Editing Blickling Hall (section)

== Early history ==
In the 15th century, Blickling was in the possession of Sir [[John Fastolf]] of [[Caister-on-Sea|Caister]] in Norfolk (1380–1459), who made a fortune in the [[Hundred Years' War]], and whose coat of arms is still on display there.  Later, the property was in the possession of the [[Boleyn family]], and home to [[Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire|Thomas Boleyn]], later Earl of Wiltshire, and his wife [[Elizabeth Boleyn|Elizabeth]] between 1499 and 1505. Although the exact birth dates of their children are unknown, historians including [[Eric Ives]] are confident that all three surviving children were likely born at Blickling – [[Mary Boleyn|Mary]] in about 1499, [[George Boleyn|George]] in about 1504, and [[Anne Boleyn|Anne]] in about 1501.<ref name="Ives">Ives, Eric. ''The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn.'' 2004, Blackwell Publishing Ltd. {{ISBN|9781405134637}}, pp. 3, 14–15.</ref> A statue and portrait of Anne may be found at Blickling Estate which carry the inscription, "''Anna Bolena hic nata 1507''" ("Anne Boleyn born here 1507").<ref name="Ives" />

The house of Blickling seen today was built on the ruins of the old Boleyn property in the reign of [[James I of England|James I]], by [[Sir Henry Hobart]], [[Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas]] and 1st Baronet, who bought Blickling from [[Edward Clere (MP)|Lady Agnes Clere]] in 1616.<ref>Jane Whittle & Elizabeth Griffiths, ''Consumption and Gender in the Early Seventeenth-Century Household'' (Oxford, 2012), p. 45.</ref> The architect of [[Hatfield House]], [[Robert Lyminge]], is credited with the design of the current structure. The Lord Chief Justice married Dorothy, the daughter of [[Sir Robert Bell]] of [[Beaupre Hall]], [[Outwell]]/[[Upwell|Upwell, Norfolk]], [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]] 1572–1576. 

In 1621 [[Frances Hobart|Frances Egerton]] married [[Sir John Hobart, 2nd Baronet]] and they lived together at Blickling Hall for twenty years. It was Sir John who completed the building of the house that his father had started. They incurred huge debts. Frances was able to reduce the debt by £6,000 but she had to forestall her creditors. John became not well and Frances cared for him. They had several children but only Phillipa survived. In 1647 John died and Phillipa married her cousin and her father's heir [[Sir John Hobart, 3rd Baronet]].<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last=Allen |first=Elizabeth |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-66725 |title=Hobart [née Egerton], Lady Frances (1603–1664), religious patron and benefactor |date=2004-09-23 |volume=1 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/66725|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 }}</ref>