by Neil Stobbs
In the accounts of the Lancashire family of Shuttleworth1 in the late sixteenth century there is considerable information about the details of the material requirements for a funeral; the requirements, that is, in a family of standing, for the Shuttleworths, from small beginnings in the thirteenth century, had by the sixteenth century amassed a considerable fortune by strategic marriages and the practice of the law. At the time of the accounts considered here the family was settled at Smithells, near Warrington. Later they made Gawthorpe, near Burnley, their chief residence.
Lady Shuttleworth died in April 1592, and in the accounts are to be found the following entries which give some insight into the arrangements for the funeral of so important a lady. The arrangement of the extracts has been altered to group those items which seem to belong together. The original spellings have been retained, except that the prices are given in arabic rather than roman numerals for ease of reading.
geven to Mr Boldes mene, that did ryde with Wm Kenion to Crostaffe in the nighte when my Lady dyed. 12d
Sir Richard Mullene horse kep, for ottes when Wm Kenion wente to Mr Peter Leighe, upon the death of my ladie. 6d
To Thomas Marche for making a coffyn 2s
a mason and makers of the grave 12d
for stone plate 4d
makynge the hersse and for settynge the same uppe and for the carrighe of the same vnto Wynwyke boughte of Alex Norris these p[ar]cells 11s
of blacke cotten for the coveringe of the litter and barbing2 the towe horses as follothe – one pece of cotten of 14yds of lengthe at 8d/yd 9s4d
one other pece of 15 yds of lengthe at 9d/yd 12s
one other pece of 10yds at 7d/yd 5s10d
a pounde of black thride 18d
to the tayllors for making a covering to the litter, and barbing the horses with blacke 10s
coloinge [?] the staffe which carrethe the flagge over the horses 3d
to the ringers at Deane Church, the said first daye of April 2s6d
to the ringers at Leighe churche the same daye 2s
the ringers at Boultone the same daye 3s6d
to eighte ryngers at Wynwicke 5s
the pryst at Wynwick the same daye 3s4d
the clerke 9d
Richard Tayler for 24 messe of meate at dynner at his howse at Wynwicke the same daye 58s8d
spent in ale at the same howse 5s5d
the wyffes of Wm Taliores the same daye for two messe and a halffe at dynner 3s4d
horse meat at Wynwicke the same day 3s8d
Paied for alle when the gentle folkes was at Smytheles at the funerall 3s
It is obvious that the death of the Lady Shuttleworth was acknowledged over a considerable area of Lancashire, as shown by the number of places from which the bells were rung; at Dean by Bolton, then ten miles south at Leigh and ten miles west to Winwick, just north of Warrington where the Lady had died. The first two entries, all that riding and special payment for oats for the horses, seem to indicate an urgency in spreading the news of her death, perhaps to other members of the family.
Funerals tended to follow rapidly on death at that period, commonly only one to two days after, for reasons that are fairly obvious, especially in the warm weather. Lady Shuttleworth, as befitted her rank, had a coffin and all the panoply of a hearse, a litter and horses draped in black. It was only in the seventeenth century that the use of a coffin became common for the less well off. Before that it was quite usual to bury the dead wrapped merely in a shroud. Only the very great, prepared to spend money on lead lined coffins or some form of preservation could afford to spin out funeral arrangements3.
Food was plainly important for the numerous people who must have been required, for various reasons, to be at Winwick on the day of the death of Lady Shuttleworth and, as the last entry indicates, the funeral was accompanied by drinking.
In December of the following year Thomas, the brother of Richard Shuttleworth, the then head of the family, died. The entries for his funeral expenses were somewhat different from those of his mother.
14th December 1593. The charges of the burryal of my brother Thomas and other expenses :-
The charges of the buriall of Mr Thomas Shuttleworth, being the 8th day of December 1593, at Bolton inn the Mores, as followeth :-
In primis. geven to the pore fourtie-seven shillings and eight pence. 47s8d
At Humpfray Wallers that dyned three score and ten after six pence the meall, whereof there was towe shillings abatted, so it comythe to 33s
At Andrewe Wardes that dyned three score and sixtyne, after fivepence the meall, whereof there was batted sixtyne pence, so it comethe to 30s4d
At Alex Walnydes that dynes three score and fyve after fyve pence the meall, where ther abatted thirtyn pence, so yt comethe to 26s
[Ed Total]£6-17s
Drinkinges
In primis, at the Dearkes 19s
Item at Richard Makondes 9s
at James Norres 6s8d
at Beffore Gooldens 5s8d
at Ric. Tildesles 4s8d
paid to Mr Astley for the funeral sermon 5s
geven to the ringers 2s6d
paid for makinge the grave 6d
paid for churche duties 18d
S[um]ma totalis £9-2s-6d
The first entry shows the custom of giving money to the poor on the death of an important person. There is no indication of this being done at the death of Lady Shuttleworth. Was it only on the death of a male member of the family?
In accounting for food at the funeral it appears that the mourners were fed at three different places and that the food for two groups was costed at 5d per meal, whilst the first group was costed at 6d (in all cases the estate claimed a discount!). Was this a form of social discrimination?
In the second small account ‘Drinkinges’ take precedence over the costs of the funeral service – the sermon, the bell ringers, duties and making the grave only coming to 9s.6d out of a total of £9.2s.6d.
From the following entries it would appear that Thomas may have been ill for some time before his death.
The charges of Mr Doctor Renoldes and of oulde Broune as appeareth by a bill of the prcells thereof. mayed by Robert Aspen 19s10d
— Laid out by my Mr for the chardge of Ellis Houlden and for the chardge of the horse the Mr doctor ride upon 4s
– -Spente by Roberte Aspden at severall tymes in cominge and goinge for the said docter 13s4d
— payd to the said docter for his last cominge to the Smythels £3 13s 4d
S’mma total. £14 13s
Money spente by me Robert Aspden the 4th daye of December, 1593, in goinge for the docter to Chester and cominge home to Smetheles, on home, his mans and myselfe and our horses, as followethe:
In primis, upon Tewsday at night for my super in Chester 6d
Item for heye and provender to towe horses the same night in Chester 2s4d
— geven the ostler there 2d
– — spente upon Wedensday in the morninge 1d
-spente in Warrington for the docter, his mane and my owne diners 12d
— paid for the baett of three horses there 10d
S’mma is 4s11d
On this last occasion the doctor could no longer help. He arrived on December 5th and Thomas was buried on the 8th, this must mean that he died no later than the 7th, more likely on the 6th, if the funeral arrangements were to be made. Was the hearse, litter etc. used at Lady Shuttleworth’s funeral still available and used again? Was the funeral less elaborate, or was his death expected and all the arrangements were made in advance, and hence the speedy burial? All these questions occur to anyone reading the accounts. There is obviously a need for further research if they are to be answered.
Notes
- John Harland (ed.), ‘The House and Farm Accounts of the Shuttleworth Family’, Pt.4., Chetham Society, Vol.35. 1854-5. Chetham Society, ,1861. ↩︎
- a ‘barb’ was a cover for the breast and flanks of a horse ↩︎
- Stephen Porter, ‘From Death to Burial in Seventeenth Century England’, The Local Historian, Vol.23, No.4., 1993, pp.199-204. ↩︎
Published in Mourholme Magazine Issue 30 1997