By F. A. Carrington, Esq. 



203 



Mr. "Warton, in the note in his History of English Poetry before 

 cited, says that "Mr. Astle has a curious record, about 1575, 

 which proves the Bride ale synonymous with the " Weddyng ale." 



As to Bride ales not being in churches see above Tit. Give ale. 

 The Court Holls of Hales Owen Borough, in Co. Salop, contain 

 the following entry under the date of 15 Eliz. [1573. 



"Item, a payne is made that no person or persons that shall brewe any 

 weddyn ale to sell, shall not brewe above twelve strike * of mault at the most, 

 and that the said persons so married shall not keep nor have above eight messe f 

 of persons at his dinner, within the Burrowe, and before his brydall daye he 

 shall keep no unlawful games in hys house on pain of twenty shillings." 



9. The Lamb Ale. 

 Mr. Warton, in the note before cited, says : — 



" Lamb ale is still used at the village of Kirklington, in Oxfordshire, for an 

 annual feast or celebration at lamb shearing." 



10. The Leet Ale. 

 The Rev. S. Denne, 2 says : — 



" To a Leet ale it is likely all the resiants in a manerial district were contri- 

 butors." 



11. The Midsummer Ale. 



An ale under this name is mentioned by Mr. Douce, 3 and also 

 by Mr. Brande, 4 but I have not met with any account of it or any 

 explanation beyond that which the name imports. 



1 Cited in the Antiq. Rep., vol. i., p. 69. 



2 Arch. vol. xii., p. 10. 



3 Carter's Anc. Sculp, vol. ii., p. 9. 



4 Pop. Ant. vol. i., p. 227-229. 



* A strike means a bushel. 



t At the present time, at Lincoln's Inn Hall, a mess is a dinner for four persons, who dine together ; 

 the persons dining in that hall being divided into messes, each mess having the same viands repeated, 

 so that if two hundred members of the Inn dine and the viand be a turbot, they would dine 

 in fifty messes, and there would be fifty turbots on the table. This I have often seen, and 

 the practice there is exactly the same as to all other viands with the exception of venison ; 

 and with respect to that, although the rule as to messes is in some degree observed, a haunch of 

 venison is served to every three messes. Thus at the dinner at Lincoln's Inn Hall, on the 12th of June, 

 1846, when Prince Albert became a Bencher of that Society, his Royal Highness and suite, and the 

 members of the Society, to the number of 504, dined in the hall, and there were forty-two haunches of 

 venison on the table— the largest supply of venison that I ever saw on the table at the same time. 

 I mention these circumstances as they may explain obscure items in ancient household accounts. — 

 F. A. C. 



