The Middleton Accounts of 1525: #11

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts of Sir Henry Willoughby in 1525 was described as payment for the costs of Sir Henry Willoughby’s servants and for Sir Henry Willoughby dining at Lord Cardinal Thomas Wolsey’s residence on 6th July. The amount was 18 pence, which was the equivalent of about £33.10 today. This was at the time when Cardinal Wolsey was Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of York and was at the height of his power.

There is another document amongst the Middleton Manuscripts that concerns Cardinal Wolsey. In about 1525, Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, wrote a letter, sent from Bradgate Park, to his “loving” cousin Sir Henry Willoughby expressing his desire for Sir Henry’s help in moving 500 loads of wood from Sheldon woods to Oxford. Sheldon is now part of Birmingham and located close to Solihull. It was Sir Henry’s proximity to Sheldon from Middleton and experience in transporting timber, which was historically Middleton’s principal economic product, that is believed to have led to this request.

There were a number of familial connections between the Grey and Willoughby family at this time. The main connection was that John Willoughby, Sir Henry’s son, was married to Ann, the daughter of Edward Grey, Viscount Lisle, who was the son of Edward Grey and Elizabeth Ferrers. Thomas Grey 2nd Marquess was the grandson of the same Edward Grey and Elizabeth. Furthermore, only a few years later, Thomas’ daughter Ann married Sir Henry’s grandson Henry Willoughby.

In his letter, Thomas additionally wrote that he had given the wood to Cardinal Wolsey in order to construct Christ Church College at Oxford University. He also assured Sir Henry that he would remember this favour for the rest of his life and Sir Henry would be assured of the thanks of the Cardinal as well.

Great Hall at Christ Church College, University of Oxford, 2012. Photograph taken by chensiyuan, GFDL, CC-BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

In 1525, Cardinal Wolsey had suppressed St Frideswide's Priory in Oxford and decided to found a College on its lands. This new College became known as Christ Church. The Cardinal had planned a magnificent establishment but fell from grace in 1529 and died the following year at which time the new College was only three-quarters complete.

Further Reading: W. H. Stevenson, Report on the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1911. p.377, 514.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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