78 TUDOR HOUSES 'IN DORSET. 



pastry and sweetmeats being consumed and toasts or pledges 

 drunk. On retiring to their bed-chambers liveryes were 

 served out. The gates were shut at each meal. 



At a certain wedding feast at Losely in Surrey, in 1567, 

 of which the costs were carefully kept, besides the usual meats 

 the following presents were consumed : Deer, hyndes, hares, 

 conyes, swan, capon, partridge, wodecock, crane, hernshaw, 

 curlew, duck, mallard, teel, plover, bytter, knott, stynte, 

 godwytt, fesaunt, lark, synatt, geese, snyght, hethcok and 

 turkye. There were also : Fish, oysters, sawsags, byscett, 

 spices, almonds, prunes, currants, dates, olyves, sugar, merme- 

 lade, &c. Sack, Gascon and Renysh wines were drunk. 

 (Ardiaologia XXXVI, 33). 



By Act of 5 Eliz. for the encouragement of fishermen and 

 mariners, Wednesday and Saturday were made fish days. 

 (Chronicles of Cranborne, p. 299). 



A bill of fare for the Mayor of Norwich in 1588 gives various 

 prices. Geese 4d., leg of mutton 3d., guinny pig 6d., eggs 34 

 a shilling, hen 3d., 18 loaves of wheaten bread 9d., 16 oranges 

 2d., 2 gals, white wine or claret 2s., 1 qt. sack 9d., 1 qt. 

 Malmsey 5d. (Western Antiquary VIII, 18). 



When ale was the universal beverage at all meals, it was 

 essential that it should be of good quality, and Henry VIII is 

 stated to have introduced the use of hops in its make. The 

 ale-taster, ale-conner or ale-founder, was an office of remote 

 antiquity, and it was his duty to assay the ale. (Ibid. I, 134). 



Every manor, farm and parsonage had a brew-house, for 

 making beer and cyder. Dorset merchants traded exclusively 

 with Newfoundland, whence they took salt fish to the South of 

 Europe, returning with wines and other luxuries from Spain 

 and Portugal. 



Houses were lighted with rushes, candles, torches, cressets 

 and moons. A " candlebeme" was a rude chandelier. Then 

 there were low, high and bell "canstykes" usually of latten, 

 an alloy of brass. Spiked stands were also used as now for 

 altars. The cresset was carried on a pole, also the moon, but 

 covered in with horn. (Wright, pp. 376, 454). 



