The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 21st October. It was described as a reward to Lord Hastings’ minstrel. The amount was 20 pence, which was the equivalent of about £36.77 today or, at that time, the equivalent of 2 days’ wages for a skilled tradesman. As has been seen in numerous previous entries in the Middleton Accounts, it was common practice for travelling liveried minstrels of high-ranking lords to perform at th

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

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

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 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

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 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

The 10th May 2026 is the 400th anniversary of a letter in the Middleton Manuscripts, which was written on 10th May 1626 by Dorothy Hastings née Willoughby to her sister, and owner of Middleton, Bridget Willoughby. Bridget was the eldest daughter of Sir Francis I Willoughby and Elizabeth Littleton and Dorothy was their second surviving daughter, according to the family history account of Cassandra Willoughby. In 1587, Dorothy married Sir Henry Hastings and her marriage dowry i

The 15th April 2026 is World Art Day. A number of reproductions of paintings of the Willoughby family are on display at Middleton Hall. To mark World Art Day, this post will focus on the artistic history of two of these paintings. The original paintings of Sir Francis I Willoughby and his wife Elizabeth Littleton were commissioned on 13th September 1573. In the Middleton household accounts, it was recorded that Sir Francis paid 10 shillings (about £119.11 today) for his portr

The 28th/29th July 2025 marks the 450th anniversary of the visit of Queen Elizabeth I to Middleton Hall and the knighting of Sir Francis I Willoughby. Portrait of Sir Francis I Willoughby. Courtesy of Lord Middleton Francis Willoughby is likely to have been a reluctant host for the Queen. This is because he was definitely a reluctant knight. It was said that Queen Elizabeth thought that Francis should be knighted because he was one of the wealthiest, most landed and most infl

In every year of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, primarily over the summer, the Queen and her court went on a progress. During these progresses the Queen would visit various towns throughout England and she would stay in the homes of members of the aristocracy. At the end of July 1575, her progress took her to Middleton Hall, where she stayed for two days and a night. In this post, we are considering what the preparations for her visit would have involved. It is thought that Queen

The second entry in December in the Middleton household accounts of Sir Henry Willoughby for 1525 was also undated except for the month. It was described as a reward to a servant of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, who had brought what is believed to be beer (was spelled bayrs). The amount was 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £14.71 today. There is a technical distinction between ale and beer. Ale was much more common historically in England and was brewed with

The Middleton Manuscripts contains a letter that bears the date the 28th October and, due to its contents, must have been written between 1575 and 1583 although its precise year is unknown. It was written by a man called Marmion to Sir Francis I Willoughby. Marmion, who at that time was the servant of Elizabeth (Bess of Hardwick), Countess of Shrewsbury, was writing of his desire to enter the service of Sir Francis. In this letter Marmion told Sir Francis of events in the Cou