The Middleton Accounts of 1526: #37

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated as Midsummer, which would have been 24th June. It was described as payment to the holy water clerk at Middleton for his half-year service in this role and also pins. The amount was 10 pence, which was the equivalent of about £18.39 today.

This entry is a prime example of “lumping”. The Middleton Accounts of this time were not in the form of modern balance double-entry bookkeeping but just simple cash-in cash-out lists, which is known as charge-and-discharge accounting. This transaction contains both the clerk’s wages and pins because they must have been in the same transaction. As a result, it can be determined that the clerk must have been the physical purchaser of the pins. Essentially, the clerk was given 10 pence to cover both his wage and the purchase of the pins.

John Ray Room at Middleton Hall, 2025. Photograph taken by Steve Davies.

The other noticeable aspect of this account entry was how much the clerk was paid for six months work. 10 pence was the equivalent at that time of about just one day’s work for a skilled tradesman and even an unskilled labourer could earn 4 pence per day or more. In the Accounts of 1526 #13, the nature of the holy water clerk was explained and it was noted that his principal role was to carry the holy water and assist in the parish. Although he was a layman, he was regarded highly as a very important member of the community. Nevertheless, he still received an incredibly low wage. One of the main reasons for this lower wage was because it was, at that time, a very secure employment with a steady work requirement, which was the reason that household servants were also paid less than labourers and tradesmen. Another reason for the lower wages for both the clerical workers and household servants was because they were in receipt of other benefits given instead of wages, such as accommodation, food, travel costs, etc. Nevertheless, it can be gleaned from this entry that he supplemented his wage by also supplying everyday items such as pins, which were something extremely vital to a household in the Tudor Era (as explained in Accounts of 1526 #1).

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

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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