Kirby Hall, near Castle Hedingham - geograph

Kirby Hall is a house in

Castle Hedingham Castle Hedingham is a village in northern Essex, England, located four miles west of Halstead and 3 miles southeast of Great Yeldham in the Colne Valley on the ancient road from Colchester, Essex, to Cambridge. It developed around Hedingham Cas ...

, Braintree,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

History

It was originally the home of John de Vere (–1624), eldest brother of

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

and

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

. They were members of a junior branch of the

de Vere family The House of de Vere were an English aristocratic family who derived their surname from Ver (department Manche, canton Gavray), in Lower Normandy, France. The family's Norman founder in England, Aubrey (Albericus) de Vere, appears in Domesday ...

and their first cousin was

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (; 12 April 155024 June 1604) was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron of ...

, the owner of

Hedingham Castle Hedingham Castle, in the village of Castle Hedingham, Essex, is arguably the best preserved Norman architecture, Norman keep in England. The castle fortifications and outbuildings were built around 1100, and the keep around 1140. However, the ke ...

. In the 18th century it was the residence of Peter Muilman (1706-1790), a Dutch merchant,

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

and father of the MP and antiquary

Trench Chiswell Richard Muilman Trench Chiswell (baptised 23 March 1734 – 3 February 1797) was an English banker, antiquarian and MP. He committed suicide after his bankruptcy. Life Henry Muilman' marriage with Phillips took place at St Benet's, Paul ...

. A view of the house features on a medal Muilman had struck to commemorate his fortieth wedding anniversary. It was Grade II listed on 7 August 1952 and is now a significant local farmhouse.

References

{{coord, 52.00567, 0.58765, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II listed buildings in Essex Buildings and structures in Braintree District