L31/291

Account-book. Household, garden etc:Jn.Allen.

1709-1717

From: 1709 To: 1717

Family and household: The Duke is away and the staff on board wages 30 Dec.1713-24 July 1714; and 8 Jan. 1714/5-31 March 1716/6, and intermittently from April 1716 (e.g. p.470 Her Grace 4 days). The staff thus paid are in 1715 (p.448) Jn. Allen jr. Hen. Allen Mrs. Howard Mrs. Amy Keeper Jn. Duell The groom The coachman The postilion Jn. Porter Goody Lowens Housemaid they get 5-8s. weekly. There are some refs. to the children when the family is in residence: p.10 2 hornbooks for the 2 ladies 18 sugar candy for the ladies 378 drawing Lady Ann's tooth p.74 2 porringers for nursery 109 Lady Bell's spinet from Ampthill 230 nursery chimney on fire Household:- when the family is there, there is usually an extra helper in the kitchen and one in the laundry (NB extra ale, usually 4 1/2d. is always got in for the laundrymaids). A woman did some spinning by my Lady Duchess' order (209). New tubs or repairs to tubs in the laundry are required (e.g. 193). When the Duchess of Marlborough dined in 1711 7 new jacks were bought (128). Sometimes there are new earthen pots (172). The parlour knives were ground for 9d (247). Wine for drinking was presumably bought separately, for in this book are noted white wine and claret for the kitchen (35). Three yards of swanskin were bought for the laundry for 6s. (73). At Christmas a bull seems to have been bought, and there were Christmas boxes (243). Eliz. Binyon had the smallpox (343). For particular lists of larger bills, see e.g. 91, 175, 219, 383; wages, e.g. 92, 168 (p.211 the stable boy seems to get 10d. a week); The household supplies bought regularly are:- butter (21-78 lb.) cheese (16 lb.) currants (1-3 lb.) flour (3 bush.) oatmeal (pottle) raisins (5-9 lb) soap (8 lb.) yeast (4 qts.) those bought occasionally are:- ale anchovies apricots artichokes apples asparagus beans bread, household bread, white cauliflower cabbage lettuces cherries crayfish cream (rare) chickens cucumbers codlins carraways damsons ducks eggs elderberries *fish fowls gooseberries honey mushrooms,getting of mace & nutmegs nutmegs,cloves,ginger onions & parsley pigeons parsnips packthread pheasants poppies & cowslips prunes rabbits rosemary rice raspberries quails spinach sand sack for stillhouse strawberries sugar candy sugar loaf sprouts (82,89) turnips tench treacle vinegar walnuts for stillhouse woodcock *See also p.147 fisherman from Bedford fishing the millpond, 10s.; 179 fisherman from Bedford fishing the canal; 186 fishing in Clophill river; **Stillhouse: also 3 gallons brandy (381), sieves & baysalt (47), cowslips (101). Coal is usually had from Faldo the coal merchant of Bedford, paying 10-20 (p.12,67,87), but sometimes from Tempsford (p.219,314,347), sometimes from Jos.Dawson (p.333). Brewing is usually done - cf. p.19: 32 bush. malt for ale; but occasionally bought (p.257) 44 gallons for family. Park and grounds:- Again, the method of entry does not clearly bring out work in progress. The following are a few indications:- *Buildings: Hill house (154); house below plantation (154); icehouse (91,159) Bricks & stone are mentioned, the former are continually being made at the brick kiln (36,59,85,142); also digging clay for the next summer's brickmaking (253); also large quantities of faggots, apparently for kiln (4,000, p.225; 8,000, p.265; 5,000, p.85); also sums paid to brickmaker, e.g. 116 (73), 100 (447); see also 271,278,328. Stone comes from Ketton (e.g. freight 15s., p.188; cf. also 314). Vegetation: Tuffnaile of Elstow is paid 20 for grass seed for park (24); 100 beech trees and 100 'ild services' (247); 2 loads of trees (324); plantations (73,273,324,326). *Note p.465 3 mats for 'new bldg. below the gardens',Ap.1716 472 double deals for closets of new bldg.below' 475'' mat for gt.room of new bldg....circular closets' June 17? Fences and statues: the tenants' men gave His Grace a day's work at pale cart (164); there is a palisade round the new plantation (73); local feeling seems to have been roused, for the women pulled down pales (284). The statuary is mentioned several times - someone helps him, or he has a horse back to London (56,73,131,135,148-9). Water: little mention, except cutting & filling up brook (324); Workmen: large payments to carpenter (T. Bishop), bricklayer (W.Bishop), another carpenter (Turney) (130,158,447); Ampthill smith Wm. Carter (101,182); smith's work, Wid. Crawley, e.g. 217,234. Livestock: barley and bran are brought for the peacock (17,21); mention of seagulls (41,111); my lady Duchess' white calves (263). Estate matters: stacking of roots continues, e.g. 229,237,245,247,281; p. 229 records that several men made 69 1/2 stacks, cost 17 17s. (Note that A.B.E. 2 Silsoe is one of the few places where tithes include turnips by the acre.) other estate matters: cf. hurlock (41,213); charcoal (e.g. 50). Miscellaneous: Fiddler is paid 2s.6d. fairly regularly (34-124), then disappears; see also drummers (217) and county drummers (447). Gamekeeper is Jn. Upwood (340). Cow bought at St. Neots fair (185); black pigs from Woburn Abbey (130). Coachman killed at Royston (148). Places in Luton coach occasionally taken for staff (e.g. 73,324). Post from Woburn and Ampthill (224). School at Flitton 2 (119). Maps: Geo. Lettin measuring and making map of Woodhall 2 7s. (271); and of Clophill warren 2 5s.6d. (301); see also 386; Totals: see pp. 220, 305, 436, 543: about 2,000 p.a.

662pp

item

Lucas,
Allen, John,
Kent, Henry Grey, 1st Duke of,
Allen, Henry,
Howard,
Amy,
Duel, John,
Porter, John,
Lowens, Goody,
Grey, Anne,
Cavendish, Anne,
Bell,
Crew, Jemima,
Grey, Jemima,
Jennings, Sarah (Duchess of Marlborough),
Churchill, Sarah (Duchess of Marlborough),
Binyon, Elizabeth,
Faldo,
Dawson, Joseph,
Ketton,
Tuffnaile,
Bishop, Thomas,
Bishop, W.,
Turney,
Carter, William,
Crawley,
Upwood, John,
Lettin, George

household accounts, family/personal accounts, Vellum, general gardens, estate wages, keeper, groom, coachman, maid, general children, books, sugar, dentists, medical conditions, pre-school nurseries, chimneys, laundries, ale, food & drink, wine, swans, bullocks, Christmas, smallpox, stables, butter, cheese, oats, fruit, apricots, vegetables, apples, asparagus, beans, bread, spices, onions, parsley, parsnips, pigeons, pheasants, flowers, rabbits, cauliflower, cabbages, lettuce, cherries, fish, cream, chickens, raspberries, birds, sand, strawberries, damsons, eggs, gooseberries, mushrooms, sprouts, turnips, Tench, walnuts, fisherman, MILLS, ponds, canal, fishing, general rivers & waterways, coal, coal trade, brewing, malt, private parks, building work, private buildings & land, plantations, ice houses, stone, kiln, clay, brickmaker, grass, trees, fencing, statues, tenancy, carts, statuary, horses, water, brooks, carpenter, bricklayer, smith, widow, barley, seagulls, cattle, tithes, turnips, musicians, gamekeeper, trade & industry fairs, pigs, Woburn Abbey, horse drawn coaches, post, general schools, maps, Wrest, Wrest Park (house), Wrest Park (house), AMPTHILL, CLOPHILL, London, SILSOE, St.Neots, Royston, LUTON, WOBURN, FLITTON, TEMPSFORD