[Herbalist] HOPS - Was what's the logic of gardens?

[Carol / Isrith]

Hops were used for medicinal purposes in England during the Anglo-Saxon period
(see "Old English Herbarium" MS V for reference), and were very common in the
Anglo-Scandinavian period. Although there is still some discussion on whether or
not they were being cultivated during this period, they may already have been
growing wild in England.

The following passage is from "Internet Archaeology" (UK online magazine):
http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue1/tomlinson/part2.html#S754

"7.5.4 Humulus lupulus

Green (1981) noted that hops were not recorded from material earlier than that of
the very late Saxon period from Wessex and the present analysis seems to support
this. Perhaps hops were imported rather than being collected locally although it
is a common hedgerow and fenland plant in England (Stace 1991). There is some
evidence for the transportation of hops from the cargo in the Anglo-Saxon
Graveney Boat 70 [1009]. Records of hops are very common throughout the
Anglo-Scandinavian period at Coppergate 76-81 [1920]. Murphy (Ayers and Murphy
1983, 42) mentions the possibility of water dispersal of hop seeds at the
waterfront site of Whitefriars Norwich 73 [1447]. What is without doubt is that
hops were in use (for whatever purpose) in Britain before the 16th century, the
date they are traditionally thought to have first been
imported for brewing (for a discussion of the early history of hops in Britain
see Wilson 1975)."

~ Isrith.


Jenne Heise wrote:

> Before 1300, hops were not cultivated in England. Hops are a late period
> introduction to the British isles. So you wouldn't be using hops anyway,
> let alone gathering them in the wild, because they hadn't been introduced.