A favoured guest in Rainton’s time might be ushered through into the Parlour, which was a more private and less formal room. By the early 17th century, eating habits were changing. Before houses such as Forty Hall were built, the whole household, including servants, ate in a great hall with the family at the top table. Sir Nicholas Rainton may have dined in private in the Parlour with his immediate family and selected guests. They would have sat on stools, benches or chairs around a large table. Sir Nicholas, as host, may have had a ‘great chair’. A ‘court cupboard’ (a kind of sideboard) would have housed tableware and displayed fine crockery.

The Parlour is almost entirely Jacobean. The chimney piece is original but has an 18th-century marble insert. The oak panelling touches the original decorative ceiling, as was the fashion in the 17th century. The walls are painted in colours dating from the early 1700s and Sir Nicholas Rainton’s portrait hangs on the wall. Continue your tour of Forty Hall.

The Parlour table is presided over by Sir Nicholas Rainton's portrait. Find out more about this painting here.

Find out about Sir Nicholas Rainton here.