1676 Inventory of Middleton Hall #18: The Brewhouse, The Bottling House and The Buttery
Updated: 5 days ago
This post, the eighteenth in the series detailing the rooms and contents of Middleton Hall as described in the 1676 inventory, focuses on the rooms called “The Brewhouse”, “The Bottling House”, “The Buttery” and “The Chamber Over Against The Buttery”. These rooms cover the different stages of alcohol production and storage. Specifically, a brewhouse was where it was made, the bottling house was where it was transferred from its fermenting casks into the drinking barrels known as butts and the buttery, despite its name, was where the bottles or butts were stored and dispensed from by the butler.
The Brewhouse and Bottling House at Middleton Hall have traditionally been identified as the ground floor rooms of the structure between the John Ray Building and Stone Building, which were constructed in 1647. Before that, it was thought that they may have been located in the structures to the south of the Tudor Barn. Over the centuries, the Buttery had been identified in various areas. Its varied locations have been suggested as: the ground floor rooms of the Jettied Building; a room near the Stair Head, which was logical because it provided access to the cellars; and one of the small rooms in the Cottage in the South Wing.
In the inventory, the Buttery was listed between the Soldier’s Chamber and the Bread Room and the Chamber Over Against the Buttery was after that and followed by the Coal Cellar. “Over against” meant directly opposite across a flat corridor. The Brewhouse and Bottling House were adjacent in the inventory list, between the Dairy and the Cheese Chamber. This order would suggest that the Buttery may have been close to the Stair Head and that the Brewhouse and Bottling House may have been the structure between the John Ray Building and Stone Building. However, as always, there is a chance that they were somewhere else entirely.
Although the inventory is a useful illustration of the household at Middleton Hall, because the house was closed, when considering the items a caveat must be taken into account. This is that many items listed in the inventory are not in their proper place and were simply being stored there instead.
Listed in the inventory in the Brewhouse were multiple items all relating to the multi-step process of brewing ale or beer. Since the 16th century, hops had been successfully commercially grown at Middleton Hall and this beer-making appears to have continued even when the household was closed. Some items that would have been expected to be found in this room were in the Washhouse and, surprisingly, in the Coal Cellar. The items listed in the Brewhouse were:
One mash vat. This was a large wooden tub used for mixing crushed malted grain, known as grist, with hot water to create the liquid known as wort.
One leaden furnace. This would have been a permanent furnace structure, similar to the furnace that was in the Spinning House. The difference was that this structure would also have incorporated a cold-water lead cistern that would have fed into the iron or copper pot. It was used for boiling water and the wort.
One leaden cooler. This was a shallow, wide lead-lined vessel where the boiled wort was spread out to cool down rapidly before fermentation.
One vat. This was a large cask or barrel that was used to hold and store the liquid for the fermentation stage when the yeast was added.
One hogshead. This was a large wooden barrel used for storing liquid that would hold about 54 gallons (about 249 litres) of beer.
One hand pump. This was a mechanical manual pump used to move water. It is known that historically a hand pump was affixed to the outer north-west wall of Stone Building and connected to the well beneath the building between the Stone Building and John Ray Building. However, a hand pump could also have been used to move the liquid wort between the vats and furnace.
Listed in the Bottling House were two items that should not have been in this room; both should have been in the Bread Room. The items in this room were:
Two kneading troughs. These were large, rectangular wooden bins with sloped sides used for mixing ingredients and kneading large batches of bread dough.
Two moulding boards. These were flat wooden boards that would have been used to roll and form the loaves before proving and baking.
Listed in the Buttery were:
One old and two more ale tubs. These were standard wooden barrels used for the storing and settling of the ale before it was tapped for the household.
One triangular stool.
Finally, listed in the Chamber Over Against The Buttery:
One fire grate. In the post on the Garret, a grate was described as a raised, free-standing iron basket on legs specifically for the burning of coal rather than wood.
Two hogsheads.
Three thralls. These were strong wooden or stone stands, benches or shelves that were used to raise heavy items, particularly hogsheads, off the floor.
Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.
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