I have been investigating which pub is
the oldest pub in Hastings, following the closure of the King's Head,
the previously well-acknowledged oldest pub. I have my own thoughts
on this; more of this in blogs at www.steveonhastings.blogspot.co.uk
- However, when looking into the history of the Stag Inn in All Saints Street, I
discovered some very interesting information concerning brewsters,
and allegations of witchcraft!
The building of the Stag Inn is 17th century, when the practice of walling up a cat, with the animal often still alive, is known to have been a medieval precaution against evil spirits. The tradition survived into later centuries in remote areas such as the high Pennines. Marion Gibson, Professor of Literature at Exeter University, whose 'research investigates the relationships between writings about magic and the supernatural and those about identity, spanning the period c.1500-present', says that "Cats were often put into walls as some kind of good luck charm. It seems to have been quite a widespread practice across the European continent.”
During the medieval era, as we know, hundreds of women were falsely accused of witchcraft (one presumes falsely) and executed. Many of those women were actually brewers or 'brewsters' as well as midwives etc. Indeed, the visual motifs we associate with female witches date from this time. The extraordinary thing is that all of them, the 'familiar' or cat, the bubbling cauldron, the broom, the pointed hat, are also symbols associated with brewing beer.
Cats would be kept to keep vermin at bay that would otherwise eat the
malted barley; the bubbling cauldron, or 'kettle', is the vessel in which the
ingredients are boiled. Then, when the brew cools down, yeast is added and ferments the sugars, creating a dramatic froth. The broom
was used for sweeping up but, also by law, anyone selling beer was
required to display an 'ale stake' above their door as a sign that
beer was on sale. An ale stake was a wooden pole with a bunch of
twigs tied on the end, and doubled up as a broom. Hanging foliage
above the door to proclaim that alcohol was available for purchase
dates back to Roman Britain, and, in a society where most people were
illiterate, visual signs rather than written signs were used. The
pointy hat was also a practical way of being seen in a crowd. Women with surplus
beer would go to the marketplace to sell it, or a middle woman known
as a 'huckster' would act as an agent and sell the beer. They too
wore pointed hats to make themselves prominent at market!
The Shepherd Neame website says "The Stag... dates from 1547... The front is in Georgian style, added by the Victorians... There are two bars. The front is the most commonly used and features the famous "mummified" cats... they were found in a chimney on the first floor during the 1940s... There is no historical evidence, but it is popularly believed they belonged to Hannah Clarke, a witch, who is said to have occupied the Stag in the earlier part of its existence.
Whatever, intolerance of single women in particular has certainly seen many executed as witches over the centuries, notably in the 17th century, but we don't think like that nowadays, do we? Though ales from Brewster's Brewery certainly are pretty magical (website), cheers!
The building of the Stag Inn is 17th century, when the practice of walling up a cat, with the animal often still alive, is known to have been a medieval precaution against evil spirits. The tradition survived into later centuries in remote areas such as the high Pennines. Marion Gibson, Professor of Literature at Exeter University, whose 'research investigates the relationships between writings about magic and the supernatural and those about identity, spanning the period c.1500-present', says that "Cats were often put into walls as some kind of good luck charm. It seems to have been quite a widespread practice across the European continent.”
During the medieval era, as we know, hundreds of women were falsely accused of witchcraft (one presumes falsely) and executed. Many of those women were actually brewers or 'brewsters' as well as midwives etc. Indeed, the visual motifs we associate with female witches date from this time. The extraordinary thing is that all of them, the 'familiar' or cat, the bubbling cauldron, the broom, the pointed hat, are also symbols associated with brewing beer.
The Shepherd Neame website says "The Stag... dates from 1547... The front is in Georgian style, added by the Victorians... There are two bars. The front is the most commonly used and features the famous "mummified" cats... they were found in a chimney on the first floor during the 1940s... There is no historical evidence, but it is popularly believed they belonged to Hannah Clarke, a witch, who is said to have occupied the Stag in the earlier part of its existence.
Whatever, intolerance of single women in particular has certainly seen many executed as witches over the centuries, notably in the 17th century, but we don't think like that nowadays, do we? Though ales from Brewster's Brewery certainly are pretty magical (website), cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment