The reason that Belchamp Walter "came to" Wentworth
Historic England - Belchamp Hall - Ownership of Land - Sir John Wentworth of Gosfield
I am trying a different approach on this page as I can now have external links that can be hidden. The description from the Historic England listing for the current hall contains the "held by a number of families" statement. The statement that the estate remained in the possession of the de Veres until the 17 century is also in the listing. I have always thought that this was possibly incorrect.
Also in the evolution of this website the concept of land ownership and how that compares to what the situation was at the time of the Conquest to that as it exists today and how it changed over the intervening years. Many changes happened from the time of Feudalism, the appointment of land (hence the nme "Landed Gentry") to the out-right ownership of property.
Montgomery and Belchamp Walter
The Belchamp Hall Estate and the surrounding land "coming" to Sir Roger Wentworth needs some un-picking.
The "ownership" of the Belchamp Estate in the Tudor Period (1485-1603) puts the aquisition of 1539 pretty much in the middle.
Thomas Wright's history of Essex records Thomas Montgomery, who married Philippe Helion, as being an influencial magnate that was active in the courts of the Monarchs of the time. Specifically Henry VI (r. 1422-1471), - Edward IV - and Richard II.
At this time, prior to the Tudor Period, the Belchamp Estate was "held" by the Helion's and as Philippe was the heir of John de Helion, the estate passed to the Montgomery's
The actual Historic England text from the listing of Belchamp Hall:
I had misinterpreted this in the past.
The lordship of the manor of Belchamp Water was, at the time of the Domesday survey, in the possession of Alberic de Vere, in whose family it remained until the C17. Under the de Veres it was held by a number of families until in 1539 it came to Sir Roger Wentworth.
In addition to the concept of "Ownership" I had my doubts about the fortunes of the de Veres in general.
Thomas Wright explains how the Estate "came" to Wentworth:
John Helion, Esq. was their son and heir, who, dying in 1450, left,
by his wife Editha, daughter and co heiress of Thomas Rolfe, Esq.
of Gosfield, Philippa, married to Sir Thomas Montgomery, Esq. of Faulkbourne Hall; and Isabel, the wife of Humphrey Tyrell, Esq. of Little Warley, to whom she bore an only daughter, named Anne, who, by marriage, conveyed this and other great estates to Sir Roger Wentworth, of Codham Hall, in Wethersfield.
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Edith Green 1497 through Thomas Rolfe
