What sort of asset marks out somebody as middling, rather than being a wage labourer or dependent person? One answer lies in the administrative documents compiled upon a person’s death: in a will (a document outlining where assets and goods should go and to whom) and inventory (a list of ‘movable’ goods owned by the deceased and their values). Not all middling individuals had such documents (and for many they may no longer survive), but the elite—including aristocratic men and women— usually did.<br /> <br /> The majority of wills and inventories that survive from this period give us an impression of the type of assets owned by middling people. The inventory shown here, for instance, records some of the objects belonging to the Bristol sailor John Rockwell. The very existence of such an inventory implies that Rockwell had enough ‘things’ in his life of value to warrant such a list being drawn up. These documents also show the variety of ways of marking assets, from ‘playing tables’ like modern-day board games to debts owed by and to the deceased.
Inventory of John Rockwell (Inventory), 1620

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Inventory of John Rockwell

Inventory of John Rockwell (Inventory), 1620

What sort of asset marks out somebody as middling, rather than being a wage labourer or dependent person? One answer lies in the administrative documents compiled upon a person’s death: in a will (a document outlining where assets and goods should go and to whom) and inventory (a list of ‘movable’ goods owned by the deceased and their values). Not all middling individuals had such documents (and for many they may no longer survive), but the elite—including aristocratic men and women— usually did.

The majority of wills and inventories that survive from this period give us an impression of the type of assets owned by middling people. The inventory shown here, for instance, records some of the objects belonging to the Bristol sailor John Rockwell. The very existence of such an inventory implies that Rockwell had enough ‘things’ in his life of value to warrant such a list being drawn up. These documents also show the variety of ways of marking assets, from ‘playing tables’ like modern-day board games to debts owed by and to the deceased.

Object Type Inventory
Year 1620
Material Manuscript
Discovered Bristol Archives
Owned By BRO, EP J/4/18, Bundle 1620
Keywords looking; writing; reading; owning; assets; death; literacy; credit; reputation; householder; manuscript
Image Credit Inventory of John Rockwell (1620), Bristol Archives EP J/4/18, Bundle 1620 © Reproduced by permission of Bristol Archives.

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