[Sca-cooks] more on drinking water in the Middle Ages

[Pixel, Queen of Cats]

On Thu, 24 May 2001, Mark.S Harris wrote:

> Margaret said:
> > For that matter, I have at least one reference to people in poverty (or
> > austerity, which is not the same thing) drinking water instead of ale. I
> > can check when I get home for the exact citation, if anyone is interested.
>
> Please do. I'd love to have more useful info, preferable with
> referances,
> for this file in the BEVERAGES section of the Florilegium:
> bev-water-msg     (17K)  6/ 8/00    Water as a beverage in period.
> http://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/bev-water-msg.html
>
> Thanks,
>   Stefan li Rous


The water citation(s), from Dyer again:

p93, discussing poverty "Stories of shocking poverty were told,..., of
nuns reduced to drinking water because their house could not afford
ale,..."

p153, discussign peasant circumstances "Better-off peasants recieved malt,
showing that they were expected to drink ale regularly."

and

p154 "Beatrice atte Lane, who was surrendering 24 acres, was promised 1
1/2 quarters of maslin, and 1 1/2 quarters of drage, sufficient for an
ample diet of bread adn ale, while a smallholder with 4 1/2 acres, Sara
Bateman, received a quarter of maslin and 4 bushels of barley, the
ingredients of a menu of bread and pottage, accompanied mostly by water."

Citations are from
Dyer, Christopher. Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages: Social
Change in England c. 1200-1520. Cambridge University Press, 1989.

Fascinating book if you, like me, think that sort of info is neat.

Margaret FitzWilliam