Forty Hall, Enfield: Continuity and Innovation in a Carolean Gentry House

Forty Hall, built in 1629 for Nicholas Rainton (1569–1646), is one of a group of Jacobean and Carolean suburban villas around London. This type of house has its antecedents in medieval secret houses and Tudor lodges, and was influenced by Italian Renaissance models. It provided a convenient escape from the bustle and squalor of the City, whilst being close enough to stay in touch with business or court, and so was popular with aristocrats and merchants alike.

Rainton was one of the latter, a wealthy London merchant who imported fine textiles, principally satin and taffeta, from Florence and Genoa. He took an active part in the corporate and political life of the City, including serving as Alderman of Aldgate Ward from 1621, Sheriff of the Ward in 1622 and Lord Mayor in 1632–33. He was also master of the Haberdashers' Company in 1622–23 and 1632–33. His religious sympathies were firmly Puritan, and he consistently sided with Parliament in its disputes with the Crown in events leading up to the Civil War.