"Ghost" in the doorway to the Stone Building at Middleton Hall, late 20th century. Courtesy of Philip and William de Hamel. For Halloween, this post will focus on the reported sightings of ghosts at Middleton Hall. The Hall has often played host to ghost-hunting nights and evenings. Understandably, most of these hunts have initially tended to focus on the older buildings of the Hall in the east wing. However, there has not really been a sighting of a ghost there, except for o

One of the key occupations within the domestic household was the cook. Over the centuries there have been innumerable cooks employed at Middleton Hall. The first documented cook at Middleton Hall was in the late 13th century and he was William, the cook of Philip de Marmion, 5th Baron Marmion of Tamworth. However, this post will focus on two specific cooks at Middleton Hall separated by over 300 years: William Darby; and Evelyn Dixon. In medieval and Tudor times, the occupat

One of the claims that has been made about Middleton Hall is that it was the longest continually inhabited domesticated building in Warwickshire. It was a continual residence from about 1220 to 1966. This can be claimed because, from the time of the initial construction of the Hall, there was a continual seamless inheritance or purchase of ownership. Furthermore, due to a period of shared ownership, even when one owner had their share confiscated, another still retained resid