She managed to cause a good deal of trouble in the family, of which more hereafter. Thomas Wyncoll purchased the "Valley Mansion," Langham, from the heirs of his grandfather, William Umfreville, on 8th April, 1714, on which date he was also admitted to 22 acres of copyhold land near the house called "Fordlands and Oatlands." ³  The extent of the Valley lands then amounted to about 80 acres, He had been in occupation of the old house since the death of his grandmother, Isabella Umfreville, in May, 1711, and the latter had resided there until her decease. 

     The "Valley Mansion" stands at the bottom of the Stour valley within a few yards of the river. It is approached by a narrow lane, leading from the main road, leading to Boxted Hall and Stoke-by-Nayland. The floor of the hall is tiled, and a handsomely carved oak chest with the initials "T.H. 1642" is to be seen on entering. Both the dining and drawing rooms are lofty and large, and contain some fine old furniture. There is an ancient well staircase which has three landings and is of great width. It has formed the subject of visits of the Essex Archaeological Society and many others, and is undoubtedly unique. The handrail and balusters are of oak handsomely carved, with grotesque figures at the foot. It is said that 1000l. has been offered for this staircase. On the top of the stairs there is a bricked up doorway which formed the entrance to a bedroom that has been pulled down. 

     Ten portraits in oil used to hang upon the walls of this staircase, one of which was that of the " Lady in Green " (it is blue green), and there is a legend that she was murdered at the top of the stairs near the bricked up doorway, and that her blood-stains remain on the floor, which is now covered, and that she haunted the room. I can only say in support of this legend that my friend, Major Percy Umfreville, told me of it years ago in South Africa, and that none of his family would wear green as it was most unfortunate for any of them to do so, and at the time he did not know of the "Valley Mansion." His small daughter fully believes in the legend, as she told me the other day that she had once worn the colour and had fallen down and hurt herself very badly in consequence. This strengthens the belief that the portraits are those of the Umfrevilles, but there is no positive proof of this. Six of them are now at Langham Hall, and only two remain at the Valley. Some of them are said to be by Lely, who lived while the Umfrevilles held the estate. 

    There are nine bedrooms in the house, the floors of which are of oak, in fact there are tons upon tons of oak in the place. The glass in the windows throughout the house are set in lead. The walls are of great thickness and coloured blue. There is a good deal of beautiful old furniture which is of great value. There are also fixtures of great age which were undoubtedly used by Thomas and Penelope Wyncoll. 

     Several of the adjacent fields at are still known by the same names they bore then, including "Oatlands." It seems probable that a moat originally existed as, at the rear of the house, there is a deep excavation of considerable width that ends in a ditch over which is a small brick bridge. 

     On 30th September, 1755, Thomas Wyncoll sold Peyton Hall and Ravensfield to the Rev. Gamaliel Lagden of Wakes Colne, Essex, and the Deed of Sale, of which an illustration is given and which is now in the possession of Mr. William Garrad of Bures. This purchase was in pursuance of the powers contained in the settlement made on the marriage of the reverend gentleman with Mary, a daughter of Henry Creffield, of Colchester, draper, of which deed Henry Creffield and Thomas Mayhew, of Colchester, gentlemen, were the trustees. Thomas Wyncoll had just previously sold the house called "Butlers," in Bures Hamlet, part of the Peyton Hall estate, to Lawrence Harvey, butcher. 
 

     In my opinion he was then living in retirement, most likely an invalid, as he died less than two months after his purchase and was buried at Dedham, 12th May 1727. 

     There is little doubt but that Thomas Wyncoll possessed considerable means. His estate and the disposal of it by his wife, Penelope, has given rise to a tradition in the family of the existence of a fortune in Chancery. 

     Such tradition is to the effect that, after her husband's death, Penelope Wyncoll, finding his will not to her liking, flew into a violent rage and threw the will into the fire; that, aided by two lawyers, Mr. Thomas Mayhew, of Colchester, and a Mr. White, of Coggeshall, she placed the property in Chancery. Of Mr. White, I can get no trace, but that she had dealings with Thomas Mayhew to her cost can be proved conclusively. Much as I regret having to do so, I must explode the theory of the "Millions," but I can confirm some part of the Legend," namely that no will of Thomas Wyncoll was proved and Letters of Administration were granted to his widow, Penelope on 1st July, 1727.⁵

     Thomas Mayhew appears to have died leaving his affairs in a very involved condition. His executors renounced probate and the administration of his estate, which was complicated by being mixed up with his clients' affairs, devolved upon a Mr. Bacon. Several actions were entered against him. In one of these (Higham and others versus Bacon, 1732), Penelope Wyncoll was a co-plaintiff with Matthew Martin, John Lawrence, Christian Gibson, John Grant, Edward Bartholomew, Thomas Woodruffe, and others. Amongst the papers in this action is a memorandum in Thomas Mayhew's handwriting acknowledging that he had received of "Mrs. Wyncoll on note:- £1100 (but great part of it paid)."
 

     At the Public Record Office, Chancery Lane, London, there is a record of an action in the Feit of Fines.⁷ These Fines were conveyances brought about by means of a friendly though fictitious action at law, the title thus becoming recorded, etc. In this action there was also a suit in 11 George II. (Michaelmas, 1737), in which Penelope Wyncoll, was plaintiff, and Spring Wyncoll and Mary his wife, Thomas Potter and Susan his wife, Dan Partridge and Elizabeth his wife, and John Carter and Mary his wife, defendants, concerning 80 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow and 26 acres of pasture in the parishes of Kirton, Nayland, Stoke-by-Nayland, Framlingham, and Parham Hacheston, Suffolk. The Spring Wyncoll here men- tioned must have been Penelope's brother-in-law, born 10th February, 1689, as her son of the name, born 1715, was. as we have seen, dead in 1727. 

     It is probable that the various proceedings consequent on Thomas Mayhew's dealings and also, perhaps, the last men- tioned action, or sale, gave rise to the family tradition as to the fortune alleged to have been cast into Chancery by, Penelope Wyncoll. 

     At any rate for the information of those members of the family who may still cherish the old story, I may say that I have made exhaustive search, and can positively affirm that there are now no funds remaining in Chancery to the credit of any member of the Wyncoll family. 

     That Penelope died comparatively well off I have little doubt, notwithstanding the liberal manner in which Thomas Mayhew helped himself by way of professional charges or otherwise. 

     All our efforts to obtain further information as to Penelope's history from the time of her husband's until her own death have been unavailing. There is no record of her will or even of Letters of Administration to her estate. She may of course have married again and so changed her name. The fact that her name appears in the suit of June, 1812, does not prove that she died "Penelope Wyncoll." It may be that seeing the utter hopelessness of obtaining anything out of Thomas Mayhew's estate, she, as well as others, looked upon all as lost and took no further trouble about it. In such case her name would remain on the official records as "Penelope Wyncoll." 

     My opinion is, however, that she continued to reside at Langham, probably with her son, and died there, and that the entry in Dedham church registers under burials-" Mrs. Wyncoll from Langham, April 18th," 1765 - refers to her. If this is the case she lived to be 70.