Ancient Ales in the County of Wilts. 193 



2. The Church Ale. 

 Mr. Warton in his History of English Poetry, 1 says : — 



" Church, ale was a feast established for the repair of the church, or in honour 

 of the church saint, &c. In Dodsworth's MSS. there is an old indenture made 

 before the Reformation which not only shows the design of the church ale, but 

 explains this particular use and application of the word ale." 



" In S r - Edward Plumpton booke, 

 Marked with B. 



" Church Ale. 



" Dodsw. c. xlviii. f. 97. 



"Memd. yt this is the agreement betwixt the inhabitants of the townes and 

 parish of Eluaston, Thurlaston, and Ambaston, of the one pt., and the inhabitants 

 of the towne of Okebroke within the parish of the said Eluaston, on the other 

 parte by John Abbott of the Dale.* Rado Samichevrell, Esquier, John Brads- 

 thon and Herre Tythell, Gentylmen, witnesseth yt ye s 'd inhabitants as well 

 of the said parish of Elwaston as of the said towne of Okebrooke, beeinge of the 

 said parish byn accorded and agreed in mann r and forme as followeth. That is 

 to say y* y e s'd inhabitants of the said towne of Okebrooke shall brew fowre 

 ales, and eu'y ale of one quarter malt, and at theire owne costs and charges 

 betwixt this and the feast of St. John Baptist next cominge. And yt eu'y inha- 

 bitant of the s'd towne of Okebrooke shall be at the s'd ales, and eu'y husband 

 and his wife shall pay 2d., and eu'y cottyer Id. and all the inhabitants of 

 Eluaston, Thurlaston, and Ambaston, shall come to the said ales, and that euery 

 husband and his wife, and cottyer shall pay as is afore-rehearsed, and that the 

 said inhabitants of Eluaston, Thurlaston, and Ambaston, shall have and r'teine 

 all the p'nts and vantages comeinge of the said ales to the use and behoofe of 

 the said Church of Eluaston, and yt the said inhabitants of the said towns of 

 Eluaston, Thurlaston, and Ambaston, shall brew viij. ales betwixt this and the 

 s'd feast of St. John Baptist. At the w ch ales and eu'y each one of them the 

 said inhabitants of the towne of Okebrooke, shall come to and pay eu'y husband 

 and his wife, and eu'y cottyer, as it is above-rehearsed. And if hee bee away 

 at one ale to pay at y e toder ale for both, or els to send his money. And the 

 inhabitants of the said said towne of Okebrooke shall carry all manner of timber 

 beinge in the Dale wood, new felled, yt y e said prshers of the said townes of 

 Eluaston, Thurlaston, and Ambaston, shall occupy to the vse and p'nt of the 

 said church. 



" Written in the ffeast of St. Andrewe. f 



ribbons at the top and filled with spices and perfume for such of the company to smell to as desire 

 it." This ale is there stated to be still kept up in the Cotswold hills in the adjoining county of 

 Gloucester. 



i Yol. iii. p. 119, n (f) of the Ed. of 1840. 



* This was probably John Stanton, the last Abbot of the Abbey of Dale, in Derbyshire. 



t For this accurate copy of this agreement in the Bodleian Lib. I am indebted to the kindness of 

 the Rev. Dr. Bandinel. It has no date except as above, but the name of an abbot shows that it was 

 written before the Reformation. — F. A. C. 



