Gentry Examples

An extract from Lionel Cranfield’s Chelsea House Inventory of 1622 (after he’s made Earl of Middlesex). Lambeth Palace Library, MS 1228. He had a lot of plate including dishes ‘marked’ with his coat of arms. His inventory is included in a large volume about household expenditure and staff. It’s lined with red and written in italic hand – both of which would be highly unusual further down the social scale. Here are some extracts:

Fol.52.r

The gallery

Matted                         one great chair             watchet satten embrodred: ye frames guilded

                                    Ii high stooles   

                                    One great chair             

                                    VI high backe chaires     Carnation velvet laced with carnation silke and 

                                    VI high stooles              gold lace

                                    IIII lowe stooles

IIII grate pictors at lenght, The kings, Prince Charles, Lady Cranfield, Lady Cary

IIII halfe pictures my lords mother; mistress Osborne; sir martin; lady fearne

One of Cleopatra                                   one round picture of –

One small picture of the passion

Ii small picturs in copper

One genealogie in collers of ye kinge environed with ye knightes of the garter garnished with crounes and banners and a George under

One round genealogie shewing ye issue from Edw the I environed with ye lords of ye priute councell garnished with crowns and banners and a cherubine under

One othere round genealogie of the king of Denmarke garnished with a crowne and a cherubine under

Fol.54r.

My Lord and

Ladys Bedd

Chamber                                  One old peace of hanging of salomon

                                                ii old peeces handing of ye passion whereof one X yeardes longe

one peece of hangings of the sutt in ye dyning rome with salamander border

one couch of yellow damaske covered with

one French standing bed

with guilt knobbes

one great chaire

ii high stooles

ii lowe stooles

one feather bed

ii bolsters

one yellow damask counterpoint

iii blankets

ii fustian blankets

ii matreses

ii pillows

one turkie carpett v yeards quarter longe

iii small turkie carpets

one little table

one court cupborde

one paire of iron creepers

one paire of tonges

one fire shovel

one brasse pane to incloase ye fire

one paire of bellowes

one wooden frame for a basen

one great chest covered with guilt lether and bound with iron standing on a wodden frame

ii barre coullored peinted lynnen courteynes

ii narrowe lowe chestes covered with red lethere and bound with iron