Leaving their mark...
Whilst writing up his discoveries Oliver also undertook lots of detailed archival research, including examining Hardwick Hall's building accounts. By looking at these documents he managed to find the names of the masons, carpenters and plasterers that worked on the East Loggia in the 1590s, along with details on how long construction took, and how much they were paid.
For instance, the accounts detail that between August and October 1595 payments were made to William Gryffyne, [James] Adames and [?] Leonord, who were all masons, to carve the eight Tuscan columns, and in September 1595 (after the columns had started to be cut) Thomas Benbridg(e) ‘the carpenter’ was contracted for a sum of £10 to ‘frame, rering and board’ the two walks (Loggias) on either side of the house.
Various pieces of graffiti were also recorded during the survey and have been since examined by Hardwick’s Project Curator Lauren Butler. The graffiti, found etched into one of the windows, appears to be from a mix of craftspeople, tourists and staff and dates from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. One of the etched inscriptions reads ‘Richard Dery’, whose name also appears on one of the fireplaces in the Long Gallery. Three generations of the Derry family ran the Hardwick Inn in the 17th & 18th centuries, including a Richard Derry who was the 3rd Earl’s bailiff. Another name - ‘Mary Ludlam, 1776’ – may be the same Mary Ludlam listed in local parish records as having married at Ault Hucknall church in 1777 and it’s interesting to wonder if she perhaps lived and/or worked on the Hardwick estate.