1676 Inventory of Middleton Hall #17: The Dairy and The Cheese Chamber
Updated: 5 days ago
This post, the seventeenth in the series detailing the rooms and contents of Middleton Hall as described in the 1676 inventory, focuses on the rooms called “The Dairy”, “The Chamber over the Dairy” and “The Cheese Chamber”. Normally, a dairy was a production room where milk was converted into cream, butter or cheese. It could also be a storage room where they were kept. Similarly, a dedicated cheese chamber could either be where the cheese was stored or made. Both of these rooms were normally located in a cool area and often close to each other.
It is uncertain where the Dairy and Cheese Chamber were located. In the inventory list, the Dairy was between the Spinning House and the Brewhouse. This indicates that it was amongst the other functional structures that would often be in separate buildings. Hence, there has been a suggestion that it was located in one of the buildings to the south of the Tudor Barn.
However, the Cheese Chamber was between the Bottling House and the Chamber Over The Dairy. This confirms that the Cheese Chamber and Dairy were very close to each other and also that the Dairy was in a two-storey structure. The Brewhouse and Bottling House have traditionally been identified as the ground floor room of the structure between the John Ray Building and Stone Building, which was constructed in 1647. Furthermore, traditionally, the Dairy and Cheese Chamber have been identified in the area of the ground floor of the Stone Building, the ground floor room of the Annexe and the ground floor of the now lost building opposite them. If that was the case then all of these functional rooms would be adjacent.
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 present, along with those in the incorrect place in the Washhouse, suggest that the Dairy and Cheese Chamber both remained in functional use when the house was closed. This confirms other accounts that stated that the cheese production at Middleton continued when the house was closed and cheese was dispatched to the family wherever they were in the country.
The items listed in the Dairy were two barrels and:
Two churns. These were large wooden barrels used to agitate cream until it separated into solid butter and liquid buttermilk.
Five cheese vats. Cheese vats were wooden vessels or moulds used to hold the curd. In the bottom or side of the mould were holes to allow the residual whey to drain out whilst forming the cheese into a specific shape at the same time.
A dolphin cheese vat. This was an artisanal cheese mould. This normally square wooden mould would have been carved with the shape of a dolphin. When the cheese was pressed inside, the image of the dolphin would form on one side. It was noted that because of the carving, there was a greater susceptibility to rot and therefore the mould required much more frequent cleaning. Dolphin cheese is reported to have been a traditional novelty cheese made in dairy communities in England and was given to celebrate the birth of a child. There are few surviving references to dolphin cheese and the tradition appears to have faded in the 18th century.
Three long hair lines. These refer to rope woven from horsehair. Horsehair is naturally resistant to rot and mildew, which was vital in the cool damp dairy environment. These ropes would have been used for hanging and drying cheeses, drying curd-filled bags or hanging cloths.
An alembic hot still. As noted in the previous post on the Still Chamber, stills were used to create perfumes, essential oils, cordials, spirits, medicines, preserves, jelly and more. It should not have been in this room.
The sole item listed in the Chamber Over The Dairy was a fire grate for the Hall. In the post on the Garret, a grate was described as a raised, free-standing iron basket on legs specifically for the burning of coal rather than wood.
The items listed in the Cheese Chamber were one chest and:
Two cheese tables. These were specialised heavy-duty wooden workbenches for the possible tasks of kneading salt in to the fresh curds, cutting the blocks and continually wiping down, flipping and rubbing aging cheese wheels to prevent invasive surface rot.
Eleven trestles. Trestle tables were portable wooden frame supports that, when loose timber planks were laid over them, would create storage shelving. In the 17th century, this was the preferred method by which cheese aging shelving was created. This was because, instead of a permanent fixture, the modular trestle shelving had the additional benefit that, between cheese batches, they could easily be taken down, thoroughly scrubbed and left outdoors in the sunlight to kill any residual mould or bacteria.
Further Reading: "The minor mystery of 'dolphin cheese'," British Food in America, https://www.britishfoodinamerica.com/A-Dairy-Number/the-lyrical/The-minor-mystery-of-dolphin-cheese/
Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.
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