The Middleton Accounts of 1526: #60
The next two entries in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 both related to the Children of the Chapel and the first of these was dated 9th October. This first entry was described as a payment for three pairs of shoes for the Children of the Chapel and the amount was 18 pence, which was the equivalent of about £33.10 today. The second was described as a payment for books and combs for the Children of the Chapel and the amount was 9 pence, which was the equivalent of about £16.55 today.
The Children of the Chapel were Sir Henry’s private choir of boys and they were classified as servants. However, Sir Henry was also responsible for all their needs, as explained in a previous post. Furthermore, as recorded in a different previous post, it was only a couple of months earlier that Sir Henry had bought shoes and books for them.
There is a lot of uncertainty and speculation around these entries. What is unquestionably evident was the ongoing cost of the care of these servants to the household. A day’s wage for a skilled tradesman in the 1520s was about 6 pence, whilst for a general labourer it was about 3 pence. In both of these entries Sir Henry spent more than that on items for the care of the Children.
In August, Sir Henry had bought 4 pairs of shoes for the Children and, in this entry, a further 3. These two close purchases lead to a number of questions. Did Sir Henry have more than four children in his choir? Was he buying them sturdier shoes for winter? Or were the children suffering the same issue as parents experience today – that the children grew out of or wore through their shoes so fast that they needed frequent purchases? Unfortunately, the answer eludes us.
In the August post, 4 primers had been bought for the Children of the Chapel. Primers were basic educational foundation books to teach reading, basic Latin and prayers. However, this post is noticeably different because it specifically refers to books. This means that the children could have progressed beyond a basic educational level and were now advancing in the texts they were reading and using.
The combs are a new addition in specific named purchases for the care of the Children. This purchase would have had two functions. First, these servants were a projection of Sir Henry’s wealth and their clean and smart presentation, or lack of, would have directly reflected upon him. Second, combs were vital in order to combat head lice and were highly functional hygienic items.
In this era, combs were normally made of wood, particularly boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), horn or animal bone. The combs, especially the boxwood combs, were normally made in the double-sided H-comb form. In this form, one side had coarse teeth for detangling hair and the other had extremely thin gaps that were specifically spaced in order to be able to catch head lice, fleas and nits.
Nevertheless, these items confirm how Sir Henry cared and controlled the appearance and well-being of these servant Children of the Chapel, literally from head to toe, in mind as well as body.
Further Reading: W. H. Stevenson, Report on the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1911. p.385.
Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.
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