The Middleton Accounts of 1526: #39

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 5th July. It was described as full payment to Ralph Dyall for the amount that he had laid down for the purchase of a cloak for Sir Henry. The amount was 8 shillings, which was the equivalent of about £176.51 today. It can be assumed that Ralph was either an agent or servant of Sir Henry but unfortunately there are no known further references to him in the Middleton Manuscripts.

In 1510, King Henry VIII passed the “Act against wearing of costly apparel”. This was one of the sumptuary laws that regulated the possession of luxury goods by social standing. These laws regulated and reinforced hierarchical social standings. However, they also limited the market for more expensive imported goods and were additionally stated to aim to prevent “esteemed” gentlemen from being ruined by debt as a result of their vanity to show more fine things than they could afford. As a result, it is known that Sir Henry, because he was not a Baron, Earl, Marquess, Duke or royalty would have been prohibited from wearing purple, cloth of gold or silver, tinsel satin and sable fur.

Elizabethan dancers at May Day event in the Great Hall at Middleton Hall, 1988. Photograph taken by Helen Berry.

With this context and with the price known, it is therefore possible to theorise the nature of the cloak purchased by Sir Henry. First, the date of purchase suggests that it is likely to have been a lighter summer hip-length cloak. These cloaks were designed to simply be thrown over the shoulders and shield the finer clothing underneath from road dust or sudden downpours. It would have been fastened at the neck.

For the material, the aforementioned fabrics could be ruled out due to his social standing. So could velvet, satin and damask, which were imported fabrics and even a yard of those would have cost over 8 shillings. Similarly, imported camlet would also have been too expensive for a full garment. The most likely materials were native English woollen broadcloth or kersey, because the cheaper fabrics below these would have been too cheap for the cost of the cloak. Broadcloth was a high-quality, dense and highly water-resistant fabric worn by the wealthy gentry and professional class or above. Kersey was also worn by them and those of a slightly lower social standing that included merchants and skilled craftsmen. It was a coarse but lightweight, durable twill-weave fabric, which made it very popular for summer clothing. Furthermore, it was slightly cheaper than broadcloth and fits the 8 shillings price for the cloak very well. Thus, the most likely material was probably kersey.

In terms of colour, the colour of purple can be discounted due to the aforementioned law and black is unlikely for the price because it required a complex multi-dyeing process. Hence, it was probably dyed using a common plant dye colour of either tawny brown, madder russet, woad blue or dark green.

This implies that Sir Henry had bought a sensible, socially mid-tier, lightweight, utilitarian cloak. It would have been an outdoor everyday wear cloak suitable for travel or bad weather and definitely not a statement piece for social events or the royal court.

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

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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