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 1906 from a 16th-century barn, it was restored in 2004-5. With a long history of non-conformism, Saffron Walden has a Baptist church and a Quaker meeting house. There is a United Reformed Church on Abbey Lane, a Methodist church on Castle Street now occupied as the Community Church by the independent former Gold Street Chapel which was located in Gold Street. The town is administered by Saffron Walden Town Council which has 16 members. The majority party is Residents for Uttlesford (R4U), formed by local residents' groups. The main opposition is the Conservative Party. The Liberal Democrats and Labour are