The Middleton Accounts of 1526: #29

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 29th May. It was described as payment for 6 yards (5.48m) of Kendal cloth for a coat of cloth for Mr Catesby. The amount was 3 shillings 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £80.90 today.

Kendal cloth was also known as Kendal Green. It was named from its manufacture in the Cumbrian town of Kendal and from its distinctive dyed green colour. The making of this fabric was already well established as an industry in Kendal by 1300, which over the following centuries was sold all over England and even exported abroad. The colour was a result of a mix of a yellow dye from dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria) originally, or weld (Reseda luteola) later, and a blue dye from woad (Isatis tinctoria), or imported indigo from the 16th century. It was made of wool and was renowned as a coarse and extremely hard-wearing fabric. The hard-wearing nature of the fabric meant that the cloth was particularly used by foresters, labourers and other workers.

Wool dyed with weld, 2016, taken by Glennweiss, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It is uncertain who the Mr Catesby was in this entry because he is never referred to other than by his surname in the Middleton Manuscripts. However, what this entry and others indicate by the nature of the entries is that Catesby was more than likely a ward of Sir Henry Willoughby.

By far the most common reason for a child being placed in wardship was if they inherited land before they were 21 years old due to their father’s death. Similarly, a child could be placed in wardship if their land-owning father was declared legally incompetent. These are the technical legal types of wardship.

However, the term “ward” was used more loosely and widely as a social custom in which parents would send their children to the household of a high-ranking noble. One of the main reasons for this was for the child to have a “better” education, especially if the noble’s household was known to be skilled in certain areas such as languages, warfare or statecraft. Another reason was for the child to build connections. This connection could be in terms of a possible future marriage, or a network connection to aid in their career development, or improve relations between the two families. These were particularly important if the child was not going to inherit. Other reasons could be: the child directly entering the service of the higher noble; as a companion for one of the noble’s children; or even as a “soft” hostage, in the case of where the family had done something to irk the noble.

The main branch of the Catesby family was the Ashby St. Ledgers lineage. This lineage is known to have moved in the same circles as the Willoughby family of Middleton Hall, with a Sir William Catesby of this branch being knighted alongside Sir Francis Willoughby at Middleton Hall in July 1575. However, the principal of this lineage in 1526 was Richard Catesby, who was born about 1500 and had been placed in the wardship of Sir Thomas Lucy and Sir John Spencer in 1516. He was also too old to be the ward in the Middleton accounts entry. Hence, if the Catesby in wardship with Sir Henry was from this branch, then he must have been a younger brother of Richard but we have been unable to find the existence of a younger brother mentioned in any record. There were other related Catesby lineages throughout the Midlands but they face a similar problem, such as the Catesby of Whiston branch.

Further Reading:

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

Bill Shannon, Kendal Green, https://www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/kendal-green-background-kendal

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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