16th-Century Style, Early 19th-Century Made, English Antique Carved Oak Panel – A Copy Of The Brass Tomb Plaque / Funerary Plaque Of Humphrey Brewster (1525-1593)

An early 19th-century antique carved oak panel, circa 1810. Reputedly made from a salvaged piece of oak originating from Wrentham Hall, Suffolk, England.

Carved with an image of Humphrey Brewster (1525-1593) in full armour, after the original brass funerary plaque / tomb plaque dedicated to him. The elongated sides of the oak carving are scratch-carved with geometric decoration as is the upper surface to the pediment. Also, bearing an old handwritten label verso. 

The original brass plaque is mounted on the 16th-century memorial dedicated to him, located in the chancel of St. Nicholas’ church, Wrentham (see last image for the original plaque).

Brewster built the Tudor-designed manor house known as Wrentham Hall in 1550 (see last but one image). This stood until 1810 when the contents were sold off and the hall demolished. 

About Wrentham Hall and Humphrey Brewster:

Wrentham Hall was a large manor house located to the north-west of the village of Wrentham, Suffolk, England. Blackmoor Farm now stands on this site.

The Tudor brick mansion of Wrentham Hall (now lost) is said to have been built around 1550 by Humphrey Brewster, Esq. (c. 1527-1593), the elder son of Robert Brewster (of a well-established Suffolk family) and his wife, daughter of Sir Christopher Edmonds of Cressing Temple, Essex. If so, he did not then hold the manor in chief. The lordship of Wrentham Southall, or Perpounds, belonged to Thomas Fiennes, 9th Baron Dacre (executed in 1541) and passed from his widow Lady Mary (Neville) to her son Gregory Fiennes, 10th Baron Dacre, who had licence to alienate the manor to trustees in 1571. So it became vested in his cousin Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys, who in 1576 had licence to alienate it to Humphrey Brewster. Brewster appears as lord of the manor of Wrentham Southall in a Chancery action brought by Thomas Butts in the time of Queen Elizabeth. The lordship of Wrentham Northall, or Poinings, belonged to Sir Thomas Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, until 1567, when he sold it to Arthur Choute, who sold it to Humphrey Brewster in 1577.

The Hall was built to a conventional Elizabethan E-plan. It passed down the Brewster family line from Humphrey to his son Francis (1566-1644) and from Francis to his son Robert Brewster (1599-1633), a Parliamentary commissioner during the Civil War and MP for both Dunwich and Suffolk. From Robert it passed to his son Francis (1623-1671), also MP for both constituencies, and then, Francis having no sons, to Francis’ brother Robert (died 1681). After several more generations, it descended to Humphrey Brewster, who died unmarried in 1797.  The following entry is found in an edition of The Gentlemen’s Magazine 1797. “Death In Dean Street Soho Humphrey Brewster esq of Wrentham Hall Suffolk, by a pistol Previous to this act he called for a glass of wine and water and had a second pistol grasped in his hand in case the first had failed. He survived the fatal shot a few minutes. He was a bachelor who led a very solitary life and seemed of a gloomy disposition. He was much respected by his friends and left considerable property behind him infirm and just recovered from a fit of illness. John Wilkinson a lawyer from Hailsworth is one of the main benefactors of the will.”

John Wilkinson dies in 1818. His son John Brewster Wilkinson, also owner of Holton Hall, Lincolnshire, dies in 1862 without issue. He is the last of the Brewsters.

The hall and its land were soon afterwards sold to Sir Thomas Gooch, 4th Baronet of Benacre Hall, who auctioned the contents and demolished the hall in 1810.

Provenance – As above. 

Condition – Please refer to the images. Good overall. This a decorative piece and would look good in any room.

Size – H 15.5 cm x W 7 cm x D 5.7 cm (6 1/8” x 2 3/4” x 2 1/4”)