We enjoyed encountering this document while preparing our current exhibition ‘Moral and Material Decay: four centuries of the Court of Arches’. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn your home into a convincing eighteenth-century residence, this is the guide for you.
This is an inventory compiled on the orders of the Honourable Benedict Calvert who pursued his wife for adultery in the Court of Arches. Benedict Calvert (1679-1715) had served as titular Governor of Maryland on behalf of his father from 1684 to 1688, an honorary position given his age. His petition for divorce from his wife Charlotte (1678-1721), the illegitimate granddaughter of King Charles II, was unsuccessful, and when he succeeded his father to the title of 4th Baron Baltimore in 1715 she assumed the title of Lady Baltimore.
After an initially happy relationship, the marriage of Benedict and Charlotte deteriorated, with violence (on the part of Benedict) and adultery (by both parties) featuring prominently. In 1710, humiliated by his wife’s activities, Benedict pursued Charlotte and her lover, Count Castelli, to their lodgings where they were caught in bed together. With Castelli apprehended, Benedict produced an inventory – running to seven pages – of the building’s contents, which he claimed were ‘belonging to him in right as Husband’. The resulting list allows us to closely recreate the domestic interior and reflects the close connection between matrimonial and property disputes.
The sheer enormity of Benedict’s endeavour is a reflection of his determination to give no quarter to his wife, and is only adequately conveyed by the text in full: every teaspoon and broken mug is recorded throughout the dozen rooms of the house. As the length of the inventory is challenging to display in an exhibition case, we’re very grateful to our volunteer and Friend of the Library, Philippa Tudor, for transcribing it to enable us to discover the full contents.
Look out for evidence of a feathered friend…
Arches Ee 8/172,173. Original spelling remains, but we’ve added punctuation for ease of reading.
f.401r
The further Answers of the Honorable Benedict Leonard Calvert mad to the pretended positions or articles of a certaine pretended Alle[gation] and to the pretended Schedules thereto annexed, given on the behalf of the Lady Charlott[e] Calvert and admitted on the Nineteenth Day of May 1710.
To all the said pretended Articles of the said pretended Allegacion and Schedules thereto annexed the Respondent further answereth & beleiveth, that at the time the said Lady Charlotte Calvert left her house [in] Stretton Street, as in his former Answers is set forth, he found in the same House some Furniture, Household stuff and Implements & Household Plate, Rings, Jewells, Money, Silks China Ware and other Things more and above what is particularly mentioned & set forth in his said former Answers; a Schedule whereof the Respondent hath caused to be made & is as follows videlicet.
In the fore Garrett, a lath bottom bedsted, four window
Cornish, two callicoe vallences, two mattriciss, Quilts a pall[…]
Bedsted, a feather bed two bolsters & holland Quil[t],
Coverslide, three old blankets, crimson paragon Hang[]
a Trunck and a Box. In the next fore Garrett, a sacking
Bedstead and rods and a yellow printed furniture &
feather bed, two bolsters and a pillow a callicoe Quilt
and four blankets, a Dutch oval Table, a black Chair
frame the Hangings of green printed stuffe, a small
Print and a fire shovel. In the back Garret & the Closets
one easy Chair and Cushoon, a Wallnutt tree Chest of
Drawers on a Frame, a Table Bedsted a feather B[ed]
and Bolster, and holland quilt, five Blankets and a
Callicoe Quilt, some old Tapestry hangings in the Room &
f.401v
a Chest of Drawers one old Box and some
crimson silke Fringe. In the little Room on the
Staires, two old ticken Umbrello’s two black frames
of Chaires and green printed Hangings. In the
dyneing Roome, a large Settee covered with yellow
Mohair and two Cushoons, two Elbow Chaires,
four black Chaires, and two square stools cover’d
with the same Mohair and false Cases to them
all of yellow paragon, six yellow mohaire
window curtains, three vallence, three Cornishes, three
Pulley Rods & Line and Tassells[?], thirteen India
Pictures in black Frames and one India Firescreen,
a glass Chimney peice and a pair of glass Sconces,
a black and gold Japan Cabinett on a Frame,
a folding Card Table, one oval Table, two
long Tea Tables a parcell of China great &
small containing about 100 peaces a Grate, a
Fire shovel, Tongs, Poker, Bellows and Brush.
In the Bedchamber, a crimson damask bed and
Counterpain of the same all Compleat and
Paragon Case Curtains and Rods, three crimson
Damaske door Curtains, vallens & Cornishes two
ditto window Curtains Vallens and Cornishes
and Rod, three peeces of crimson damask
Hangings and a window Squab, five damaske
Chaires, a feather Bed and Bolster, four Pillows
a Holland Quilt, four Blanketts, a callicoe Quilt
and a white sattin Quilt a Chimney Glass a
f.402r
brass Hearth Fireshovel, Tongs and Bellows,
a matted Chair and a Bell. In the Closett, a
yellow mohair window Curtains, Vallens and Cornish
and rod, two peeces of yellow Mohair, one cane
Chair, one picture, one India Stand and a
Parrotts Cage. On the stair case and in the
Passage, Three glass sconces and a Bell, In
the back Parlour and Closett, a halfe headed bedste[d],
sacking bottom, one feather bed and bolster,
one flock bed and bolster, four blanketts
and a Coverlid, twelve Indian pictures in black
Frames, six black moulding Chaires covered with
printed Serge two window Curtains, Vallens &
Cornish of the same and a rod, one matted
Chair, one Tea Table, a Chimney Glass, a pa[ir]
of glass Sconces, brass Hearth and Doggs
a Bell and a Coffee Mill. In the Closett, a pair
of glass Sconces, a Tea Table and a caine Chai[r],
fourteen powder and patch Boxes, nine sma[ll]
Pictures, a wainscot Corner Press and a Bell. I[n]
the fore parlour, Nine matted Chaires, one
caine Chair, a black Press on a Frame with […]
worke, a square flap Table, and a T[ea]
Table, a Chimney Glass and a pair of
black wallnutt stands, two large pictures and thre[e]
small, two Cornishes, two window Vallens and
Rods, two caine Sashes and a black corner
f.402v
Shelfe, a Grate poker, Fire shovel, brush and
Bellows. In the Kitchin, a Range and Fender,
Fire shovel, Tongs and poker, two large spitt
Racks, a Crane and Potthanger, a Gridiron, one
hanging iron, and Jack, Chaine, Line, Pulleys and
Weight, three brass potts and Covers, five flatt &
round Sauce pans, one Copper Tea Kettle, five
brass Candlesticks, one brass Kettle, and Cover,
one brass plate warmer, a dish Ring, two Spitts,
one fryeing Pan, one warming Pan, some
Tin Earthen & wooden Ware, a Water Tubb
three matted Chaires, a plate dryer, three
payles, a pair of Bellows, twelve pewter Dishes,
Forty two plates and one porringer. In
the Wash-house, a large Copper and Iron work,
a Sedan and a Deal Case for it, a Form a
horse for Cloaths, some washing Tubbs, about
Nine Dozen glass Bottles and a bottle Rack,
some Earthen Ware and Lumber.
[5 lines of dashes]
Two pair of fine Holland sheets, one pair
of callicoe sheets, eight pair of course sheets,
Nine fine damask table Cloaths, eight course
damaske table Cloaths, Ten diaper table
Cloaths, four dozen of damask Napkins, Eleven
f.403r
diaper Napkins, Nine Towells, one Damask
one dozen of fine Dutch huckaback Napkins,
a Table Cloath, Eleven huckaback Table
Cloaths, two huckaback Napkins, one huckaback
Towell, one huckaback Bagg, four pillow Cases.
An account of the China, Two large Jarrs, a
small Jarr, one large Beaker, two lesser ones,
Two Basons with Covers, two China Images,
three small China Basons, one large Bason
scolopt, two Bottles, two green parrots, three
Muggs, four milke Cups, four large plates,
two small Cocks, four Candlesticks China […],
Chocolate Cups with Covers, one China Monkey[?]
Broke, Fourteen Tea Cups, twenty three
Saucers bigger and lesser, one blew & gold
Tea Pott, one tin Tea pott japann’d, two
small green China Images, two green China
Fishes, Five pasboard Images, sixteen jell[y]
Glasses bigger and lesser, Five Sillibub Gl[asses],
two China Basons, eight China Dishes, two […]
of China plates of severall sorts, one Baso[n]
with a Cover to it, five little plates, Ninetee[n]
Saucers, three Tea Potts, two milke potts,
one Sugar Dish, three halfe pint Basons, […]
Chocolate Cups, one China Saucer, three Coffee[e]
Cups, two pair of Candlesticks, four broken Chin[a]
Muggs, two Sugar Dishes, one Salver, fou[r]
f.403v
China Covers, Silke, one peece of blew and silver
Atlas, one peece of flowr[e]d sattin, one peece
of white Sattin, one peece of black and
white sattin, two white sattin Quilts, one sprigg[e]d
Indian Quilt, three peeces of new Lace, one
white tabby Twilight, plate, a silver Bason, a Ladle,
a pair of small Candlesticks, four Salts, four
Spoons, six spoons, a knife and forke with silver
handles, a ring for Oyle and Vineagar, one
brilliant Diamond Ring value Threescore pounds,
three gold Rings Mr. Feilding’s picture, one
knife and forke gilt handles, one Canister for
Tea gilt, twenty Guineas in a purse & one
broader peece and a portuguese peice of Gold Vallue 28s one Case with silver knife, fork,
Spoon & Drinking Cup./ A little Case of
Instruments to cleanse Teeth./
All which household stuff, Furniture, plate, Rings & other things
then belonging to him in right as Husband, & being left in
the said House by his said Wife, he this Respondent hath
ordered to be taken Care of as his own proper Goods, &
as such, this Respondent is Intituled by Law to keep &
detaine the same as he is advised & humbly conceives
he may & ought to doe, And he further answereth &
beleiveth that neither he this Respondent, nor any other
person for him, to his knowledge hath in his
Custody nor were left in the same house at the
time of the said Lady Charlott’s departure from it
any other wearing Apparrell or Linnen of the said Lady
Charlott than what is set forth in his former Answer
f.404r
To which he referreth, nor any Household stuff or
Rings, Jewells, Money, Silks, China Ware or other
Things than what is before mentioned in this
present Answer, but the Respondent doth not believe th[at]
the same were bought with the proper money of the
said Lady Charlott as is on her behalf alleg[ed]
& pretended, but believes them to have been
given or presented to her since their parting in
his former Answers mentioned, by Mr Feilding
the Count Brianzon with whom she had for
severall years lived in an adulterous lewd and
scandalous manner, And he further beleiveth
that the brilliant Diamond Ring mencioned in the sa[id]
pretended Schedule marked No. B. is worth the[?]
summe of sixty pounds & not more. And he
further saith that he hath expended severall large
summes of Money amounting to more than the
Value of the said Goodes for Rent of the said
house and in defence of several Suits which
have been brought against him for Debts
Contracted by the said Lady Charlotte & []
necessary Charges, and he has disposed o[f]
Goods to defray in part the Expences he[…]
been soe forct to And otherwise he doth not bele[ieve]
the said pretended Articles & Schedules or []
of them to be true in any part.
Ben. Leo. Calvert
For an online version of Moral and Material Decay: four centuries of the Court of Arches, see Moral & Material Decay – Lambeth Palace Library
Images of the Calvert inventory can be found on our digital images database: Digital Images Database
Further reading on the Calvert case: Lawrence Stone, Broken Lives: separation and divorce in England, 1660-1857 (Oxford, 1993)
A Monument of Fame 
