 In 1717, Thomas 'Diamond' Pitt, the Governor of Fort St. George, bought Swallowfield Park from Edward Hyde, reputedly using part of the proceeds of his sale of the Regent Diamond to Philippe II, Duke of Orléans.The Pitt family sold the property to John Dodd for £20,000, and it remained in that family till purchased in 1783 by Silvanus Bevan.The sale, at Christie's, lasted seven days and included a large number of magnificent pictures and objets d'art.