On 23rd March 1375, Sir Baldwin II de Freville died. To mark the 650th anniversary of his passing, we thought it was an opportune time to tell a brief history of this former owner of Middleton Hall. Baldwin II was born on 15th August 1317 at Tamworth Castle and was the son of Sir Baldwin I de Freville and Elizabeth de Montfort. After his father’s death in 1343, Baldwin II inherited a third of Middleton. This was during the long and very complicated period of Middleton’s owner

Philip de Marmion, 5th Baron Marmion of Tamworth, inherited Middleton in the middle of the 13th century and owned it along with many other manors until his death in 1291. Throughout his life, Philip was no stranger to court proceedings. There are numerous court documents recording when he was summoned and these were often to answer charges. June 2025 marks the 750th anniversary of one of these proceedings. In 1275, Richard de Wyvelesley, a precentor from the church at Leighli

The next three entries in the Middleton household accounts of Sir Henry Willoughby in 1525 were dated the 10th July. Sir Henry Willoughby had left London on the 8th July and, travelling along Watling Street, he reached Tamworth on the 9th July. However, the accounts show that rather than continue the short distance to Middleton Hall, he actually spent the night of the 9th/10th July at Tamworth Castle. On the 10th July he paid 3 shillings, which was the equivalent of about £66