A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



these two towns together with Hitchin and 

 Hertford were famous for the high quality of 

 this commodity.*^ Malting is still, in the 20th 

 century, one of the prominent industries of 

 the shire. 



In the Middle Ages brewing was a universal *^° 

 and necessary industry, and hardly any series 

 of manor or borough rolls but contains refer- 

 ences to its conduct, to local rates levied on 

 the trade or fines for infraction of regulations 

 which were rarely observed. It is of interest 

 to inquire when ' beer ' or hopped ale was first 

 brewed in the county, but little evidence exists. 

 But this may be said, it was probably intro- 

 duced by ahens. In a will of 1504, connected 

 with Ware, is a bequest to ' the Dutchman 

 (the beer brewer).' ^ 



One of the earUest public breweries in Hert- 

 fordshire was the Cannon Brewery at Watford. 

 It was certainly in existence** in 1750, and 

 for two generations belonged to the Dyson 

 family, by whom it was sold to Mr. Joseph 

 Benskin in 1868. By him the trade was ener- 

 getically developed and a new brew-house 

 built. On Mr. Benskin's death in 1877 the 

 business passed to his widow and his son 

 Mr. J. P. Benskin, and in 1884 Mrs. Benskin 

 retired from the firm in favour of her younger 

 son Mr. Thomas Benskin. In the following 

 year his elder brother also retired, owing to 

 ill-health, and the younger son was joined by 

 a member of a famous Dorsetshire brewing 

 family, Mr. J. A. Panton, who had made a 

 scientific study of his craft under Professor 

 Graham at University College, London. The 

 trade of the Watford Brewery was now rapidly 

 extended and the latest improvements in the 

 craft introduced. In July 1894 Benskin's 

 Watford Brewery Company, Ltd., was registered, 

 and in January 1898 was reorganized to 

 acquire the King's Langley Brewery, the Kings- 

 bury (St. Albans) Brewery and Healey's King 

 Street Brewery, Watford. In the autumn of 

 the same year the further capital was raised in 

 order to take over the brewery of Hawkes 

 & Co. of Bishop's Stortford, which had been 

 originally estabhshed in the 1 8th century. 

 The famous ales of this great brewery have a 

 well-deserved reputation far beyond the county 

 boundaries, and at the Brewers' Exhibition of 

 1912 the company obtained a first prize of a 

 silver medal for a naturally matured India 

 pale ale in bottle. Quite lately a thoroughly 



" G. A. Cooke, J Tofog. and Statisticdl Discr. of the 

 County of Hertford (1825), 69, 74. 



^1^ In 135s no less than 79 brewers were fined at 

 St. Albans, most of them being engaged in other 

 industries as well. At Royston among the delinquents 

 was Master Thomas ' Scolemaistre ' (Coram Rege 



R. 377)- 



<2 Will, P.C.C. 4 Holgrave. 



" Barnard, Brevienes of Great Britain, 85. 



modern installation of bottling machinery has 

 been added to the plant. 



Another important Hertfordshire brewery 

 amalgamation was that of the Hatfield and 

 Harpenden Breweries in 1902, by which the 

 firms of Glover & Sons, Ltd., of Hatfield and 

 Messrs. Pryor, Reid & Co., of Hatfield and 

 Hertford, were joined. Among other Hertford- 

 shire brewery firms or companies may be 

 mentioned such well-known names as Christie 

 & Co., Ltd., of Hoddesdon, E. K. & H. Fordham, 

 Ltd., of Ashwell, Locke & Smith, of Berk- 

 hampstead, McMullen & Sons, of Hertford, 

 Messrs. J. & J. E. Phillips, Ltd., of Royston, 

 T. W. Kent & Son, and M. A. Sedgwick & Co., 

 to mention only a few out of many. Some 

 Hertfordshire brewers also manufacture mineral 

 waters and other beverages, as, for example. 

 Barley's Brewery at Bishop's Stortford. At 

 the present day no material differences have 

 been made in the chief ingredients employed 

 in brewing from those in use a century ago. 

 A noticeable feature lies in the fact that beer 

 of much lighter gravity is now preferred to 

 the dark, heavy variety in general vogue 

 fifty years ago. There is also a strong demand, 

 which seems to be on the increase, for all 

 ' beers ' (including stout and porter) suppHed 

 in bottle. There is, however, no regular 

 production of lager beer from any of the 

 Hertfordshire breweries." 



In the Middle Ages cider was occasionally 

 made on Hertfordshire manors, but less com- 

 monly than in the counties south of the Thames. 

 At the manor of La Hyde *° in Sawbridgeworth 

 in 1284 we hear of 20^^. received for two casks 

 of cider, the produce of the garden. In the 

 year following, four casks of cider were made 

 of 40 quarters of apples, and the liquor sold 

 at is. the cask. Again in 1288, 2 J quarters of 

 apples, less the tithe, furnished 6o\ gallons 

 of cider. About the middle of the 1 8th century, 

 however, William EUis was obliged to confess 

 ' In Hertfordshire *» we are bad cyder makers, 

 and therefore are not so curious as we ought 

 to be in planting the Redstreak, Gennet Moyle 

 and those trees that are most fitting for this 

 purpose.' He also names *' the Holland 

 Pippin as ' one of the farmer's best apples, 

 supplying his cellar with cyder and pome- 

 pirk,' and the Parsnip Apple ' to make a 

 cyder for present drinking.' The Lemon 

 Pippin could also be used, and even the Golden 

 Rennet made a ' tolerable cyder, but not so 

 fine a sort as the pippin produces.' The 

 best Holland Pippin cider, however, which he 

 had ever tasted was made just outside the 



** Inform, from Mr. F. Eaton. 



« Mins. Accts. (Gen. Ser.), bdle. 868, no. i. 



^8 EUis, Husbandry, i, 140. 



*^ Ibid. 138 et seq. 



244 



