The Middleton Accounts of 1526: #23

The next two entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were dated 29th April and came from different sections of the household accounts. The first was described as payment for stuff to make ink and the amount was 4 pence, which was the equivalent of about £7.35 today. The second was described as payment for a loaf of sugar that weighed 8lbs (about 3.63kg) and the amount was 4 shillings 2 pence, which was the equivalent of about £91.93 today. Therefore, this entry, very helpfully, enables a direct comparison to be made against modern prices, which reveals how considerably much more expensive sugar was in the 16th century. 

Quills in John Ray Room at Middleton Hall, 2014. Photograph taken by Jennifer Habart.

The primary type of ink used in 16th century England was iron gall ink. It was made from oak galls, iron sulphate, gum Arabic, and a liquid such as water, wine or vinegar. Oak galls were woody growths produced on oak trees by wasps and were rich in tannic acid. Iron sulphate was also known as copperas or green vitriol and was a green-coloured iron salt. It reacted with the tannic acid to create the black colour of the ink. Gum Arabic was the exuded sap from two species of the Acacia tree that grew in North Africa. The gum was used to thicken the ink, keep the pigment suspended and enable the ink to bind to paper or parchment. The liquid would dissolve the ingredients and if they used wine or vinegar, it would prevent the ink from succumbing to mould.

The ink was made by crushing or grinding the oak galls and then soaking them in the liquid for at least 24 hours. Sometimes this mixture was gently boiled. The mixture was filtered and then the iron sulphate was added, which caused an immediate chemical reaction, turning the liquid an inky blue-black. The gum was then added to give it the correct viscosity to be able to write with. The ink was then left to sit, which would increase its blackness. It was normally stored in a glass or leather container. 

Next entry: 30^th April

Further Reading: W. H. Stevenson, Report on the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1911. pp.379, 380.

“How to Make 16^th Century Iron Gall Ink”, That Shakespeare Life, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0Y_9vGusq8

“A Medieval Ink Recipe”, St Edmund Hall University of Oxford, 27 January 2021, https://www.seh.ox.ac.uk/blog/a-medieval-ink-recipe

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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