1623, King James I sold the freehold of Ebury for £1,151 and 15 shillings. The land was sold several more times until it came into the hands of heiress Mary Davies in 1666.

Mary's dowry not only included "The Five Fields" of modern-day Pimlico and Belgravia, but also most of what is now Mayfair and Knightsbridge. Understandably, she was much pursued, but in 1677, at the age of twelve, she