Grange was the home of Wilson Marriage, owner of the successful corn milling company at East Mill Colchester which produced over 2500 bags of flour per week. He became Portreeve of Colchester, and also Mayor in 1891. He helped to establish several schools and a comprehensive school was named after him. Alresford Hall, as well as the Manors of Alresford and Cockaynes were purchased in Autumn 1721 by Captain Matthew Martin, owner of Wivenhoe House. He was the Captain of the East India Company's "Marlborough" a 480-ton merchant ship with 32 guns. In 1712, the Marlborough was attacked by three French ships but he managed to avoid capture. He received a reward of £1000 and a gold medallion with 24 diamonds for this action. Martin went onto become MP for Colchester twice and Mayor in 1726. By 1738, the Martin family had moved to Alresford Hall and had built a vault in St Peter's Church. The remodelling of the house was completed by his granddaughter Mary Martin Rebow and her husband Isaac Martin Rebow of Wivenhoe House, who was MP for Colchester between 1755 and 1781. At one stage the old hall was not water-tight, as recorded in a letter by his cousin Mary Martin in August 1778 ".. begs you will speak to Mr. Ennew and have the Old Building kept up as tight as possible till the new one is erected.." Richard Woods designed improvements to the grounds and house, but these were not completed before Isaac Martin Rebow's death in 1781. An indenture of 1786 left the Hall, the Quarters, eight farms and the Ship House in trust for his daughters. Around this time, many of the brick farms, lodges and other buildings were under construction along Church Lane and Wivenhoe Road; including the Pointer Inn (deeds from 1780), Ship House (Indenture of 1786) and Bay Tree Cottage The main crops harvested in 1788 were peas, carrots, rye and wheat. The population though was 201 at the 1801 Census and the main road was from Wivenhoe across the Creek to Brightlingsea. Thomas Martin had begun renovating The Quarters, a cottage on the Sixpenny Creek, south of Alresford Hall. He died in 1775, then his son-in-law in 1781 so his daughter Mary Martin Rebow completed it from the existing plans for the Chinese temple. Her son-in-law, Manor General Francis Slater Rebow returned from being a staff officer in