1676 Inventory of Middleton Hall #15: The Washhouse, Laundry Chamber and Linen Chamber
Updated: 5 days ago
This post, the fifteenth in the series detailing the rooms and contents of Middleton Hall as described in the 1676 inventory, focuses on the rooms involved in textile maintenance. They were called “The Washhouse”, “The Laundry Chamber” and “The Linen Chamber”.
In medieval times the washhouse and laundry were the same room, but by the 17th century each of these rooms represented a different isolated stage: the wet Washhouse was where dirty textiles were washed; the dry Laundry was where the textiles were dried, aired, ironed and mended; and the Linen Chamber was where the linen was stored. Historically, the household linen often cost more than the furniture and thus was considered a very valuable asset.
The locations of all of these buildings are uncertain. Normally, it would be expected that the washhouse and the laundry would be on the ground floor or in a detached building, due to the water, heat and steam used and emitted from them. Conversely, a linen chamber would typically be found in a dry first-floor room amongst the core family bedchambers.
These rooms did not appear together on the inventory list, which suggests that they were not near each other. This aligns with the different natures and requirements of the rooms. Intriguingly, the Laundry was third on the inventory list, just after The Parlour and Hall and just before the Bailiff’s Chamber. This suggests that it was in the main area of the Hall. The Washhouse was between The Old Larder and The Spinning House. This would suggest that it was amongst the main functional service rooms and structures. Finally, the Linen Chamber was between Lady Child’s Chamber and a Maid’s Chamber. This suggests that it could have been on the first floor.
The Washhouse would have needed large amounts of water and, as a result, the theory had been that it was one of the rooms with a well. In 1676, there are known to have been three wells at Middleton Hall: an early 13th century well in a room in the South Wing that is today known as the Tea Room; one thought to date to the 16th century, which was in the area between the Stone Building and the South Wing, known today as the Annexe; and the final well is thought to date from the mid-17th century and was in the structure between the John Ray Building and the Stone Building.
The mid-17th century well has been associated with brewing activities and was thus discounted as a possibility for the Washhouse or Laundry. The Annexe additionally had a drop floor, which was another key indicator of a heavy water-use room such as a washhouse. Hence, there is a high possibility that it was the location of the Washhouse in 1676. Intriguingly, the Washhouse and Laundry have both often historically been identified as the room where the oldest well was and, in the case of the Laundry, sometimes the room directly above it too. Thus, it is possible that the Laundry may have been in the area of the Tea Room in 1676. However, it is also possible that they may have been somewhere else entirely.
Although the inventory is a useful illustration of the household at Middleton Hall, because the house was closed, a caveat must be taken into account when considering the items. This is that many items listed in the inventory are not in their proper place and were simply being stored there instead.
The items listed in the Washhouse were:
Four old pans, three brass, one copper.
Two old brass kettles. As mentioned in the previous post on Lady Child’s Chamber, a kettle was normally a large open cooking pot. A kettle normally had a movable arched handle.
Two cowls and a garden cowl. A cowl was a large wooden tub with a projecting handle on opposite sides. A heavy pole, which was known as a cowl-staff, would be slipped between the handles in order for two people to carry the heavy liquid-filled cowls on their shoulders.
Two brand irons. Brand irons can either refer to a heavy three-legged iron trivet for a pot or pan over a fire or a branding iron for livestock. Interestingly, what makes both descriptions possible is that on the 1550 inventory of Middleton Hall, an item in the Kitchen and Larder House was described as “A brand of the water-bouget to mark cattle”. The water-bouget was the heraldic symbol on the coat of arms of the Willoughby family.
One long under tub. This refers to a long, shallow, wooden tub that was also known as an underback or dropper. It was placed directly beneath another vessel to catch running liquid.
One great cheese tub. This was a large, shallow wooden tub in which milk was mixed with rennet. It was then left to curdle in the tub. The curd would then be broken up and transferred into cheese vats.
One cheese ladder. This was a wooden frame that resembled a small ladder and sat across the top of the cheese tub. The cheese vats were rested on the ladder to allow the liquid whey to drain down into the tub below.
One tunning dish. This was a large wooden funnel, often with a spout offset to one side, that was used during the tunning process. This process was when newly brewed beer was poured from the fermenting tubs through the narrow bungholes of the storage barrels.
Almost all of these items would not be expected to be found in a washhouse. This suggests that the room was either being used for storage or as a scullery. It is known that the agricultural, cheese-making and brewing activities in particular continued on the Estate even when the family was away.
The items listed in the Laundry in the inventory were one cupboard, a pair of bellows, a fire shovel, tongs and:
Four rush bottomed chairs. In the previous post on the Still Chamber, it was explained that a rush chair had a cheap turned wood frame with a seat woven from cheap dried rushes.
One looking glass. As explained in the previous post on the Master’s Chamber, today this is known as a mirror. In the 17th century, mirrors had uneven glass and a toxic mercury-tin amalgam back. They were also extremely expensive luxury items.
Three stools, two of them covered joint stools, and two more red covered stools. In the previous post on John Ray’s Chamber, a joint stool was described as a common type of stool that was made by a joiner and was jointed together, rather than nailed or glued.
Two pretty long tables, one of joint work and another of carpentry. The distinction between the tables was a significant one of construction technique. In this era joinery and carpentry were completely separate roles. A table that was made by a joiner was a high-quality sturdy item fixed together with mortice-and-tenon joints and wooden dowel pegs. On the other hand, a table made by a carpenter would have used more simple woodworking techniques and the table would likely have been held together with either iron nails, brackets or a simple joint. In terms of use, the joint table would likely have been used for the clean linen, whilst the carpentry table was a utilitarian table that would have been used for the wet or messy work.
Finally, the items listed in the Linen Chamber were three duster cloths, two parlour and two hall tablecloths, one bag to put foul cloths in and:
Six pairs of fine sheets. This would refer to high-quality bedsheets made of finely spun flax linen. They were described as a pair because the beds were made with a matching bottom and top sheet.
4½ pairs of pillowberes. These are now known as pillowcases and they were counted in matching pairs. 4½ pairs meant that there were nine pillowcases.
One bolster case. This was the cover for a bolster pillow. In the previous post on John Ray’s Chamber, it was described that a bolster was a long firm cylindrical cushion that stretched the width of the bed and was placed beneath the bed sheet.
One fine long towel and five more long towels. In this era, long towels were not for personal drying. They were long runners laid out during meals for guests to wipe their hands on before and after eating.
One coarse towel. This has the same meaning as it does today. It would have been a basic utilitarian hand-towel.
Five cupboard cloths. These referred to long, narrow runners laid across the wooden shelves of a cupboard to protect the wood from scratches.
Two damask napkins. Damask was a luxury, patterned fabric and means that these napkins would have been reserved for the most formal dining.
46 coarse napkins. These were for everyday use and would have been made from linen or hemp.
One trug basket. This was a handmade shallow wooden basket made of shaved thin willow boards fixed to a solid sturdy wooden handle and rim.
Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.
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