Extract from Inventory of Ingatestone Hall, 1600

The howse of Office within that

A close stoole covered with black leather, with a lydd
An old stoole pann of pewter mended by the brasier
Two pewter chamber potts
A skipp basket for cooles
A spring lock to the dore.

The Gallerye

The roome matted and wainscotted rounde about
A large square Table with iiij lydds to open locked upp.
An old shovelabourde of iiij yardes and iij quarters in lengthe
A paire of high Andirons with two brasen pieces upon each
of them.
A Fireshovell sute like to them
A paire of playne tonges
A high chaire with armes, the back and seate covered with black
Satton havinge flames of silver woven in it
Two low rolebacked? chaires and of black cloth of silver
A high role backed chair and a low covered with black
and white unshorne spotted velvett
A highe Stoole sutelike to them
Two high Stooles of purple velvett oring tawney and murrye
A high chaire with Armes the back and seate covered with
crimson wrought velvett spotted with branches of goulde.

A low rolebacked chaire and two low stooles covered with the same.
A little wainscott chaire with an open wooden back the seate
covered with the same sutelike.
Two old Fouldinge chaires overed with purple velvett embroydered
with goulde.
A little lowe chaire and two lowe stooles coverd with Caffa
grene and oringtawney.
Three wainscott dores going into the clossett over the Chapple
with a springe lock and a keye
The Picture of Sir William Petre
The Picture of Kinge Henry the fifthe
The Picture of King Henry the eight
The Picture of Cleopatria
The Picture of Diana
Two Pictures thone of a man Turke and thother of a
Woman Turke
Nine painted shields with poseyes upon them.

This record of Ingatestone hall in 1600 is of an uncommon type. It was prepared on the occasion of the head of the family, Sir John Petre, (1549-1613), giving up part of his house and its contents to his future heir, William Petre, (1575-1637), for a trial term, so that his son and daughter-in-law might gain experience in the 'government' of the house, 'the better to enable them to undertake and perform such a charge'. Sir John Petre appears to have kept for his own use several other rooms and outbuildings including the great wardrobe, the study, the armoury, the buttery, the wheat barn and the brick dovehouse. By 1600, in fact, the chief home of the Petre family had become Thorndon Hall, (on land purchased in West Horndon in 1573).⁵⁷

Inventory of Ingatestone Hall, 1600