Tyrconnel Accounts 1745
Belton's household accounts offer fascinating insights to the house, but are not the complete picture. Viscount Tyrconnel's steward, Valentine Hasledine paid the tradesmen who provided their services to Belton. Here we look at a small selection for the bills sent in and paid in either October or November.
Header image: Tyrconnel's library where Charles Riley worked on the door in 1745The button links to all the transcribed bills. Some of these are discussed below.
Warren wall repairs: William Grey
Received Oct the 14th 1745 of the Rt. Hon:ble Lord Visct. Tyrconnel by payment of V: Hasledine the sum of one Guinea for half a yrs salary for repairing his Lordship’s Warren Walls and also ten shillings allowed half yearly for ten Loads of new stones dug & added to ye Repairs; as Witness my hand £1.1.0 Salary £0.10.0 Stones
1.11.0 [signed] Willi Grey
All the bills begin with the preamble of Tyrconnel and his titles. The 1839 tithe map for Belton below, shows the extent of the warren shaded pink, click it to enlarge.
A 1768 map at lower resolution confirms this as the 321 acre Warren in the 18th century. Note Little and Great Saintfoin Closes, northwest of the warren. This grew sainfoin a crop for feeding rabbits. The one building seen within the shaded area is Belton Warren. That provided accommodation for the warrener and processing areas for meat and drying skins. Sold at auction in 1972 and demolished sometime afterwards (Spalding Guardian 17 March 1972).
Since the Middle Ages, rabbit warrens were a way of gaining an income from poor, sandy or heath land from their skin and meat. In the 18th century they became food for the poor. The pelts were used into the 19th century skins were treated and processed into felt, either for the hat trade or for export. Other trades in the local economy associated with warrening included skinners, barkers, glovers, lurcher dog trainers, ferret breeders and trap and net makers. The Ground Game Act of 1880 abolished the rabbit's protected status and so there was less reason to confine them in warrens, especially as cheap imports from Europe and Australia resulted in a fall in profits.
But their value continued for shooting sports. Adelbert Wellington Brownlow Cust, later the 3rd Earl Brownlow is recorded in a Belton game book as shooting 125 rabbits at Peascliff on 20 December 1859.
The employees of the Belton estate wish to return their sincere thanks to Lord Brownlow for gifts of rabbit (Grantham Journal 21 January 1928)
I think these rabbits are as much mine as Lord Brownlow's (Les Spencer, professional poacher after being caught rabbiting on the Belton Estate. Grantham Journal 5 May 1995)
William Grey was not the warrener however, and reappears being paid for repairing the Park walls,
Four Pounds and ten shillings in full of half a years salary due to me at Michs Day [Michaelmas day 29th September] 1745
Kitchen: Sarah Orson, housekeeper
November 4th 1745 to Mrs Orson a Bill from 19th to 26th October £2.6s
Her garret was No. 2 in the southwest corner. She was the first mention of a housekeeper at Belton. The unnamed cook in the same inventory of 1737 had their garret, No.8 directly south of the east staircase. Orson paid out 2/- for catching 2 dozen rats.
Rabies: Jonathan Tuson
To The Right Honorabel Lord Treconel His Bill
August 19th 1745 £.s.D.
Therteen Beas [beasts - cattle] bloding [bleeding]
and demiching [vomiting] 00-13-00
(when they were bitt by a Madd-bagg.) [possibly a rabies infected badger which is a known reservoir and aggressively bites when ill]
Received Nov.r the 8th 1745 of the Rt. Hon:ble Lord Visct. Tyrconnel by payment of Valentine Hasledine the sum of Thirteen shillings in full of the above Bill and all Demands due
£0.13.0 Jonathan Tuson
In the 18th century, rabies was recognised by hydrophobia in humans and animals, the extreme or irrational fear of water, especially as a symptom of rabies in humans. Bleeding, purging and vomiting were all recognised 'treatments'.
Cowherdess: Mary Hare
Mary Hare for fetching up the Rt Honble Lord Tyrconnels Cows from May 19 1745 to Novbr 11 1745 for fetching Cows up twenty weeks at one shilling per week when in Park £1-0-0 and for fetching on them up five weeks at 8d per week £0-0-3 when in ye ox pasture £1-3-4
Ye ox pasture is the area west of Bellmount Tower on the above map, where the Lincolns Red cattle are grazed.
The only female employee to submit a bill other than Mrs Orson.
Butchers: Edward & John Rawlinson
Surprisingly, meat such as beef, veal, pork, calf heads, pigs' feet and ears were bought in, supplied by the Rawlinsons. Hannah Glass, 18th century cook has Hog's Ears Forced with a stuffing of anchovy, sage, parsley, suet, bread crumbs, pepper, egg yolk, and a sauce of gravy, wine, mustard, butter, flour, onion and pepper.
The other recipe, Plovers Capuchine has a different stuffing of forcemeat and the bird, a plover, positioned in the ear so its beak peaked out!
Pigs ears left.
Working Hop Grounds: Thomas Cock
the sum of Fifty six Shillings in full for Seven Weeks in the Hop ground due this day as Witness my hand Thoms + Cock’s mark
The hop, Humulus lupulus, is a member of the Cannabinaceae family of plants, which also includes cannabis and hemp and is a distant relative of the nettle and elm families. Hops were dried and sold at fairs or used in Belton's own beer, e.g. 4lb per barrel. There is no location marked as Hopyard on the estate maps, but a Hopyard plantation is marked on the OS map east of Five Gates Lane (left). Hops grow along Five Gates Lane to this day.
Farrier: John Weyman
Novr 15.1745. To Jno Weyman Farrier from 15 May to ye June 2:16:2
As was usual, the farrier provided veterinary services to the horses.
a purge for the Grey Mare [Viscountess Tyrconnel's horse]
Spirits & Salve for ye Coach Horse’s Rowel [rowel, the rotating circular part of a spur. Skin damage arose from their use. See images below]
Purging and enemas composed of poisons such as cinnabar of antimony (antimony, mercury and sulphur) were commonly used in the 18th century. Weyman's bill for one months work came to £543 in today's money.
Painter: Charles Housman
The Hon:ble Lord Tyrconnill bill for painting £ s D
1745 April ye 3 Painted in ye Chapill 25 yards of new work at 10 p p yard of Seder Coler 1:0:10
and old work twice over at 8p p yard 69 yards 3 feet 2:6:2 ½
Confirms that the Chapel's original woodwork colouring was cedar
For painting the Seats and banisters on ye Mount by ye Cascade of white coler
three times over at 6p yard 37 yards 3 feet 0:18:8
Likely, refers to the predecessor of the 1782 icehouse, a pavilion on terracing (left), but could refer to the Wilderness cascade.
For painting ye Numberelow in side (in party Colers figures red) by the Canals
1:0:0
Numberelow occurs twice. Its meaning is unknown, but posited as sign writing. Canals refers to the Mirror Pond and the Great Pond east of the House, drained and filled circa 1749.
Game & Fish: John Brown
11 Brace of Pike brought to Belton in Oct. Note they were intended to be brott alive but died by the way. Mr Browne was this 5s out of pocket having given to much to the man who assisted him & his Servts with Nets and a Boat
Brewer: Robert Martin
Brewer for Brewing in Summer Small Beer 3 weeks 1 day at Seven Shilling per week and for Brewing Ale in Sept and Octbr and Novbr 1745
Nine Weeks 2 days at Seven Shillings per week
The brewery was located where the Gardeners' bothy and greenhouses now stand.
Above a formal ensemble, about 1765 V&A. Below even the ladies wore tricorn hats. Belton cascade c1745.
Joiner: Charles Riley
for 4 Large bras nobs for to hang hats one by ye ourder of Mr Crabtree (in the little room by ye library)
for my self a Day about the Iengen [engine] and mending a shashs [sash window] in the north front for 3 Large screws
Mr Riley's ten bills, totalling Eight pounds Eight shillings and tenpence (£1,646) provide a wealth of information about the estate and its maintenance. It confirms the use of the Ante study as a cloakroom, or at least for hanging tricorn hats.
Engines are mentioned in inventories at the Offices and near the Chapel. They are fire engines. The image shows one whose design is of the18th century. Water was fed by leather hoses producing ~ 6 pints a squirt.
