Conclusion

Summary

The aristocratic lifestyle was largely funded by the income that peers obtained from their landed estates, which during the period 1597–1623 was likely to be going up. Prices were rising for the products produced on their estates, as a growing population increased demand for foodstuffs and other basic commodities. If these items were mainly agricultural, fortunate landowners like William Cavendish, who had workable mineral deposits on their property, could earn an income from industrial ones too. Even continuing as before was likely to bring in additional money, that is, if they farmed their demesnes. Enclosure and improvement of wastes and open fields further augmented their income by raising output, whether in stocking rates on pastures or crop yields in the fields. When leases fell in, new ones were shorter and more expensive, mainly because of enhanced entry fines. Alternatively, a landowner could add the land to his demesne. As William Cavendish was a very astute manager of his finances, he did all of these things, although the size of the demesne on various manors did fluctuate over the course of the period.

Economically, the contribution that a stud made to the finances of a demesne farmer like William Cavendish was small, even excluding the money he received in rent. Unfortunately, his receipt books have not survived, but for a large-scale grazier such as him the value of his fatstock and wool far outweighed that of his crop of foals. Beeves and fattened wether sheep, fed on the estate, also helped to supply the dietary requirements of a large household and reduce expenditure on foodstuffs. Even so, by facilitating the management of a large scattered estate, horses, some of them bred in the stud, made an essential contribution to the generation of income. Officers like Roger Fretwell and Robert Parker were constantly in the saddle, riding around Cavendish's estate as they dealt with tenants and bailiffs and oversaw work on the demesne. Atkinson and his staff handled equine-related matters, and other servants carried out a wide range of specific tasks. Many of the servants were provided with a horse and either a replacement from the stud or an allowance to buy one when needed. The sums allocated enabled them to buy mounts of a reasonable quality: it would not do for Cavendish's representative to be seen riding an inferior jade.