The Middleton Accounts of 1526: #64

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 21st October. It was described as a reward to Lord Hastings’ minstrel. The amount was 20 pence, which was the equivalent of about £36.77 today or, at that time, the equivalent of 2 days’ wages for a skilled tradesman.

As has been seen in numerous previous entries in the Middleton Accounts, it was common practice for travelling liveried minstrels of high-ranking lords to perform at the manors of other regional lords as a means of a soft-power display and to maintain a relationship of patronage and mutual respect.

At this time, Lord Hastings refers to George Hastings, 3rd Baron Hastings. His primary seat was Ashby de la Zouch Castle in Leicestershire. Thus, George was essentially one of the regional “neighbours” of Sir Henry.

Coat of Arms of the Hastings of Ashby de la Zouch family. By Jimmy44, GFDL, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

There is a letter in the Middleton Manuscripts from Queen Catherine of Aragon to Sir Henry concerning a legal issue in regard to an historic feoffment. It is undated but she mentions Sir Henry’s advanced age. Interestingly, this letter indicates that, by his signature, seal and oath, Sir Henry had confirmed that he was present at Ashby de la Zouch when a feoffment, in the time of King Edward IV (1461-1483), was made between George’s grandfather William, 1st Baron Hastings, and Sir John Gresley. In 1461, William Hastings, Lord Chamberlain of King Edward IV, was rewarded by being made 1st Baron Hastings and received Ashby de la Zouch the following year. However, because Sir Henry was only born in about 1451, it makes it likely that the feoffment that he witnessed probably occurred in the 1470s. This is interesting because it was only in 1472 that the manor house at Ashby was turned into a fortress and then a castle in 1474.

On 8th December 1529, George was elevated further and became the 1st Earl of Huntingdon. Furthermore, a couple of generations later, the Willoughby and Hastings families would become connected through marriage when Henry Hastings, the son of George Hastings 6th Baron Hastings and 4th Earl of Huntingdon, married Dorothy Willoughby, the daughter of Sir Henry’s great-grandson Sir Francis I Willoughby.

Further Reading: W. H. Stevenson, Report on the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1911. p.386, 513.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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