Baron Howard de Walden heir to the title. The principal estate owned by previous barons – Audley End House at Saffron Walden in Essex – which had been obtained by Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk from his maternal grandfather Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley was separated from the title, when it was left by the 4th Baron Howard de Walden & 1st Baron Braybrooke to his relative Richard Aldworth Neville, 2nd Baron Braybrooke. Due to their substantial Central London landholdings, known as the Howard de Walden Estate, the Howard de Walden family is one of the wealthiest in Britain, with a net worth
Saffron Walden a number of others had departed for the Massachusetts Bay Colony as part of the Great Migration. Saffron Walden was at the centre of the Eastern Association during the English Civil War. While the town was the headquarters of the New Model Army, Lieutenant-General of Horse, Oliver Cromwell paid a 19-day visit in May 1647, taking part in debates to seek a settlement between Parliament and the army. He is thought to have stayed at the "Sun Inn". By the end of the 18th century saffron was no longer in demand and the industry was replaced by malt and barley.