The Middleton Accounts of 1526: #52

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 10th September. It was described as a reward to the officers of the Lady Abbess of Polesworth, when Sir Henry spent one night there on his way to the manor of Thomas Grey, 2nd Lord Marquess. The amount was 2 shillings 4 pence, which was the equivalent of about £51.48 today.

This entry in the Accounts reveals that the visit of the Marquess to Middleton Hall was part of a journey that both of them were making north. For the Marquess and his retinue, the journey would terminate at his manor of Bradgate Park in Leicestershire. However, for Sir Henry and his retinue, subsequent entries in the Accounts reveal that his journey continued on to his manor of Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire, which they arrived at on the 12th September.

It would have been roughly 9 miles from Middleton Hall to Polesworth Abbey and the likely route could have taken them west from Middleton Hall to what is now Bassetts Pole, where they would have taken the route north-east to Bangley. There they would have travelled along Watling Street in a south-easterly direction to Dordon, where they would have turned north to Polesworth. This route, although seeming indirect by modern standards, meant that they would have remained on what would have been considered as diplomatically “safe” routes. Specifically, these safe segments were the cut-across road from Bassetts Pole to Watling Street, which was a common-land road, and Watling Street, which was the King’s Highway. This route would thus have enabled them to generally avoid travelling directly through other manorial lands in which there was no automatic right of passage.

Even at a casual riding pace, this journey would have only taken about 2½ hours. Thus, it is reasonable to believe that Sir Henry and the Marquess had spent most of the day on the 9th September in a relaxed manner at Middleton Hall, with breakfast and a long lunch both held at the Hall. They likely began their journey in the early afternoon, arriving at Polesworth Abbey for a late-afternoon reception, evening prayers and dinner. Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Abbeys functioned as the premier luxury guesthouse for travelling nobility, providing high-end hospitality and secure stabling.

The Abbess of Polesworth from 1513 until it was dissolved in 1539 was Alice Fitzherbert. Interestingly, she had a connection to Sir Henry. Alice was the sister of Anthony Fitzherbert, the noted judge and legal scholar. In 1507, Anthony had married Sir Henry Willoughby’s daughter Dorothy, but unfortunately Dorothy died in the same year.

Colin Lea, Polesworth Nunnery Gateway, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

After leaving Polesworth Abbey on the morning of the 10th September they would have travelled to Bradgate Park. The journey would have taken about 6-8 hours of riding time, the pace being slow due to the size of their combined retinues. However, it does mean that it was a journey that could have been achieved in a single day.

It appears that they were still likely taking “safe” diplomatic routes and the journey would therefore have been about 30 miles. This distance was primarily because Grey would have avoided any land in the possession of George Hastings, 3rd Baron Hastings. Grey and Hastings were subject to a £1,000 (about £520,000 today) good-behaviour bond that had been issued by Cardinal Wolsey in 1524 after very violent clashes between them and their men over land.

It is thus more likely that the group had travelled a less direct but safer route that took them from Polesworth Abbey back to Watling Street and followed that road south-east past Atherstone to the intersection of High Cross where they would have taken the Fosse Way north-east towards Leicester. They would have left the Fosse Way before entering Leicester and proceeded through Charnwood Forest and then through the Marquess’ own lands of Groby and finally Bradgate.

Further Reading: W. H. Stevenson, Report on the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1911. p.384.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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