The Middleton Accounts of 1525: #5

This fifth entry in the Middleton household account of Sir Henry Willoughby in 1525 series contains four entries from the accounts. The first was dated as 29th March 1525 and the remainder just as “at the same time”.

The first of these four entries was a reward to someone from Walsall, Staffordshire, who had brought the court rolls in order to have the copy for Richard Hill’s land. All that is currently known about this Richard Hill is that he was a tenant of Sir Henry Willoughby. The amount paid to the bringer of the rolls was 12 pence, the equivalent of about £22.06 today.

The second entry was a reward to someone who had found a hare. That person was given 4 pence, which was the equivalent of about £7.35 today. In Tudor times hares were one of the few animals that the poor were allowed to hunt and, in medieval times, the hare hunting season was between Michaelmas (29th September) and Midsummer’s Day (24th June).

The third entry was a payment to Robert Basford. It was to cover what he had paid to someone from Cheshire who had killed otters in the river. The payment was stated to have been in accordance with the commandment of Sir Henry Willoughby for the costs to be paid at certain times when this was done. Robert was paid 3 shillings 2 pence, which was the equivalent of about £69.87 today.

In medieval times, the hunting season for otters was from the 22nd February to Midsummer’s Day. Otters were considered vermin in Tudor times and were widely despised. This was the primary reason that they were hunted. The reason that they were seen as vermin was because of their diet. Otters would prey not only on amphibians but also small birds and fish. The latter two were an issue because they were competing directly with humans for the same food. However, the biggest issue with otters was their penchant for raiding fishponds. Due to the large number of religious fast days at that time, on which days fish were the main food consumed, to lose large amounts of food stock to an otter was a very serious issue.

Staffordshire Wildlife Mammal Society constructing an otter holt at Middleton Hall, 2004. Photograph taken by Margaret Moore.

The final entry on this date was for the purchase of oranges and pomegranates at Coventry. These were purchased for the cost of 18 pence, which was the equivalent of about £33.10 today. In the early 16th century, oranges and pomegranates were popular in England but they were fruits that would have only graced the table of the very wealthy. At that time, it was not possible to grow either of them in England and they were primarily imported from Spain. King Henry VIII’s wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, is considered to have been highly instrumental in increasing the popularity and the scale of the import of both of these fruits, which were native to her homeland. The fruits would have been picked fresh in Spain and then transported immediately by ship to England, which was a journey of about 10 days. It is unlikely that the fruits would have been eaten raw because at that time in England it was believed that raw fruits were dangerous to eat. Instead, the oranges and pomegranates would most likely have been either preserved or used in tarts.

Further Reading: W. H. Stevenson, Report on the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1911. p. 376.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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