The Tudors at Wollaton Hall

Tudor life through the eyes of three Wollaton residents

IntroductionThis great house appeared on

Nottingham’s skyline in 1587. It was built to entertain and impress. A wealthy and powerful family lived here and they can tell us much about the Tudors.

Inside we can meet some of the people who lived and worked in this house back in 1588.

Winifred Willoughby

Inside Winifred is practicing her needlework skills. She is ten years old and her handiwork can be seen all over the house. She uses the skills she learnt from her mother to decorate the family’s clothing and furnishings.

This is where she practices her stitches and tests colour patterns. It acts like her sketch book.

Winifred Willoughby

Winifred has made this cap for her father, Sir Francis Willoughby. He dresses in fine clothes to show his wealth and power.

Sir Francis Willoughby

Winifred’s father, Francis Willoughby has spent a huge fortune building Wollaton Hall. His greatest hope is that Queen Elizabeth herself will one day visit.

Sir Francis Willoughby

Francis’s wealth and power would have made others jealous. Valuable objects at the Hall will have been locked away and lists were kept of everything Francis owned.

We know from letters that he even fell out with his own family over money.

Sir Francis Willoughby

We know that Francis held grand banquets at Wollaton from the records left behind. His great new house entertained many wealthy guests and employed a large number of staff.

Robert Redhyll

This is what Francis paid his kitchen boy for 12 days’ work in the kitchens at Wollaton Hall. One such boy was called Robert Redhyll.

Robert Redhyll

• This is where Robert would have spent most of his working day. He had to turn the spit and put wood on the fire to cook the roast meats for the guests upstairs. He would have to be strong and fit to do this work.

Robert Redhyll

• Robert will have know what this object is. This pot once contained an ointment for soothing burns. With his job, it is just the kind of thing he needed!

Robert RedhyllRobert and the other

servants at Wollaton Hall would not have worn expensive clothes like the Willoughbys wore. Many masters of houses like Wollaton provided a uniform or ‘livery’ for their servants. This wool cap was the kind of thing they would have worn.