1 8 OLD LOUGHTON HALL. 



" Imprimis, the mannor or mansion house contains a Hall, a 

 Buttry, Kitchen, Larder, Bakehouse, Pastry, Mylkhowse, Wash- 

 howse, and eight other Lodgings, with faire Lodginge and greate 

 Roomes over the said Roomes new built and redified at the chardgs 

 of Sir Robert Wroth, the now iTarmer thereof; with two barnes of 

 nine bayes a peece, two duble stables, l)rewhouse, Garnerhowse and 

 sundry other out offices and Lodgings ; with an orchard and a garden ' 

 now in plantinge, all consisting of Six acres and one rood of ground, 

 valued at, per annum, the Repair and the late new building con- 

 sidered — vj li. xii'f. iiij''." 



The rest of the document is taken up with the -lands and other 

 appurtenances of the manor, the gross annual value of which is 

 stated to be ^768 2s. lod. The nett value, after deduction of the 

 rent reserved (^58 8s. 4d.), and one-fourth "in respect of feeding 

 of His Majesty's deer, both red and fallow, upon all the grounds 

 throughout the said manor," is set down as ^517 13s. gid. The 

 timber, separately valued, and taken as 1,028 loads, is said to be 

 worth ^3,028. Just one year later, on June 15, 1613, a grant in fee 

 of the manor,'-' with the advowson of the Rectory, was made to Sir 

 Robert and the Lady Mary Wroth, in consideration of the payment 

 by them of ^'1,224, and a fee-farm rent of ^58 8s. 4d. 



It appears, therefore, that, relying on the length of his lease, or, 

 pLrhaps, having his subsequent purchase already in view, Sir Robert 

 Wroth, the younger, rebuilt Loughton Hall; but of this the allusion 

 in the survey appears to be the only existing evidence. It is pos- 

 sible, however, that an allusion to Sir Robert's rebuilding of the 

 house is intended in the following passage from his wife's book : — " 



" Hee replyed, the place hee was on was called the Forrest 

 Champion ... a little way from thence hee told him was a faire 

 house, where a noble Knight and his Lady liued within a part of 

 the same Forrest, which they had inclosed, and made like an orderly 

 ciuil place, from the others wildnesse, and shut themselves within a 

 Pale ; woods were within this place, the rest all Heath and Rocks, 

 scarce a Bush, but no tree that could sheltre one from a small 

 shower. . . . The Knight was a braue Gentleman . . . his Lady a 

 young woman, cheerefuU and pleasant, the daughter of a great 

 Lord,'' and Sister to as fine a gentleman as was in that kingdom." 



13 D. of Lane. : Div. xii., B. 26; and Originalia : 11 Jac. L, part 4. 



14 " The Countesse of Montgomerie's Urania," by the Lady Maiy Wroath, p. 534. 



15 The Lady Mary was daughter to Robert Sydney, Baron Penshurst, and Viscjunt Lisle ; 

 and, later, Earl of Leicester. 



