1676 Inventory of Middleton Hall #9: Lady Barnard’s and The Old Lady’s Chambers
This post, the ninth in the series detailing the rooms and contents of Middleton Hall as described in the 1676 inventory, focuses on the rooms named as “Lady Barnard’s Chamber” and “The Old Lady’s Chamber”.
Lady Barnard was the mother of the Emma Barnard who was the widow of Francis Willughby and had married Sir Josiah Child on 22nd August 1676. Emma’s parents were Sir Henry Barnard and Emma Charlton. It is unknown when Lady Barnard died but it is known that she was still alive when her husband died on 25th April 1680. This is because his marble tomb stated that he left his widow Dame Emma, his only wife who was of the honourable family of the Charltons of Shropshire, and two daughters.
The fact that Lady Barnard had a room bearing her name at Middleton Hall, suggests that she had been living for a time with her widowed daughter. This is also interesting because it was widely reported that following the death of Francis, Emma fell into a great depression. Furthermore, it should also be noted that Lady Barnard’s room was, in the inventory list, between one of the nurseries and the Lobby.
It is uncertain who the Old Lady’s Chamber referred to but the theory is that it might have been Lady Cassandra Willoughby’s Chamber. Lady Cassandra was the mother of Francis Willughby and she had died on 15th July 1675 at Middleton Hall. This Chamber was located on the inventory list directly between Frank’s Chamber, which was the room of Emma and Francis’s eldest son, and the Gallery.
In the previous post on The Red Chamber, it was mentioned that, in this era, bedchambers tended to be located on the first floor and were a multi-functional room, not simply for sleeping. Although the inventory is a useful illustration of the household at Middleton Hall, two caveats must be taken into account when considering the items. First, many items listed in the inventory are just being stored in rooms, rather than being in their proper place. Second, this inventory was taken when the house was closed, not in its lived-in fully-furnished fine state.
Listed in Lady Barnard’s Chamber were a number of items that have already been described in the previous post on John Ray’s Chamber. These were:
One bedstead. In this era, this solely referred to the corded wooden bed frame.
One bolster and two 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, one of which was Kidderminster. In this era, a carpet referred to a cloth covering a table or a chest not a floor covering. Kidderminster referred to Kidderminster stuff, a durable thick flat-woven patterned woollen fabric that was made in Kidderminster.
Wrought curtains and valons. A valon meant a valance. This was a decorative strip of fabric that hung either across the top of a window or, most likely in this case, around the frame of a canopy bed. In the previous post on the Red Chamber, it was noted that, in this era and context, wrought meant worked but not ironwork. It referred to upholstered textile work, specifically some type of worked embroidery or needlepoint tapestry fabric.
In the previous post on Lady Child’s Chamber, some other items listed in this room were also described:
Two hanging shelves. These referred to wall-mounted shelving.
Fire shovel, tongs, bellows and irons. 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.
Window curtains of Kidderminster. In this era, window curtains were not a common item and were primarily a luxury, decorative status symbol.
The other items listed in Lady Barnard’s Chamber were two blankets, three chairs, one footstool, two tables, two stands, one brush and:
One mattress for bed. In the 17th century, a mattress was very different to the modern form. It was constructed with a heavy, tightly woven linen or cotton canvas outer fabric and was filled with straw, hay or corn husks. This created a very firm item, which was placed directly on top of the ropes of the bedstead to provide a firm, supportive base. The softer and more expensive flock or feather-filled beds were then placed on top of it. The organic filling attracted pests and thus the filling had to be completely replaced annually.
One counterpane. As explained in the previous post on the Red Chamber, this was a highly decorative bedspread that was used during the day to cover the bed.
A pair of snuffers. As noted in the previous post on the Garret, in the 17th century, this referred to a scissor-like metal tool that was used to trim a candle’s wick whilst it was still burning.
Two looking glasses. 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.
One dressing box. In this era, the dressing table was not yet common. Instead, there was the dressing box. This was a portable vanity case used for personal grooming. The interior of the box was organised with numerous small trays, partitions and drawers and it often included a looking glass. The box would simply be placed on a table and then used as a dressing table would later be.
In the inventory list of the Old Lady’s Chamber, there was also: one bedstead; two mattresses for bed; three bolsters and three pillows; eight blankets; a counterpane; four red curtains and valons; four window curtains; one stand; two carpets; three chairs; two wrought cushions; a footstool; one hanging shelf; and a fire shovel, tongs, bellows and irons.
The other items in the Old Lady’s Chamber were:
Three feather beds. As noted in the post on John Ray’s Chamber, this referred solely to what would today be termed a mattress and was filled with the rigid body feathers of geese or ducks. In this era, it was common practice for multiple beds to be piled on top of one another in order to provide the desired softness. This could create very tall beds.
One couch. In the post on the Red Chamber, it was explained that a couch in this era referred to a long, narrow, upholstered bench that would be used for resting on during the day.
Six turkey work stools. In the post on the Still Chamber, turkey work was described as a luxury English textile that mimicked Middle Eastern carpets.
Three close stools, one with a pan in. As noted in the previous post on the Garret, a close stool was a wooden box-stool enclosing a toilet pan.
Two soft brushes. These were made out of softer materials such as fine pig bristles, horsehair or goat hair. They were likely to be either clothes or hair brushes. In this era, clothes brushes were very common. Heavy outer garments were rarely washed in water because doing so would damage the material. Instead, they were simply regularly shaken, aired and swept down with a brush.
Two pictures of Lady Child and her children. The presence of the two pictures of Emma (Lady Child) and her children in this room is of great interest because there is no other known record of these. This also lends weight to the belief that this room was once the chamber of the children’s grandmother, Lady Cassandra.
Two sheets to lap up the furniture of the room. In the 17th century, the verb to lap meant to enfold or wrap something. This provides strong evidence that the house was closed. Moreover, lap has a very specific meaning and this indicates that the items of furniture were not just loosely covered by sheets, but were securely wrapped in order to protect the items during a prolonged period of vacancy.
Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.
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