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 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 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

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated as Midsummer, which would have been 24th June. It was described as payment to the holy water clerk at Middleton for his half-year service in this role and also pins. The amount was 10 pence, which was the equivalent of about £18.39 today. This entry is a prime example of “lumping”. The Middleton Accounts of this time were not in the form of modern balance double-entry bookkeeping but

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 23rd June. It was described as payment for bread, ale, wine, kitchen and horsemeat at Meriden when Sir Henry went to London with 20 horses. The amount was 8 shillings 5 pence, which was the equivalent of about £185.70 today. From his list of payments, bread and ale were the staples with bread being regulated by law to ensure weight and quality and ale being the safer alternative to w

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 next two entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were also undated but should have been between the 16th and the 22nd June due to the dates provided in nearby entries. The first entry was described as payment to Nicholas Cothett for making a songbook for the Chapel and the amount was 4 shillings 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £102.96 today. The second entry was described as payment for a primer for Mr Draycott and the amoun

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was undated but should have been between the 15th and the 22nd June due to the dates provided in nearby entries. It was described as Sir Henry’s offering at Mr Arthen’s burial. The amount was 4 pence, which was the equivalent of about £7.35 today. It is not certain who the Mr Arthen mentioned was and there is no other mention of the specific surname Arthen in the Middleton Manuscripts. Given J

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 14th June. It was described as a reward to Ralf Heberd and Lowkid, who were minstrels of the Lord of Derby. The amount was 3 shillings 4 pence, which was the equivalent of about £73.55 today and at that time was about five days wages for a skilled tradesman. The Lord of Derby referenced in this entry, as it was in a previous post from the 1525 Accounts, would have been Edward Stanley

The next three entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were dated 11th June. All of these entries concerned costs incurred when Sir Henry’s servant, John Lewissay, took Catesby to Southwell Grammar School in Nottinghamshire. As mentioned in a previous post, Catesby is thought to have been a ward of Sir Henry. The first entry was described as Lewissay’s costs to go to Southwell to carry Master Catesby to the school and the amount was 20 pen

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.

The first entry for June in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was undated. It was described as payment for half a yard of black cloth for bands for the gentlewomen’s kirtles. The amount was 6 pence, which was the equivalent of about £11.03 today. The kirtle was the main garment in a medieval woman’s wardrobe and remained popular through the Tudor era. However, by the 17th century, it only remained commonly worn by middle or lower-class women. T

The 31st May 2026 is World Parrot Day. To mark this, and the 350th anniversary of the publication of Francis Willughby’s Ornithologia, this post will recount a tale of King Henry VIII’s parrot that was published in Ornithologia. In Ornithologia, in the general comments and observations about parrots, it was written that parrots not only imitated the human voice, but in wit exceeded all other birds. The evidence of this had been provided through examples in so many texts that

The next two entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were undated except for the month and, therefore, because of the preceding entry, must have been either the 30th or 31st. The first was described as a reward to Sir Henry’s huntsman when he broke his bow and the amount was 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £14.71 today. The second was described as the costs of a pursuivant lying at Avery’s and the amount was 6 pence, which was t

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 29th May. It was described as payment for 6 yards (5.48m) of Kendal cloth for a coat of cloth for Mr Catesby. The amount was 3 shillings 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £80.90 today. Kendal cloth was also known as Kendal Green. It was named from its manufacture in the Cumbrian town of Kendal and from its distinctive dyed green colour. The making of this fabric was already

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 26th May. It was described as Sir Henry’s reward toward the church ale at Aston. The Middleton Manuscripts suggest that this refers to Aston juxta Birmingham in Warwickshire. The amount was 20 pence, which was the equivalent of about £36.77 today. It is uncertain why Sir Henry went to this church ale. Furthermore, it is uncertain what this religious feast was honouring. Saints Peter

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

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was again undated, but must have occurred sometime between the 6th and the 25th May. It was described as Sir Henry’s reward toward an ale (feast) at Lea in Warwickshire. The amount was 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £14.71 today. Lea refers to half of the settlement known today as Lea Marston, which directly borders the parish of Middleton to the south-east. For the same reason as