Description:Amongst Sir John’s papers are a number of accounts relating to his personal and household expenses on fox-hunting. Much of Sir John’s correspondence refers to fox hunting, his letters from Henry Vernon discuss Staffordshire fox-hunting in great detail, and Sir John was evidently an extremely keen huntsman. Documents such as ‘A Bill for ye Right Honourable the Lord Gower for being att ye Lodge a fox hunteing’ featured above tell us a great deal about hunting in the early eighteenth century, particularly about the type of costs involved.
Sir John’s ‘Bill’ lists many entries for food, presumably served at receptions for the hunting parties which he hosted. These entries include four pounds, eight shillings and fourpence ‘for beefe muton & porke’, eight shillings ‘for 4 fatt Geese’ and four shillings sixpence spent on ’12 pound of bacon’. In addition to meat, money was also spent on ‘24 pound of cheese’ and ‘30 pound of butter’. 2 shillings sixpence was used to purchase ‘five pound of frute’ and three shillings was paid for ‘7 pound of sugar’. More elaborate foodstuffs were also purchased, including ‘Dry spice of all kinds’ and ‘anchovies and capers’. The ‘Bill’ also lists expenditure on ‘brandey’, ‘Lemons’, ‘Goose Grease’ and ‘hogs greas’.
Aside from expenditure on food, the ‘Bill’ includes entries for
household items such as ’10 pound of candells’ for use ‘in the hous &
stables’. There are also entries for ‘oates for the horses’, and ‘oates
for the hounds’.
The Bills also provide details about the money paid to men and women who worked in the kitchens at Lilleshall Lodge and took care of the horses and hounds for the hunting parties. A payment is listed in the Bill from November 1715 to a man named John Cliffe ‘for a dys worke in Cleneing the Dogg Kenill’. John Cliffe appears to have looked after the horses and hounds on hunting trips. The 1713 Bill also lists a payment of one hundred pounds ‘for a halfe years sallery for keepeing the hounds’. Women were also employed to provide domestic services for the hunting parties. In 1713 ‘2 charwomen in the Kitchen’ were paid two shillings. In addition, a ‘Coocke’ hired from October 12th-21st in 1713 was paid only ten shillings.
The ‘Bill’ indicates that fox hunting and hosting a hunting party was a
very elaborate and expensive leisure activity. Costs included the
maintenance of the horses and hounds and also the purchase and
preparation of lavish meals for guests.