The Middleton Accounts of 1526: #55
The next three entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 were dated 30th September. The first was described as payment to Sir Henry’s brotherhood of Our Lady of the Chapel of the Sea and the amount was 4 pence, which was the equivalent of about £7.35 today. The second was described as Sir Henry’s reward to the Friars of Nottingham who had held an ale (feast) and the amount was 8 shillings 8 pence, which was the equivalent of about £191.22 today. Finally, the third entry was described as Sir Henry’s costs to go to the ale and the amount was 22 pence, which was the equivalent of about £40.45 today.
The Fraternity of Our Lady of the Chapel of the Sea refers to the Chapel of St Mary-at-the-Sea in the parish of Newton-in-the-Isle, near Wisbech, within the northern reaches of the Isle of Ely. It was founded as a chantry or college of priests by Sir John Colville in the early 15th century, during the reign of King Henry IV. This was a famous medieval coastal chapel and site of pilgrimage built on the ancient Sea Bank, which had been constructed to protect against the marshy fens.
The Chapel’s prestigious religious fraternity was lay-led and was funded by regular membership dues that would not only secure continuous prayers and spiritual favour but also was a method of regional elite networking. The Chapel was one of the few of its kind to remain after the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Suppression of the Chantries. Its endowments were specifically exempted by King Edward VI in 1548 and were instead transferred to the rectory of Newton.
It is uncertain which were the friars in Nottingham who held the ale. In 1526, there were two friaries in Nottingham and its immediate precincts. Within the city walls, near the modern-day Friar Lane, were the Whitefriars (Carmelite). Just outside the walls, to the south-west near Broadmarsh, were the Greyfriars (Franciscan). Friars took strict vows of poverty, relying on charity. Thus, to raise funds for themselves or their charity, they often held public community feasts. Sir Henry’s substantial award towards this feast, suggests that he was a wealthy patron to the mendicant house holding the feast.
Further Reading:
W. H. Stevenson, Report on the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1911. p.384.
R. B. Pugh (ed), "Wisbech Hundred: Newton", A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 4, 1953, British History Online. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/cambs/vol4/pp201-206
Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.
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