A HISTORY OF DORSET 



the whole was generally glazed. This was the 

 monastic method which came in with the Gothic 

 architecture about the end of the twelfth cen- 

 turj'. Until quite recently a somewhat similar 

 method was in use, and indeed some encaustics 

 are still made of the plastic clay. More com- 

 monly, however, the dust process is used and the 

 pattern is produced not by a stamp, but by 

 variously-coloured dusts laid on the body of the 

 tile by means of flat plates of metal having the 

 pattern cut in them. 



A glazed tile is made in the same way as an 

 unglazed tile up to the biscuit stage, but then it 

 has to be ' dipped ' (i.e. partly immersed in 

 liquid glaze which covers the face and a slight 

 portion of the thickness) and again burnt in a 

 difiFerent kiln, generally at a lower temperature. 

 The ' dipper ' must be very careful, both of the 

 tile and of himself; of the tile, for anything 

 getting into the glaze on the tile would be fixed 

 by the firing ; and of himself because no portion 

 of the glaze must be allowed to enter the mouth 

 by any carelessness in cleansing the hands or 

 otherwise. Lead or borax, Cornwall stone and 

 flint, various oxides for colouring, all enter into 

 the composition of different glazes. The most 

 useful, but also the most dangerous ingredient, is 

 the lead, but so many precautions are now taken 

 both in the handling and preparation of this 

 mineral that the danger of lead-poisoning is 

 reduced to a minimum. Many experiments 

 have been made with leadless glaze, but as far 

 as experience yet goes the results are hardly satis- 

 factory. The tiles, when dipped, are exposed 

 to a less heat than in the biscuit kilns, in order 

 to melt the glaze only, the watery portion of 

 which has been absorbed in the porous biscuit 

 tile. Generally this takes place in a muffle-kiln, 

 in which the process resembles baking in an 



oven, the tiles being exposed neither to the 

 flames nor to the gases produced by the fires. 

 Glazing requires great knowledge and skill in 

 the mixing of the glazes and in the degree of 

 heat for the firing, the surface of the tile being 

 very liable to ' eraze ' or make little cracks from 

 the unequal expansion of the glaze and the body 

 of the tile. If more than one colour is required 

 the glazes are applied with a brush, and this is 

 termed decorating. Sometimes the pattern is 

 obtained in another way. It is printed in colours 

 either by lithography or copper-plate process, and 

 these colours are fixed by firing. 



The glazed and unglazed ' tesserae ' for 

 mosaic patterns are made in the same way as 

 the glazed and unglazed tiles, and are then 

 carefully gummed face downwards on paper 

 which has the pattern marked on it and are 

 finally laid in a prepared bed of cement. 



Besides tiles and tesserae, hand-painted panels 

 and faience pilasters, fitted for the decoration 

 of shops, tube stations, and house fronts, are 

 prepared in Dorset. They are especially suitable 

 for out-door use as the glaze on their surface 

 renders them impervious to frost and to the 

 action of all but extremely powerful acids.*' 



Tiles and faience are at one extremity of the 

 handicraft in Dorset ; at the other are the 

 pitchers and bread-pans of partly porous, 

 partly glazed, red and yellow clay which are 

 carted round the country by their makers, or 

 exposed for sale in small local shops. Their 

 weight and the ease with which they break are 

 obvious disadvantages, but their old-fashioned 

 shapes appeal to some people as much as their 

 cheapness does to others. The greater number 

 of them come from Gillingham, where, according 

 to the county gazetteer, every second man is a 

 potter. 



BREWING 



In the Middle Ages brewing was a general 

 and necessary industry, and hardly a manor or 

 township court roll but contains some reference 

 to it. Entries in enrolments of proceedings in 

 the courts of Melcombe Regis, 1396-8, contain 

 frequent notices of transgressors, both men and 

 women, repeatedly fined for brewing contrary to 

 the assize, for selling ale in cups [in ciphis), or in 

 vessels without seal {signo), or for tapping [tappare), 

 without due supervision. In 1397 John Shudde, 

 who, it may be mentioned in passing, appears 

 from these records to have been the incorrigible 

 rogue of the community, was presented for 



breaking the arrest of a cask of ale which had been 

 arrested by the under-bailifR ; for they had tasted it 

 {tastavere), supposing (rightly) that the said ale was 

 bad, not good and sound for the body of man.' 



" Information kindly supplied by Messrs. Carter & 

 Co., Poole. ' Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. v, App. 576. 



At the Law Court of ' Hokke ' Term, holden 

 15 May, 1397, Edith Ketys with five others 

 was amerced in the sum of 3^/. for breaking the 

 assize, also for using cups and other false 

 measures.' In 1456 the ale-tasters presented 

 that Geoffrey Sammyse had brewed twice and 

 Alianor Houpere once, and sold ale against the 

 assize. He was amerced 2d. and she id.^ 



At a Law Court held 15 April, 1583, at 

 Weymouth, it was ordered that 



the beer and all brewers and sellers within this 

 liberty shall sell their drink under the range at jd. 

 the gallon, and being stale at ^d., and to use just 

 measures upon pain for every that make default to 

 forfeit 21. 6d.* 



On I May, 1627, Avice Locke, widow, 

 offended ' against the form of the Statute ' by 



' Ibid. 577. 



' Ibid. 578 



Mbid. 586. 



366 



