The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was the last in October but was undated. It was described as payment for a yard of frieze to mend one of the Children of the Chapel’s coats. The amount was 6 pence, which was the equivalent of about £11.03 today. Frieze was a highly durable coarse woollen, plain weave cloth with a shaggy or raised nap on one side. Originally, it was known as “Frisian cloth”. This name originated from the Middl

The next two entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were dated 20th October. The first was described as payment for six caps for the Children of the Chapel and the amount was 6 shillings, which was the equivalent of about £132.38 today. The second was described as payment for six pairs of shoes for the Children of the Chapel and the amount was 3 shillings 7 pence, which was the equivalent of about £79.06 today. As mentioned in previous po

This post, the second in the series detailing the rooms and contents of Middleton Hall as described in the 1676 inventory, focuses on the three rooms named as “Mr Ray’s Chamber”, “Mr Ray’s Study” and “The Room Betwixt Mr Ray’s and The Still Chamber”. These are the only rooms that specifically mention John Ray by name. The fact that he is named is one of the reasons that the inventory is believed to date from about 1676, which was when he left Middleton Hall. John Ray resided

Over the centuries, many inventories of Middleton Hall have been conducted. These were normally taken upon the death of an owner. One inventory, although being undated, is believed to date to just after Emma, the widow of Francis Willughby, married Sir Josiah Child on 22nd August 1676. It was unquestionably taken before 1687, which was when a further inventory was taken upon the clearance of certain items from Middleton Hall by Francis and Emma’s children. The inventory would

The next four entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were dated 13th October. The first was described as payment for linings, kersey and fustian and costs for Master Draycott, Mistress Alice and the Children of the Chapel. The amount was 14 shillings, which was the equivalent of about £308.89 today. The second was described as a reward to Mr Worth’s son for his going to London and the amount was 2 shillings 4 pence, which was the equivale

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 10th October. It was described as a payment allowed to Sir William for sugar to make conserves. The amount was 12 pence, which was the equivalent of about £22.06 today. The Sir William in this entry is believed to have been Sir William Webster (or Webb), who was the private chaplain of Sir Henry and is thought to have been the Master of the Children of the Chapel. In a previous entry

The next two entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 both related to the Children of the Chapel and the first of these was dated 9th October. This first entry was described as a payment for three pairs of shoes for the Children of the Chapel and the amount was 18 pence, which was the equivalent of about £33.10 today. The second was described as a payment for books and combs for the Children of the Chapel and the amount was 9 pence, which w

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

A key household servant in a manorial house throughout history has been the butler. However, this role underwent significant change over the centuries to the extent that the role would be effectively almost unrecognisable as the same occupation if viewed across the centuries. This post will highlight two butlers of Middleton Hall: Gilbert Butlo in the 13th century; and Charles Hobby in the 19th century. The first documented butler at Middleton Hall was Gilbert Butlo in the 1

It is frequently stated that Middleton has a very long documented history. One example of this is that, as a result of deeds and court records in the late 13th century, it is possible to know the names of some of the workers at Middleton for Philip de Marmion, 5th Baron Marmion of Tamworth. This post will focus on some of them. The relationship between the lord of the manor and his servants and workers was very different in 13th century England to that of later centuries. In

Living under one roof, working long hours side by side, sharing mealtimes, bedrooms and even chamber pots, it is unsurprising that so many servants working in domestic service found a second family amongst their fellow servants. Many workers took jobs where they could find familial companionship in their workplace, which was a great source of comfort when miles from home. In some cases, however, servants found themselves working alongside their actual relatives and we have a

There have been many governesses at Middleton Hall over the centuries. This post will focus on one: Elizabeth Tilley. She is known to have been a governess at Middleton Hall during the early part of the tenancy of the de Hamels. Governesses in the Victorian era normally came from a middle-class background, were educated and unmarried. However, they would also lack the financial means to be able to live independently. Thus, this form of paid work was viewed as a way of providi

John Ray is one of the most famous residents of Middleton Hall, but his origins were humble and he rose through the social and reputational strata due to opportunities provided by his occupation. This post will focus on the nature and some of the challenges of being a parson-academic in the 17th century that Ray faced. John Ray was born on 29th November 1627 in Black Notley in Essex. His father was the village blacksmith and his mother was the village herbalist. In that era,

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

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 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 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