By Margaret Clarke

W. G. Hoskins in his essay, ’The Re-building of Rural England 1570-1640′, was the first to bring to the attention of local historians the fact that in many parishes numerous houses were being rebuilt or enlarged at this time. His evidence came from the Midlands and further south generally; in the north the rebuilding commences a little later, from about the middle of the 17th century. All the villages in the ancient parish of Warton and neighbouring areas have houses dating from the 17th century onwards. These houses are generally rectangular in shape and only one room deep. Some are easily recognisable where the stone mullioned windows have been retained; others are concealed under roughcast rendering and disguised by the replacement of windows in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In this article evidence from Probate Inventories is used to show what sort of houses the people of Burton in Kendal were living in during the late 17th century and how the interiors were adapted to their needs.

Probate Inventories, which list all the goods belonging to a deceased person at the time of death, give contemporary information about the house the deceased person lived in, especially when the goods are described as being in named rooms.

The main living room of houses in the north in the 17th century was variously called ’the house’, the firehouse’, ‘the bodystead of the house’, or ‘the kitchen room’. This ground floor room contained the hearth where all the cooking was done. In early houses a second ground floor room was known as a chamber. This room usually having access only through the firehouse, was a more private room, and was used as a bedroom and a repository for more valued goods. In later houses which had rooms on a first floor, a second ground floor room was called a parlour and the upstairs rooms were then called chambers.

The earliest inventory examined is that of Frances Clauphton, who died in 1646. Only one room is named in her inventory, the chamber. However it must be assumed that there was also a firehouse. Early houses had either one or two rooms only (a firehouse or a firehouse and chamber), which were open to the ridge of the roof. The main entrance generally opened into the firehouse more or less in the middle of the long front wall of the house, although in some cases it may be placed in a gable wall adjacent to the hearth, which in most of the 17th century and early 18th century houses in North Lancashire and South Westmorland is in the gable wall. (see magazine article for a drawing)

John Lucas, yeoman, died in 1674 and is described ‘of Burton Hall’. The house described in his inventory contained two named rooms, a parlour and a loft, and there was also by implication a firehouse. In the Hearth Tax assessment of 1669 he was assessed for two hearths, so both the firehouse and parlour contained a hearth. The upper floor of the house is one large loft area covering both downstairs rooms and is open to the ridge. (see magazine article for a drawing)

Robert Claughton, husbandman, who died in 1674, had a house containing a parlour and a chamber above, and other chambers. His house has two rooms on the ground floor with a ceiling over, and the upper space had apparently been divided to form a number of rooms which have been ceiled over also, since there in no mention of a loft. His will mentions a ’new chamber’. (see magazine article for a drawing)

Thomas Claughton, husbandman, who died in 1716, was also described ’of Burton Hall’. His inventory includes ‘Goods in the Parlour…in the Parlour Loft… in the firehouse…in the buttery. (This does not appear to describe the same house as John Lucas’s inventory of 1674). Downstairs there is the usual parlour and firehouse, but an additional room is named – a buttery. Upstairs there appears to be one room situated ‘over the parlour. The firehouse apparently still remains open to the ridge (see magazine article for a drawing).

A buttery was sometimes incorporated within the structure of the main building, but was more commonly accommodated in an outshut together with a staircase. This relieved the pressure on the living area in these narrow houses. The provision of a service room or store usually called in this area a buttery is a new feature of houses in the north during the latter part of the 17th century.

Robert Hutton who died in 1699 lived in a house with a loft, a little loft, a parlour, a buttery, a fire house, and a stable. His house could have been with a ceiling over the firehouse and parlour and the upper part still open to the ridge divided into two areas, the little loft over the parlour and the loft over the fire house. The buttery is shown in an outshut.

These are the simpler houses described in the inventories and could be represented by houses such as Hornby House, Hordley House, Ivy Cottage, and the west wing of Old Hall. ‘The difference in building materials, particularly the stone quoins, suggest that the central and east-wing of Old Hall may be later additions.

These late 17th century houses have been built for families dependent upon agriculture as their means of support and are essentially rural in character and similar to many others in the villages of S. Westmorland and N. Lancashire.

Some inventories show that trade is becoming a significant feature of the economy in Burton. Sir George Middleton of Leighton Hall was Lord of the Manor of Burton and received a Charter from Charles II in 1662 for a weekly market to be held there on Tuesdays. The market thrived mainly as a result of the corn trade. The county of Westmorland imported large quantities of corn, mainly oats from neighbouring areas, and Burton market became the trading centre for corn brought in from Lancashire.

Thomas Greenwood, who died in 1683, was a blacksmith. His inventory mentions chambers, lofts, a buttery the old loft, a smithy, a shop and cellar and another cellar, his house does not include a parlour, so probably the shop was situated in the space usually occupied by the parlour. The first floor appears to be ceiled over and the loft area between the ceiling and the ridge appears to have been utilised and partitioned into smaller areas. At this time cellars were not necessarily under the ground floor but could have been at a lower level possibly in an outshut (see magazine article for a drawing). In his shop and smithy Thomas Greenwood had a vast range of goods. he was obviously supplying more than just the local community of Burton, as was Christopher Dickinson, who died in 1709. Goods in his shop were valued at £90 and he had debts owing to him totalling £95.6.8d.

Robert Hinde’s inventory (1708) also includes commercial as well as domestic accommodation. His house contained the bodystead of the house, a brewhouse, a buttery, a cellar, a buttery loft, great loft, house loft, closet, and in addition a smithy loft, a shop, and over barn, a hay barn and great barn are named. In order to provide more storage or service space an outshut was extended along the whole length of the house at the rear, and it may be that the brewhouse and buttery and possibly the closet were in such an outshut, with a ceiling over, forming a loft area above. It would appear that the area above the bodystead or main living room is still open to the ridge, although it has been partitioned. The shop could again be in the space usually occupied oy the parlour, since no parlour is named.

These few inventories show families in Burton adapting their new stone houses to their changing needs as the money becomes available to finance these activities. Few documentary records describe these early houses (Glebe Terriers do sometimes), so Probate Inventories are valuable in providing information during this transitional period.

Notes – Sources consulted:

• W. G. Hoskins, ’The Rebuilding of Rural England’, in Provincial England (1965).
• R. W. Brunskill, Vernacular Architecture of the Lake Counties (1974)
• M. W. Barley, The English Farmhouse & Cottage (1961).

Published in Mourholme Magazines Issue 7 Spring 1984