I touched upon the role of an ale-conner in a post
several years ago, and today I want to add a little something interesting to
the story. First, to re-cap: a ‘conner ‘ is ‘one who tries, tests, or examines,’
and an ale-conner is (or rather, was) ‘an officer appointed by a court leet or
other local authority to test for the assize the ale brewed (and sometimes the
bread baked) in his or her jurisdiction.’
With an important role goes a great deal of
responsibility of course, and officers such as ale-conners, bedels, brokers, sheriffs
and so on were required to swear an oath before taking up their positions. The
oaths of various officials of the City of London were recorded in the first book of English common law – the Liber Albus: the White Book of the City of
London, published in 1419 by John Carpenter.
Oath of the Ale-Conners.
You shall swear, that you shall know of no brewer or
brewster, cook, or pie-baker, in your Ward, who sells the gallon of best ale
for more than one penny halfpenny, or the gallon of second for more than one
penny, or otherwise than by measure sealed and full of clear ale; or who brews
less than he used to do before this cry, by reason hereof, or withdraws himself
from following his trade the rather by reason of this cry; or if any persons
shall do contrary to any one of these points, you shall certify the Alderman of
your Ward [thereof] and of their names. And that you, so soon as you shall be
required to taste any ale of a brewer or brewster, shall be ready to do the
same; and in case that it be less good than it used to be before this cry, you,
by assent of your Alderman, shall set a reasonable price thereon, according to
your discretion; and if any one shall afterwards sell the same above the said
price, unto your said Alderman you shall certify the same. And that for gift,
promise, knowledge, hate, or other cause whatsoever, no brewer, brewster,
huckster, cook, or pie-baker, who acts against any one of the points aforesaid,
you shall conceal, spare, or tortiously aggrieve; nor when you are required to
taste ale, shall absent yourself without reasonable cause and true; but all
things which unto your office pertain to do, you shall well and lawfully do.—So
God you help, and the Saints.
And as the recipe for the day, another version of
beer soup:
Beer Soup
Fry brown half a pound of bread crumbs in fresh
butter; add a quart of strong beer, as much good red wine, some chopped lemon-peel,
cinnamon, cloves, and sugar; make it into a light bouillon, and pour the whole
over some slices of bread fried in butter.
(French Domestic Cookery 1846 , by Louis
Eustache Audot
[From the section on
German Cookery]
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