When the occupation of “caterer” is stated today, it is common to think of a person or company that has been hired to provide and serve food. However, this meaning of this occupation only developed in the 19th century. In the historic meaning, which dates from at least the 15th century, it referred to someone who was employed to obtain fresh provisions. The Middleton Manuscripts make many references to the caterer of Middleton Hall, in this historic meaning, but the first cat

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

At Middleton Hall, there is an old plaque on a wall that says “Chints Room”. It is located on the north wall of the ground floor lobby on the western side of the Jettied Building. The plaque was in this location when Middleton Hall Trust was formed in 1980 and it is the only old room name sign that is present at Middleton Hall. Chints Room plaque in Jettied Building lobby at Middleton Hall, 2021. Photograph taken by Joanna Habart. Before 1721, the area where the plaque is loc

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

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 4th July 2026 is National Meadows Day. In 1086, the entry for Middleton in the Domesday Book recorded that there were six acres of meadows within the northern manor of Middleton. By 1979, there were eight acres of meadows within the much smaller Middleton Estate of that time. Today, the principal meadow in the grounds of the Middleton Hall Estate is known as the Flower Meadow. It covers an area of about ten acres and is located adjacent to the north-west side of Middleton

July is Independent Retailer Month, which is a nationwide campaign to celebrate small, independent shops. When Middleton Hall Trust renovated the small farm buildings to the east of the Tudor Barn, it was decided that the structures would be converted into small business units and let to independent retailers. This project was awarded the Norah Marshall Award by the Rural Development Commission for its contribution to providing employment in rural areas. The businesses that o

The 23rd June is International Widows Day. This Day encourages the celebration of the strength of widows. It also aims to draw global attention to the problems that they face, such as poverty, social exclusion, abuse and discrimination in regard to inheritance rights. Furthermore, it seeks to create opportunities for widows to be able to support their themselves and their families. In the spirit of this, this post will highlight the numerous widows who had ownership of Middle

The Stone Building is the oldest surviving building at Middleton Hall and was constructed in about 1285. This structure replaced an earlier timber-framed structure on the same site, the foundations of which remain today. However, over the eras extra doorways were added and removed, not all of them obvious today. Stone Building at Middleton Hall, showing the west wall before restoration revealing location of four doorways (2 bricked up), 2007. Photograph taken by Audrey Bagby.

St John’s Church in Middleton village contains a number of significant memorials and burials that relate to the owners and residents of Middleton Hall. The oldest of these memorials is the brass effigies on the floor of the chancel for Sir Richard Bingham, Justice of the King’s Bench, who died on 22nd May 1476, and his wife Margaret (de Freville/Willoughby), who died on 8th January 1492/3. Margaret had inherited the Middleton Estate from her brother. Brass of Sir Richard Bing

When the Middleton Estate was sold at auction in 1924, two cottages, known as the Dog Kennel Cottages, were within the boundaries of Lot 1 that included Middleton Hall. These Cottages were located in a single piece of land that covered an area about 1 rood and 6 perches (0.12 hectares). They were located to the south of Middleton Hall and just to the north of Coneybury Farm, on the southernmost edge of the Lot and the southernmost edge of Middleton Park. In 1924, Lord Middlet

Middleton Hall Trust received an enquiry asking whether it was true that the residents of the Church Row Cottages in Middleton Village had been farm workers on the Middleton Estate, maybe circa 1840. The answer is complicated as, yes, they were often inhabited by farm workers who worked on the various farms around the Estate but they were also Estate woodsmen, an Estate carpenter, gardeners, servants, a shoemaker, washerwomen, Chelsea Pensioners and more. St John's Church,

When the Middleton Estate was sold at auction in 1924, Lot 61 contained all the six cottages of Church Row in Middleton Village. These Cottages were located in a single piece of land that covered an area of about 1 acre 3 roods and 3 perches (0.76 hectares). They were directly adjacent to the north of St John the Baptist Church. Map showing in brown Lot 61 "Church Row Cottages" in Middleton Village, from the Auction Catalogue of the Middleton Estate, 1924. In the auction cata

On 31st August 1994, the school in Middleton village, what was at that time called Middleton First School, closed. It is now known as The Old School House Day Nursery and is a childcare facility. The school was located on Church Lane, directly adjacent to the west of St John’s Church, and it had a very long connection with the owners of Middleton Hall. The school was historically part of the Middleton Estate and the property of the owners of the manor. In 1924, when the Estat

In the Domesday Book of 1086, it was recorded that a church was present at Middleton. However, the Church present today is believed to have been initially constructed in the 12th century. This was when the Middleton Estate was in the possession of the de Marmion family. They additionally had the advowson of St John’s Church at Middleton. An advowson enabled someone to propose who would hold the ecclesiastical position at a specific church. Advowsons recognised the role of the

May is Local & Community History Month and to mark this, throughout this month, we will be posting numerous articles relating to the history of the Middleton Estate. Today, the Middleton Hall Estate is 42 acres, all of which has been leased to Middleton Hall Trust since 1980. The western boundary of the Estate is the A4091. The northern boundary is formed by the southern edge of the large field, historically called The Park Quarters, which is just north of the entrance drive,

The chimneys of the Tudor Barn at Middleton Hall are an important visible remnant of the first stage of the construction of Middleton Hall on its current site. This construction phase began in about 1220, during the de Marmion period of ownership and shortly after their lands had been returned to them following the First Barons’ War. This construction phase is very obvious at Middleton Hall because it used a very specific red sandstone to create sandstone plinth foundations.

The 25th January 2026 is the 300th anniversary of the birth of an owner of Middleton Hall, Francis Willoughby 3rd Lord Middleton, who was born on that date in 1726. Francis was the eldest son of Francis Willoughby, 2nd Lord Middleton, and Mary Edwards. He was educated at Bury St Edmund’s School and then, in 1744, at Jesus College, University of Cambridge. Following his father’s death in 1758, Francis inherited Middleton and the remainder of the Willoughby Estates. He continue

The short answer to this question is no. In fact, many historical surveyors have commented on how they have given up trying to fathom why a lot of things were done in the manner they were during the Georgian Renovation of Middleton Hall! The current front door has been in that location since the last phase of the Georgian Renovation, c.1759. Before that time, that location was actually part of the north wall of the 16th century first floor external Gallery Corridor. In the ea

The 16th December 2025 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of the novelist Jane Austen, who was born on that day in 1775. Jane Austen had a connection to the Willoughby family of Middleton Hall and her knowledge of this connection is recognised as being evident in her novels. Memorial to Jane Austen in Poets Corner, Westminster Abbey, 2022. Photograph by Maggie Jones, PD, via Wikimedia Commons . Emma Barnard was the wife of Francis Willughby FRS. Her sister Elizabeth marrie