William Petre born in 1602 at West Thorndon (near Brentwood), became a gentleman commoner (with his elder brother Robert) of Exeter College, Oxford in the year 1612, being then but 10 years of age, but afterwards removed to and became the first nobleman of Wadham College, after its erection. He soon after went to the Inns of Court, and at length travelling in several parts of Europe, became a gentleman of great accomplishments. He died on January 15th 1677, aged 75 years, and was buried in Stanford Rivers.
He married Lucy (1610 – 1679), daughter of Sir Richard Fermor, of Somerton, in Oxford, Knight, by whom he had Lucy, who died October 9th 1637, and is buried at Stanford Rivers, and a son and heir, William (born 1630). He married Anne (1630 – 1688), daughter of Mr. Caldwell of Cants Hall in Essex. He died November 12th 1686 and was buried with his wife at Stanford Rivers.
[Source Colins Peerage of England, volume 7, 1812]
In 1656/7 a marriage settlement was signed by William Petre, senior of Stanford Rivers. It lists in details the properties owned by him in Stanford Rivers. The names of the fields, their size and who the occupiers are given.
Map showing Bellhouse and Traces
Manor of Bellhouse, then in occupation of said William Petre senior, and lands called Great Posterne Field and the Slip (8 acres), Little Posterne Field (6 acres), Great and Little New Mead (11 acres), Parsonage Croft (14 acres), Wain Field (36 acres), Witch Field (26 acres), Hell Field with the hop garden (11a.), Hull Croft alias Bricklamp Field (15 acres), Two Coker lands (13 acres), Twelve Acre Field with the Wood Piece (20 acres), the three Well Fields, adjoining Barwickes Lane (35 acres), parcel of meadow in East Mead (7 acres) and lands called Findrells (30 acres), all in occupation of said William Petre;
Morrells Farm and lands called Tracies Field (10 acres), Peaseach (11 acres), Stack Field (14 acres), Stone Rock Field (10 acres), Long Marsh (11 acres), Sedgy Marsh (8 acres), meadow in East Mead (9 acres), all in occupation of John Mann, gentleman;
Lands called How Croft and Lovells (11 acres), meadow (3 acres), in occupation of Thomas Valentine, Sabertons Croft, then in occupation of Francis Glascocke; capital messuage called Stanford Hall with gardens (4 acres), then in occupation of Thomas Clerke, New Mead (8 acres), Mill Hide (25 acres), Lower Mill Hide (15 acres), Parsonage Field (17 acres), the three Church Fields (36 acres), Rye Fields (36 acres), Twenty Acre Field (30 acres), Lower New Mead (12 acres), Lower Downes (18 acres), Upper Downes (32 acres), Nine Acre Close, and meadow in East Mead (11 acres); little farm, part of the demesne of Stanford Hall, in occupation of John Stratford, Ocroft (5 acres), three fields called Well Fields (37 acres), Fishpond Mead (5 acres), Edwards Shott (48 acres), and meadow (10 acres) in East Mead, Hallwood (12 acres), part of Hallwood bottom (3 acres), Hallwood Mead (3 acres), Great Horse Leeze (29 acres), Bryan Lay (33 acres), Nine Acre Piece(10 acres), all in occupation of Robert Hutchin and son Thomas;
Little Horse Leeze (24 acres), then in occupation of said William Petre, land in Long Downes (13 acres), Thistley Downes (21 acres), two little slips (3 acres), in occupation of widow Carter, the Furthest Downes (10 acres), in occupation of John Beard, little slip lately stubbed (2 acres), in occupation of John Bynes.
Manor and farm of Tracyes, in occupation of Henry Todd, and lands called Great and Little Perry Field (18 acres), the Two Course Fields (16 acres), Rye Field (11 acres), pieces of meadow in Hallinford Mead (7 acres), field divided into five pieces called Old Berry (44 acres), Burndish (11 acres), meadow (8 acres) in East Mead, Pinke Field (29 acres), Bower Fields (23 acres), meadow (8 acres) in West Mead;
Barwickes Farm, in occupation of Samuel Phayle, and lands called Barne Hope (5 acres), the Tye (4 acres), Howe Fields (31 acres), Barn Field and Barn Field Lay (30 acres), St Mary Fields (36 acres), Goard Field (16 acres), Lampard Field (10 acres), Millers Croft (3 acres), meadow (10 acres) in West Mead; messuage in occupation of John Fanne, Home Field (4 acres), Chapel Field (4 acres), and Kanes Field (4 acres);
Middle and Lower Lanes (19 acres), Niselands (18 acres), in occupation of Richard Ballard; cottage, Half Croft (3 acres) and meadow (1 acres) in West Mead, in occupation of George Guy;
field (4 acres) in occupation of Thomas Luther; messuage called Haverills and two fields (15 acres), Robins Lands (17 acres), meadow in East Mead called Tracyes Noke and Two Acre Piece (5 acres), Robins Lands (31 acres), Lampard Field (10 acres), meadow in West Mead (3 acres), in occupation of widow Wheeler; the two Hallingfords (26 acres), in occupation of John Robinson, meadow (9 acres) in Hallingford, in occupation of Thomas Clarke, Pigs Mead (7 acres), Hallingfords (24 acres), Shocks Croft and Shocks Croft Mead (10 acres), Little Witch Field (9 acres), Crumpes Croft (5 acres), three Fresh Shotts (27 acres), Broad Field (9 acres), Niselands and Niselands within the woods (9 acres), all in occupation of Thomas Finch, meadow (1 acre) in West Mead, in occupation of John Greene; cottage in occupation of [blank] Furley, cottages in Hare Street in occupation of widow Scrags, John Luther, Francis South and William Tibnam.
Smythfield Grove (10 acres), Barwickes Ham (12 acres), High Grove (7 acres), Garnishe Bushes (6 acres), Coker Lands (13 acres), Lux Grove (8 acres), Lampard Field Bottom (16 acres), Round Grove (5 acres), Niseland Bushes, Kanes Springs (4 acres) and Fannes Springs (3 acres),
all in Stanford Rivers;
[Source Essex Records Office SEAX Catalogue – ref D/DP T167/3]
When the last of the Petres of Stanford Rivers died in 1726, he left his estate of about £1000 per annum, not to his closest surviving kinsman, the 9th Lord Petre, who already owned an estate of £6000 per annum in Essex and at least £4500 more in Devon, Somerset and Gloucestershire; but to his second son, with a proviso that if the latter were to inherit the main Petre estate, then Stanford Rivers should go to the third son.
In the University of Oxford, a commoner is a student without a scholarship or exhibition. A gentleman‑commoner at the University of Oxford, was historically a rank of student above commoners but below noblemen.
According to the Dictionary of National Biography they had three sons and two daughters.
[Source Essex Records Office SEAX Catalogue – ref D/DP T167/3]
[Source: The Agrarian History of England and Wales, volume 2. Edited by Joan Thirsk 1985]