1676 Inventory of Middleton Hall #1: The Still Chamber
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 thus most likely have been taken when she and her children went to live at Child’s residence and Middleton Hall became a closed house. Hence, this is why it is referred to as the 1676 inventory. In a series of blog posts, all of the different rooms mentioned in this inventory will be detailed and described in order to provide a context for life at Middleton Hall at that time.
The inventory includes 49 named rooms and their contents. These include reception and personal rooms as well as about 17 service rooms and even corridors. Many items are obviously just being stored in certain rooms, rather than being in their proper place. Furthermore, due to other room references and the subsequent partial inventory from 1687, it is known that the inventory was not absolutely complete. This would not be unusual because scribes rarely recorded a room if there was nothing of value in it. As a result, it is rare to have servants’ quarters or nurseries mentioned in an inventory.
Only a few of the rooms mentioned can be identified as correlating to a room present at Middleton Hall today. This is due to the extensive renovations carried out over the subsequent centuries. The Great Hall was smaller in footprint than it is today. This was because the first-floor external Gallery Corridor was still present and it connected all of the buildings of the main Hall together. There was a West Wing and South Wing but these were two-storied timber-framed structures. The Stone Building was of course present, but the timber-framed structure that was between that Building and the John Ray Building is now lost. The John Ray Building had been built only a few decades previous. On the north side, the Jettied Building was present as was the now lost Chapel. Underground, there were multiple cellars, which are now inaccessible. In the outer moat island, the long stable range and two-storied timber-framed “Porter’s lodge”, both since demolished, were still present. Beyond the moat, the Tudor Barn was present in its current form, but the buildings to the east of it had not yet been constructed. However, to the south of it were seven more structures.
This post begins the series with the Still Chamber, the location of which is one of the few that can definitely be identified with a room present today. The first floor of the Stone Building was the only place where stills were located at Middleton Hall. Historically, this had been only a single-chambered room. However, in 1675, corner fireplaces had been added to this room and it was then divided into two chambers. Nevertheless, it only appears in this inventory as a single room, which suggests the room division might not yet have been solid.
A still chamber was an important feature in the household of the gentry. Often it was located away from the main house because it was a very high fire hazard. The exception was if the stills were constructed, as they were at Middleton Hall, in a stone structure.
A still chamber crossed multiple household domains and, as a result, so did its management. Traditionally, it was the domain of the lady of the house, which was a time when the focus was on domestic applications. Then it moved to the gentleman of the house, when the focus became more scientific. Finally, by Victorian times, it was the housekeeper that ruled it, which was when the focus turned primarily toward food production. Stills were used to create perfumes, essential oils, cordials, spirits, medicines, preserves, jelly and more. It is known that Francis Willughby had used the stills in this room to make medicines for the family and others on the Estate.
The contents of the Still Chamber do not provide a clear indication of the purpose of this room before the house was closed, as it contained a mixture of miscellaneous items. This suggests that this room, at this time, was being used for storage. The inventory confirms that this room held a number of functional items:
Two stills. The remains of these are present today and are known to have been established in this room in the 16th century. These would have been alembic stills. Traditional alembics consisted of: a still pot, known as the cucurbit; a “cap”, which fitted over the cucurbit and had a downward-sloping tube attached; and a receiver vessel. The cucurbit sat above a flame and contained the liquid to be distilled. The vapours rose into the cap and then cooled and condensed against the walls, running down the tube as the final liquid distillate. This distillate was then collected in the receiver vessel.
One turkey work loom. Turkey work was a highly fashionable English textile technique that mimicked woven Middle Eastern carpets and was used for durable upholstery. It was made by professional weavers in England from the 16th century to the mid-18th century, when it fell out of fashion. The presence of this loom confirms that turkey work was being undertaken at Middleton Hall.
Two pairs of yarn blades. These were wooden devices used for winding spun yarn into balls or skeins. This item also confirms active textile work being undertaken at the Hall.
Additionally various items of furniture were listed, some of which were broken or unfinished:
One trundle bedstead. This was a low bed on wheels that would roll beneath a higher bed. It was usually a simple, rectangular wooden box that featured small wooden rollers or castors that would enable it to slide out easily.
One livery table. This was a small tiered table on which livery rations were placed. Livery rations were the allowances of food, provisions and other items from the lord of the manor to his servants, retainers etc. These rations gradually phased out but declined most significantly in the 17th century with the change to payment in wages rather than in goods or kind. This type of table is viewed as a direct structural and functional ancestor of the modern sideboard.
A piece of a French dinner table. A French dinner table would have been a high-status, imported table. As only a fragment of it had been kept, it can be implied that either its timber was valuable and was being kept to use on something else or it was being kept for it to be repaired.
An old rush chair. This would have been a cheap turned-wood framed chair with a seat woven from dried rushes. It was an item more often used in the quarters of domestic servants and the households of general workers. Rush is renowned for breaking down and fraying when exposed to damp or heavy use and given that it was described as old probably meant that it was in poor condition.
Five chair frames. These chairs were missing their upholstery, which confirms that furniture maintenance or finishing was undertaken on the Estate.
One stool.
One fire screen. In this era, a fire screen was a moveable wooden piece of furniture that often featured a decorative panel of tapestry or other needlework. Unlike the modern fire screen, the principal aim was not to catch flying sparks but was instead to shield an individual from the direct intense radiant heat of the fire.
Finally, there were a couple of interesting miscellaneous items:
An old green cushion that was formerly the pulpit cushion in Middleton Church. Throughout the centuries, it was not uncommon for items from the Church to be reused at Middleton Hall when the Church upgraded its décor. This practice was not only limited to Middleton Hall, but also was widespread throughout the gentry and country.
An old pair of virginals. A pair of virginals actually refers to a single instrument. The virginals is a keyboard instrument, similar to the harpsicord but smaller and simpler. Numerous documents refer to multiple members of the Willoughby family having played the virginals but the one who was most noted for it was Sir Francis I Willoughby, the great-grandfather of Francis Willughby. What is uncertain is whether the old refers to this as a family heirloom or because it was worn and/or broken.
Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.
Comments