The Middleton Accounts of 1525: #12

The next two entries in the Middleton accounts of Sir Henry Willoughby in 1525 were described as wine and ale at the Clock House and cherries and pears. These were all entered on the same day, which appears to have been the 7th July. The cost of the wine and ale was 13 pence, which was the equivalent of about £23.90 today, and the cost for the cherries and pears was 2 pence, which was the equivalent of about £3.68 today.

At this time Sir Henry Willoughby was staying in London and the Clock House was probably a tavern, although precisely where is uncertain as there are many places that have that name even today. Whenever Sir Henry was in London, all his food had to be purchased fresh and this could explain the reason for the rare appearance of cherries and pears in the Middleton accounts.

Although cherries and pears are known to have been growing in England since ancient times, it was only in the 16th century that the popularity of eating fruit, albeit still cooked not raw, increased. It was also during that century that a significant expansion of cherry and pear orchards in England occurred, which involved the introduction of new varieties from Europe. This expansion occurred in order to satisfy demand and additionally to reduce English reliance on foreign imports of fruit.

Certainly, by the end of the 16th century, the Willoughby family are known to have been growing enough cherries and pears on their manors to satisfy their needs. In fact, both of these fruits were specifically stated as being grown at Middleton. This is the explanation for why these fruits do not appear in the accounts at that time. However, the uncertainty is whether these fruits only rarely appeared in Sir Henry’s accounts because they were still rarely consumed or because they were already being grown in sufficient quantity on his manors that he only needed to purchase them when he was away from home. Regardless, the amount of fruit he purchased in comparison to other types of food and drink products such as ale, meat and fish, confirms that fruit accounted for a very small amount of the diet in his time.

19th century pear tree ("Thompsons") against outer west wall of the Large Walled Garden at Middleton Hall, 2013. Photograph taken by Rehana Firth.

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

Mark Dawson, Plenti and Grase, 2009.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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