The 22nd August 2026 is the 350th anniversary of the marriage of Emma Barnard, the widow of Francis Willughby, to Sir Josiah Child. She was his third wife. This was a key point in the history of Middleton Hall, because afterwards, as a direct result of this marriage, Middleton Hall was never again the primary residence of the Willoughby family. In a previous post, we explained that Emma’s father had arranged this marriage with the aim of securing the finances of the Willoughby estates. It was...

The next entry in the Middleton household accounts for Sir Henry Willoughby in 1526 was dated 19th August. It was described as a reward to an otter hunter. The amount was 20 pence, which was the equivalent of about £36.77 today. In the previous year, there was also a payment to an otter hunter (Middleton Accounts of 1525 #5). However, there is a significant difference between the two entries and that is due to the date. The previous post was dated within the otter hunting season, which was...

The 19th August is World Photography Day. In 1895, an aerial photograph from a man-carrying kite was taken by Egbert Alexander de Hamel, the youngest son of Egbert de Hamel who was the tenant of Middleton Hall at that time. This is believed to be the first photograph taken in the world by a person in a kite. It also provides a highly unusual historic view of Middleton Hall and its grounds. The first ever aerial photograph was taken from a balloon in 1858 by French photographer Gaspard-Félix...