Dear Robin
It was good to hear from a member of the Petty family. Our expert on the subject, Dr Peter Dale, has just died, but his widow has given all his research notes to our local history society. These include a lot of slides and we are planning to show them at one of our meetings, October of next year, I think, but we have not finally decided.

Have you looked at the records of Wellow, (East Wellow and West Wellow) our neighbouring villages? They are full of Pettys, and their births, marriages and deaths registers were published early in the twentieth century. Hampshire Record Office has a copy and so does the Wellow History Society.

Peter Dale wrote a short monograph on Sir William Petty, which we published. It is called 'Sir W.P. of Romsey'. We have written and published 'The History of Romsey' in which reference is made to Petty. Judy Walker has written the history of Romsey abbey, called 'Romsey Abbey through the centuries'. We can supply our two books, but the Tourist Information Centre can supply all three. I dont know what the postage would be.

There is a picture and description of the family home in the British Library. It occurs in the Latham Ms, 'Unpublished History of Romsey' BL Mss 26774-26780, vol 4. I forget the folio number. We have a microfilm of the whole set, and therefore a black and white copy. I cannot remember whether the original is in colour, but a copy could be obtained from the British Library. There are references to Sir William and other members of the Petty family all through Latham, including a transcipt of Sir William's will.

The description of the house occurs in Volume 4. It reads:

At the upper End of Church Street on the left opposite the turning leading to Porters Bridge stands the House in which it is said Sir W. Petty was born - This has undergone many alterations in the Memory of Persons now living & it appears to have been occupied till lately by Persons who dealt in wool as no doubt did likewise the Father of Sir W. Petty who is said to have been a Clothier in Romsey, & resided here, & the receptacles or storehouses for wool were in the two roofs of the house as may yet been seen by the large doors opening thence into the Street. The front of the house is of brick as far as the 2nd floor, the rest of timber lathed & plastered between, but the inside bears evident marks of a much superior age. The cielings of several below have zigzag fillets of wood painted black with the appearance of gilding on the edges about 2 or 3 inches broad, standing out from the Cieling. This is conspicuous in the Room now made use of as the Kitchin & was once no doubt the great Hall of the House as may be conjectured from the original Chimney & curious workmanshp from the Top of the chimney place to the Cieling - from the upper part of which spring 7 arched Ribs of the same Texture of those in the rest of the Ceiling - The Chimney opening itself consists of a very flat arch, with the Edge,or architrave, of a treble unornamented moulding - in the spandril on each side is a Shield plain bearing a Mark . Above this the whole is divided into 3 Compartments - the lower divided into 7 parts which are square with a narrow one at each end divided into 2 parts representing 2 Gothic arches, one above the other - the 7 middle squares are carved in the trefoil manner within 4 circles ....ting with a rose in the middle & in each corner pointed but the middle one instead of a rose bears a sheild now quite plain - & the other one on each side has a shield also with a character alike on each, probably a Merchants Mark [see typed copy] The middle division consists of 12 squares & is much narrower than that below - these are sculptured in the same Taste as the others & differ very little from one another - but those above are of the same breadth as the first described & divided into 9 compartments, with but little variety from the others - but the 4th and 7th bear on each a shield - on the first appears a Bear half erect with a crosier or double cross appearing behind on the back - on the other a Lion passant guardant -& lastly above all are 6 small squares with crossed or zigzag ornaments n=in the same stiles as the others.

Best wishes,
Phoebe Merrick