The Curiosities of Ale & Beer: An Entertaining History: (Illustrated with over Fifty Quaint Cuts)Bickerdyke, John
History
The Curiosities of Ale & Beer: An Entertaining History: (Illustrated with over Fifty Quaint Cuts)
Bickerdyke, John
Drinking customs; Drinking songs
To judge from an entry in the City Records of the sixteenth year of
Edward IV. the Brewers were sometimes openly resisted by force of arms.
The actual occasion on which this was done is not specified, but it is
recorded that Richard Geddeney was committed to prison for having said
that the Brewers had made new ordinances, and that it would be well to
oppose them, as had formerly been done, with swords and daggers, when
they were assembled in their Hall.
Six years afterwards a petition was presented to the Lord Mayor and
Aldermen by the Brewers, which is so good a specimen of the usual style
of their supplications that some portions of it are given. It begins by
“petieously compleynyng that where in tyme passed thei have honestly
lyved by the meanes of bruyng, and utteryng of their chaffer as well
within the fraunchises of the saide Citee as withoute. And hath ben
able to bere charges of the same citee after their havours and powers
as other freemen of the saide citee. Where now it is so that for lak
of Reules and other directions in the saide Crafte they ben disordered
and none obedience nor goode Rule and Guydyng is hadd within the saide
Crafte to the distruction thereof.” It is therefore prayed—“That eny
persone occupying the Craft or feat of bruying within the franchise or
the saide citee make or do to be made good and hable ale and holesome
for mannys body. . . and that no manner ale after it be clensed and set
on yeyst be put to sale or borne oute to eny custumers hous till that
it have fully spourged (worked).” That no brewer shall occupy a house
or a “seler” _apart from his own dwelling-house_ for the sale of his
ale. That no brewer shall “entice or labour to taak awey eny custumer
from a brother brewer,” or “serve or do to be served any typler
(_i.e._, retailer of ale) or huxster as to hym anewe be comen custumer
of any manner ale for to be retailed till he have verrey knowlage that
the saide typler or huxster be clerely _oute of dett and daunger for
ale to any other person_” . . . . . That every person keeping a house
and being a _brother of Bruers_ do pay to the Wardens of the Company a
sum of 4s. yearly. “That no manner persone of the said crafte . . .
presume to goo to the feeste of the Maior or the Sherriff _unless he
be invited_ . . that members of the crafte shall appear in livery when
so commanded that is to sey gowne and hode . . . That the livery of
the crafte be changed and renewed every third year agenst the day of
the Election of the newe Wardeyns of the crafte . . .” That once a
quarter the ordinances of the Company shall be read to the assembled
brewers in {142} their common hall. That no brewer is to buy malt
except in the market. That malt brought to market must not be “capped
in the sakke, nor raw-dried malte, dank or wete malte or made of mowe
brent barly, belyed malt, Edgrove malte, acre-spired malte, wyvell eten
malte or meddled[46], in the deceite of the goode people of the saide
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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