This post will focus on John Trussell who was bailiff of Wollaton Hall in the mid-16th century. The previous blog focused on his fellow steward of Middleton Hall, John Hall. Together, these posts provide an example of two very different lives in a similar occupation for the same family at the same time. John Trussell was, like John Hall, a gentleman servant. He was a younger son of minor nobility but, due to his situation, he needed an occupation. John Trussell descended from

The next three entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were dated 12th September. The first was described as a reward to the horsekeepers of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, and the amount was 20 pence, which was the equivalent of about £36.77 today. The second was described as a reward to Master Grey’s servant for bringing a present to Wollaton Hall and the amount was 4 pence, which was the equivalent of about £7.35 today. The third w

The servants that are most frequently recorded in the historic documents of Middleton Hall are the gentlemen servants, especially those that were the stewards or bailiffs. This post will focus on one of them, John Hall, who, for over a decade, was additionally in sole control of Middleton Hall. Although the steward was the chief of the servants, in Tudor times they were not generally considered to be a servant. This was because the steward ran the estate in the absence of t

The theme for Heritage Open Days in 2026 is “Everyday Histories”. This theme aims to draw attention to the daily working lives of our ancestors. For Heritage Open Day Week, from 11th to 20th September 2026, Middleton Hall Trust will run a series of blogs highlighting various “ordinary” workers from its long history. References to the people who worked on the Estate have survived from Middleton Hall’s earliest time, albeit they are extremely patchy. Most that are referred to,

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 10th September. It was described as a reward to the officers of the Lady Abbess of Polesworth, when Sir Henry spent one night there on his way to the manor of Thomas Grey, 2nd Lord Marquess. The amount was 2 shillings 4 pence, which was the equivalent of about £51.48 today. This entry in the Accounts reveals that the visit of the Marquess to Middleton Hall was part of a journey that

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 9th September. It was described as a payment to Toll, on the commandment of Sir Henry, when Toll went on pilgrimage to the sweet rood of Garendon in Leicestershire. The amount was 12 pence, which was the equivalent of about £22.06 today. In the Middleton Manuscripts, from the time of Sir Henry to his grandson Sir Francis I Willoughby, there are multiple entries that make mention of s

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was described as payment for pears. These were also purchased for the visit to Middleton Hall of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset. The amount was 20 pence, which was the equivalent of about £36.77 today. This entry was undated but a date of somewhere around the 7th September can be estimated. This is because, due to later Accounts entries, it is believed that the banquet for the Marquess pr

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 6th September. It was described as payment for diverse spices that were purchased for the visit to Middleton Hall of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset. The amount was 9 shillings 9 pence, which was the equivalent of about £215.12 today. The wider Middleton Accounts provide enough evidence to make it possible to draw conclusions about the types of spices the Willoughby family used,

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 3rd September. It was described as payment to Thomas Cokes for his costs when going to Mr Cotes’ for heronsews. The amount was 4 pence, which was the equivalent of about £7.35 today. It is uncertain who Mr Cotes was because this is the only record in the Middleton Manuscripts that mentions him. Heronsew was an old English term for both the juvenile and the meat of a heron. It had its

The next two entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were dated 31st August. The first was described as payment for the making of verjuice and the amount was 19 pence, which was the equivalent of about £34.93 today. The second was described as payment to Richard Davey for 12 strikes of crayfish and the amount was 2 shillings, which was the equivalent of about £44.13 today. Historically, verjuice was frequently made at Middleton Hall. Verju

The next two entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were dated 27th August. A third entry directly after those was undated. The first was described as payment to Sir William for the amount that he had paid for four pairs of shoes for four Children of the Chapel and the amount was 23 pence, which was the equivalent of about £42.29 today. The second was described as a reward to the anchoress at Polesworth and the amount was 8 pence, which w

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 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 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 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

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