1676 Inventory of Middleton Hall #7: Lady Child’s Chamber
Updated: 5 days ago
This post, the seventh in the series detailing the rooms and contents of Middleton Hall as described in the 1676 inventory, focuses on the room named as Lady Child’s Chamber. This room can unquestionably be identified as the chamber of Emma Barnard, the widow of Francis Willughby FRS. She married Sir Josiah Child on 22nd August 1676. Thus, the name of this room conclusively dates the inventory to after that date. Interestingly, considering this inventory was made when the house was closed, her chamber was one of the rooms to contain a very large number of items.
As mentioned in the previous post on the Red Chamber, in this era bedchambers tended to be located on the first floor and were multi-functional rooms, not simply for sleeping. However, there is nothing else that provides an indication of where this room was located, especially, as in the inventory list order itself, it is simply between “The Lobby” and “The Linen Chamber”.
Although the inventory is a useful illustration of the household at Middleton Hall, a caveat must be taken into account when considering the items. Specifically, many items listed in the inventory are just being stored in rooms, rather than being in their proper place.
In the 1676 inventory, in Lady Child’s Chamber, there were a number of items that have already been described in the previous post on John Ray’s Chamber. These were:
One bedstead with curtains and valons, four valons for the bed curtains for the canopy bed and the frame for the canopy. As noted, in this era a bedstead solely referred to the corded wooden bed frame. A valon meant a valance. This was a decorative strip of fabric that hung across the top of a window or, as in this case, around the frame of a canopy bed.
One feather bed. This referred solely to what would today be termed a mattress and was filled with the rigid body feathers of geese or ducks.
One bolster and three pillows. A bolster was a long firm cylindrical cushion that stretched the width of the bed and was placed beneath the bed sheet.
Two carpets. In this era, a carpet referred to a cloth for covering a table or a chest not a floor covering.
Some odd things of Kidderminster in a box. Kidderminster referred to Kidderminster stuff, a durable thick flat-woven patterned woollen fabric that was made in Kidderminster.
There were also some items present in Lady Child’s Chamber that were described in the previous post on the Garret:
Close stool and pan. This was a wooden box-stool enclosing a toilet pan.
Two large fireboxes. These were described not as the chamber where the coals were burned but as an obsolete word for a tinderbox, which was a box containing various items required to start a fire. However, there is a possibility that it might refer to something else.
One spitting pan. This was a spittoon.
There were also some items present in Lady Child’s Chamber that were described in the previous post on the Master’s Chamber:
Six cane chairs. These chairs were a relatively new type of furniture in England having only been first introduced in about 1660. They were made from imported rattan cane from Southeast Asia.
Two looking glasses. Today known as a mirror. In this era, they had uneven glass and a toxic mercury-tin amalgam back. They were also extremely expensive luxury items.
The items of furniture listed in Emma’s Chamber were one stand, one little table and:
One chair covered with the same material as the bed.
A small fine twiggen skep basket. A twiggen skep basket specifically referred to a wickerwork basket. Its description as small and fine indicates that it would have been a high-quality decorative item.
Two hanging shelves. These referred to wall-mounted shelving.
Two chests of drawers, one locked, one unlocked.
One black cabinet. This would have been an item of significant value. There are two possible options for the nature of this cabinet. First, it could have been an imported gold-on-black lacquer cabinet from China or Japan. These were imported in significant quantities for the aristocracy in the 17th century by the East India Company. It was only in the 1680s that the imitation technique of Japanning began, although it was an experimental technique in the decade or so before. Alternatively, it could have been an ebony veneered cabinet. These were introduced to England after 1660 but had been popular on the continent before that. Due to the expense of ebony, the craftsmen would create small cabinets out of oak or walnut and then veneer them with thin sheets of imported ebony.
One fire shovel, tongs, bellows, irons and round irons to keep up the fire. Irons, known today as andirons or fire-dogs, held up the wood when burning in a fireplace. These were generally forged with flat, rectangular or square posts. Round irons referred to a different design, but were essentially the same item. When present in chambers, these normally referred to decorative irons that were often topped with brass spheres. Alternatively, most commonly in a kitchen, round irons referred to a design with an integrated round vertical stalk and ringed top to hold items like cooking pots, kettles or warming vessels over the fire.
The fabric items listed in Emma’s Chamber were seven blankets, six cushions and:
Some odd things of calico in a box. Calico was a plain-woven cotton textile originating from the city of Calicut in southwest India. The fabric was dyed and printed in bright colours and these prints became very popular in Europe. In this era, it was still imported from India and was considered an exotic, highly-valued textile. It was only in the following century that the nature of this material changed.
One calico quilt. Functionally, a quilt was a utilitarian item intended for warmth at night-time. The main distinction between a counterpane and a quilt was their differing construction. Counterpanes were often just a single layer of fabric, but quilts were always multi-layered. A quilt was formed by two sheets of fabric and sandwiched between them was a stuffing layer of wool, cotton or down. The surface was then tightly stitched together in intricate patterns. This quilting process fixed the filling in place.
Two window curtains. In this era, window curtains were not a common item. Normally, in an inventory of this time, curtains almost exclusively referred to bed curtains not window. This was because the primary type of window covering was shutters. Furthermore, many windows were still unglazed and even those that did have glass were fragile and drafty. Hence, even for glazed windows, shutters were the best way to provide warmth and protect the glass from high winds. Thus, window curtains in the 17th century were a luxury, primarily decorative, status symbol.
Intriguingly, also listed in the inventory of this room were a significant amount of metal tableware and cooking items. These would not have been expected to be found in a bedchamber and it is thought that they were in this room for safekeeping. Specifically, there were:
36 pewter trencher plates. In the previous post on the Garret, it was mentioned that trenchers were normally flat wooden plates, but in this case a pewter trencher plate would have been a flattish, shallow, metal dining plate.
One pottinger. This was an earlier form of the porringer. It was a small bowl from which pottage, broth, or porridge was served and could be made from various materials. It gained its name from the word pottage and the name evolved to porringer similarly due to its association with porridge. Porringer became the dominant spelling variant in the late 17th century.
One cheese plate. This was a large flat platter designed to present a large wedge or wheel of cheese.
Three pie plates. These were normally shallow flat-bottomed dishes used to serve the pies, but not to cook them.
Nine saucers. In this era, saucers were not the small plates for teacups that they are today. Instead, they were small, shallow dishes that were used for holding condiments or thick sauces.
A pewter cistern. This refers to a portable, decorative, shallow, probably oval vessel that would have held a liquid. Depending upon its normal location, it could have been a water basin or it might have held wine; it could have been for personal washing or it could have been for fine-dining.
One pint pot. In this era, this was a drinking mug or tankard with the capacity of one pint. It was often used for drinking beer, ale or cider. The earliest known form of these dates from the mid-17th century and they were primarily made of pewter or wood. They often had a sturdy handle and sometimes, especially in wealthy domestic households, had a hinged flat lid.
Two flagons. In this context and era, these would have been large, tall and heavy vessels used for serving and pouring drinks. They essentially appeared as a significantly larger version of the pint pot but definitely with a lid and a pouring spout. They typically could hold up to two or even four pints.
Two salts. These refer to salt cellars. However, 17th century salt cellars were very different from the modern ones. In this era, they were open, decorative bowls. The shakers were only developed in the Victorian era in an attempt to resolve the problem of salt clumping, but the shaker form did not become commonly used until after 1911.
A brass preserving kettle. This specifically refers to a large, heavy, wide-mouthed brass cooking pot with strong handles that would have been used on an open hearth to boil down and produce preserved fruits, jams and conserves. It was a specialised piece of kitchen equipment for which brass was specifically used because of how it evenly distributed heat and resisted rust.
Finally, there were some other miscellaneous items listed, which were one brush and:
One bedpan. This was a shallow metal, ceramic or earthenware, flat-bottomed vessel often with a rounded rim and a tubular long hollow handle. It was used by a sick or bedridden person whilst they were lying down.
One troy weight. This refers to a balance scale counter-weight used for precise measuring. It was not the kind of weight used in kitchens or in agricultural settings. The troy weight was a legally mandated precise system of measurement used normally for precious metals, chemicals or apothecary ingredients.
13 books in folio that had been sent by Mr Ray. In the previous post on the Master’s Chamber and Study, it was explained that a folio was the largest book size, which was created by folding a sheet of paper once to form two huge leaves. The fact that the inventory records that 13 books had been sent by John Ray, also confirms that this inventory was taken after Ray had left Middleton. It is uncertain what books these refer to. It might have been something to do with the publication of Francis Willughby’s Ornithologia, material of Willughby’s that Ray had borrowed and had sent back to Middleton, or something else entirely.
One book in quarto. This was created by folding the paper twice to form four leaves (8 pages), roughly a page size of about 6 x 9 inches (about 15 x 23cm).
One book in octavo. This was made by folding the paper three times to form eight leaves (16 pages). This created a small, easily carriable book roughly about the size of 5 x 7.5 inches (about 13 x 19cm).
Mr Willughby’s picture. This is thought to refer to the portrait of Francis Willughby, although it cannot be discounted that it is a lost portrait. In conjunction with the family portraits recorded in the inventory in The Parlour, if this was Willughby’s portrait, these would account for all the surviving portraits of the husband and wife of the principal family lineage from Sir Francis I Willoughby to 1676. A reproduction of Francis Willughby’s portrait was acquired by Middleton Hall Trust and placed on display at Middleton Hall.
Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.
Comments