The Middleton Accounts of 1526: #27

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was again undated, but must have occurred sometime between the 6th and the 25th May. It was described as Sir Henry’s reward toward an ale (feast) at Lea in Warwickshire. The amount was 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £14.71 today.

Lea refers to half of the settlement known today as Lea Marston, which directly borders the parish of Middleton to the south-east. For the same reason as Tamworth, the manors of Lea and Marston had come into the possession of the de Marmion family, who subsequently were granted possession of Middleton in 1120. This was because Roger de Marmion, as a result of his marriage to Adelina d’Abitot, received half of the lands of Robert le Despencer, because Adelina was the co-heiress of Robert. However, whereas the de Marmion family retained both the overlordship and lordship of Marston, at Lea the lordship was granted to the de la Launde family.

Lea and Marston ultimately became a sole possession of Philip de Marmion’s granddaughter and co-heiress Joan de Cromwell (de Freville), who was also a co-owner of Middleton. This continued until the period of the divided ownership following the death of the last Baldwin de Freville in 1418. The co-heirs at this time were Baldwin’s: sister Elizabeth, who married Thomas Ferrers; sister Margaret, who married Sir Hugh Willoughby; and nephew Robert Aston. By order of the King, all of the three named heirs were required to retain an equal share of all of the lands they inherited for the duration of their lives. However, the heirs decided that ultimately each of the manors would end up in the possession of only one of them and they divided the manors between themselves to create an equal division. It was decided that Middleton would ultimately be in the possession of Margaret and her heirs, whilst Lea and Marston would be in the possession of Elizabeth and her heirs. Thus, when one of the heirs died, their share transferred to the lineage that would be in full possession of it. Margaret lived a very long life and did not die until 1493. Hence, Sir Henry Willoughby was the first in his lineage not to own Lea Marston, but for most of his life it had been in his grandmother’s possession.

One of the main traditional ales held in May was the Whitsun Ale. In 1526, Pentecost, or Whitsunday as it was known in England, was on the 20th May. This was a significant holiday in medieval times, because Whitsuntide, the week after Whitsunday, was one of the times of the year where the ordinary workers were not required to undertake their work. In fact, Whit Monday remained a holiday day in Britain until 1971 at which time it was replaced by Spring Bank Holiday. Traditionally at Whitsun, girls and women would normally wear new white clothing for the festivities. It was also normally celebrated by feasts, drinking, singing, May-pole dancing, Morris dancing, community walks, various sporting competitions, fairs and fêtes.

May-pole dancing at May Day event at Middleton Hall, Photograph taken by Miss Edith Davis

Next entry: 26th May.

Further Reading: W. H. Stevenson, Report on the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1911. p.383.