. Pung, its present possessor . Old House is a very ancient mansion, on a large farm belonging to Mr. Thompson, of George Street, Hanover Square.
Bevington House, by Bevington Common, belongs to Mr. Parmentier. "

" The church , dedicated to All Saints , is small and of comfortable appearance , having undergone a thorough repair since the year 1800; and a handsome new tower has been erected, covered with terrace mortar of the best kind. "

" This tower is on the ruins of a much older church than the present; and the entrance near it into the church is under a Norman arch, supported by small pillars, with ornamented capitals , of Saxon , or in imitation of Saxon workmanship. "

" The advowson of this living was purchased, in 1821 , by the Rev. J. Cox, the present incumbent. "

" THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES CP 25/2/132/1693/26ELIZIEASTER, Item 43 1

Transcript and translation copyright ©2007 Nina Green All Rights Reserved www.oxford-shakespeare.com/

SUMMARY: The document below is the fine in the Court of Common Pleas dated 6 May 1584 by which clear title to the manor of Vaux passed from Oxford to his servant, Israel Amyce, for £300. For the licence dated 2 March 1584 by which Oxford was granted permission to alienate his manor of Vaux to Israel Amyce, see TNA C 66/1248, mm. 22-3. "

" The manor of Vaux had been among Oxford’s manors granted by the Queen to Leicester on 22 October 1563 for the term of Oxford’s minority.
By another fine on the same day, 6 May 1584, clear title to the manors of Rayhouse and Cranbrook passed from Israel Amyce and his wife, Martha, to Oxford for £300 (see TNA CP 25/2/132/1693/26ELIZIEASTER, Item 39).
It seems likely that the two transactions were related, and involved an exchange of manors for a purpose which is as yet unclear. "

" Otton was formerly called Little and Plumme or Ledene (cf. Leaden Roding infra 493). Otton is a corruption of the Lat Ottonis, gen. of Otto (Otys is the Old French gen.) and preserves the name of Otto (t. Hy 2), a descendant of Otto the goldsmith (aurifaber, aurifex) who held Gestingthorpe (DB), and whose family were hereditary masters of the mint (VCH i, 350-1). "