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The 22nd August 2026 is the 350th anniversary of the marriage of Emma Barnard, the widow of Francis Willughby, to Sir Josiah Child. She was his third wife. This was a key point in the history of Middleton Hall, because afterwards, as a direct result of this marriage, Middleton Hall was never again the primary residence of the Willoughby family. In a previous post, we explained that Emma’s father had arranged this marriage with the aim of securing the finances of the Willoughb

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 19th August. It was described as a reward to an otter hunter. The amount was 20 pence, which was the equivalent of about £36.77 today. In the previous year, there was also a payment to an otter hunter (Middleton Accounts of 1525 #5). However, there is a significant difference between the two entries and that is due to the date. The previous post was dated within the otter hunting sea

The 19th August is World Photography Day. In 1895, an aerial photograph from a man-carrying kite was taken by Egbert Alexander de Hamel, the youngest son of Egbert de Hamel who was the tenant of Middleton Hall at that time. This is believed to be the first photograph taken in the world by a person in a kite. It also provides a highly unusual historic view of Middleton Hall and its grounds. The first ever aerial photograph was taken from a balloon in 1858 by French photographe

In Tamworth there is a plaque in memory of the construction of a workhouse for the town that was established by Thomas Thynne, 2nd Viscount Weymouth, and Francis Willoughby, 2nd Lord Middleton, the latter of whom was the owner of Middleton Hall. Charles Ferrers Palmer wrote that the very first workhouse provision in Tamworth was established in 1687 by Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth. It came to be called the Spinning School. However, it fell into disuse and, in 1719, it

The 9th August 2026 is Book Lovers Day. This is an opportune day to tell the history of a medieval romance story manuscript, Le Roman de Silence. It was part of the noted Willoughby Library, which was kept at Middleton Hall for centuries. Le Roman de Silence is one of the most significant manuscripts within the surviving Willoughby Library Collection, which was purchased by the University of Nottingham from Lord Middleton in 2007. The manuscript of Le Roman de Silence in the

In the 15th century, the Willoughby family began to collect books, manuscripts and documents. This formed the Willoughby Library. The family prized these books, even mentioning them in their wills. Over the generations, the family accumulated numerous valuable medieval texts, manuscripts, leaflets, documents, newspapers and books on a very wide range of subjects from the classics to language, religion, romance, plays, art, history, law, travel, foreign countries, medicine, na

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 5th August. It was described as a reward to Chamberlain and Lascelles of Nottingham for the bringing of 2 children for the Children of the Chapel. The amount was 10 shillings, which was the equivalent of about £220.64 today. As mentioned in a previous post, 1526 Accounts #21, Sir Henry maintained a private choir at Middleton Hall, comprised of boy choristers, and this was known as th

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 4th August. It was described as a payment to Sir Henry’s brotherhood of Saint Thomas of Canterbury. The amount was 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £14.71 today. St Thomas of Canterbury was Thomas à Becket. The fraternity that bore his name has a long connection with the owners of Middleton Hall. It has also had various names throughout its history. In 1191, at the capture

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was undated except for the month of August. It was described as Sir Henry’s offering to Our Lady of Worcester and St Kenelm at Winchcombe. The amount was 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £14.71 today. Our Lady of Worcester was a famous shrine. It contained a highly venerated statue of the Virgin Mary in the Lady Chapel of what is now Worcester Cathedral, but at that time the Cathedra

Historically, what was the primary revenue source generated by the Middleton Estate? This is a frequent question posed to tour guides at Middleton Hall. There is a single answer. For centuries, the principal profit-making resource on the Estate was its timber. Anciently, the Middleton Estate was part of the great Forest of Arden, the edge of which was the nearby Watling Street. This woodland gradually cleared as the settlement developed. Timber is known to have been sold comm

The 25th July is World Drowning Prevention Day. This awareness day seemed an opportune time to tell the cautionary tale of a knight who drowned in the moat at Middleton Hall and illustrates the necessity of learning about S.A.F.E. (Stay Away From the Edge), as the Canal & River Trust advises. The moat at Middleton Hall is deceptive because it is very deep. Middleton Hall Trust excavated it to a depth of more than three metres without reaching the bottom. In the 16th century,

The next two entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were both dated 20th July. The first was described as costs incurred at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and the amount was 6 shillings 11 pence, which was the equivalent of about £152.61 today. The second was described as payment to Sir Henry’s brotherhood of Our Lady at Aylesbury and the amount was 6 shillings 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £147.09 today. Sir Henry was a member

The 18th July to 2nd August 2026 is the Festival of British Archaeology. To mark this, this post will focus on another archaeological discovery at Middleton: The Middleton Jewel. On 10th September 2014, Colin Pearson, a metal detectorist, discovered the Middleton Jewel in a field near the crossroads at the entrance to Middleton Hall. It is an extraordinarily rare find with only a handful of this type of artefact having ever been found in Britain. The Middleton Jewel was subse

The manufacture of iron at Middleton Hall was begun by Sir Francis I Willoughby in about 1572. It went through three stages of development as Sir Francis experimented with the technology. The industrial production of iron at Middleton Hall continued throughout Sir Francis’ lifetime but ended shortly after his death due to unprofitability. Bar of raw pig iron discovered buried beneath Courtyard Centre at Middleton Hall. Photograph taken 2017 by Debbie Jordan. It is reputed tha

During the restoration of Middleton Hall, a common archaeological find was that of buttons made from shells. However, not only were the buttons themselves found but also the remains of the discarded sheets of punched-out shells from which they were made. This evidence of blank cutting conclusively proved that buttons were being made on site at Middleton Hall. These buttons were made from swan mussels (Anodonta cygnea). Swan mussels are large and can grow up to 15cm long and t

The next ten entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were undated but must have occurred between the 5th and 20th July due to adjacent entries. Four of these entries by text identify that they relate to the education expenses of Hugh Willoughby, Sir Henry’s youngest son, and it is thought that the others might as well because they are intermixed. The ten entries were: Payment for a pencase and an inkhorn for Master Hugh and the amount was

Middleton Pool provided numerous commercial opportunities at Middleton Hall. One of the less well-known activities was the sale of the ice that formed on it. Few records of this activity at Middleton Hall have survived. The primary evidence of it is from testimonies from members of the de Hamel family, who remembered it being undertaken at the start of the 20th century. It is known with certainty that this industrial activity ceased in the latter years of the de Hamel tenancy

One of the more unusual industries to take place at Middleton Hall was the commercial production of water lilies. These water lilies were sold to hotels, such as The Savoy and The Ritz in London, who used them as table decorations. It is believed that this trade began in the Victorian era and continued for decades until just after the Second World War, when it became commercially unviable. Middleton Hall was most noted for its white water lilies. In fact, when Middleton was d

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 5th July. It was described as full payment to Ralph Dyall for the amount that he had laid down for the purchase of a cloak for Sir Henry. The amount was 8 shillings, which was the equivalent of about £176.51 today. It can be assumed that Ralph was either an agent or servant of Sir Henry but unfortunately there are no known further references to him in the Middleton Manuscripts. In 15

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was undated except for June and, given the preceding entry, it would have been after 23rd June. It was described as payment for a chamber pot for Sir Henry. The amount was 13 pence, which was the equivalent of about £23.90 today. Chamber pots were an essential item in Tudor England, saving dark night visits to the outdoor “necessary house”. At Middleton Hall there was an alternative to the cha