In 1654, Oliver Cromwell was preparing to enter into a war against the Spanish. A fleet was ordered to be readied to escort an army of 2,500 men overseas, but its exact destination was a closely guarded secret. It was possible that the army might land in Spanish Netherlands; or it might be heading for the Mediterranean. It was important to keep the Spanish guessing.
But a London wine merchant named John Paige claimed to know precisely where the English fleet was heading, despite Cromwell's secret plans. 'Their preparations and provision do daily discover more and more that they are bound for the West Indies', Paige wrote. His reasoning was based on his discovery that the navy had bought up London's entire supply of cider and French brandy for the voyage. From his experience in the wine trade, Paige knew these were 'unproper provisions for the Straits or anywhere else' (Steckley, 1984). With 300 tons of cider on board, the English ships could only have been heading for tropical climes.
Paige was correct: the English fleet set sail to attack Spanish possessions in the West Indies. What made Paige so certain of the fleet's destination was the particular qualities ascribed to cider in this period. More than just an alternative to beer, cider in the 17th century was understood to posses medicinal properties.
But a London wine merchant named John Paige claimed to know precisely where the English fleet was heading, despite Cromwell's secret plans. 'Their preparations and provision do daily discover more and more that they are bound for the West Indies', Paige wrote. His reasoning was based on his discovery that the navy had bought up London's entire supply of cider and French brandy for the voyage. From his experience in the wine trade, Paige knew these were 'unproper provisions for the Straits or anywhere else' (Steckley, 1984). With 300 tons of cider on board, the English ships could only have been heading for tropical climes.
Paige was correct: the English fleet set sail to attack Spanish possessions in the West Indies. What made Paige so certain of the fleet's destination was the particular qualities ascribed to cider in this period. More than just an alternative to beer, cider in the 17th century was understood to posses medicinal properties.
Drinking Cider is good for you!
17th century medicine was based on an understanding, inherited from ancient Greek physicians, of the four bodily humours: blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm. These humours had particular qualities, each producing a blend of hot, cold, dry and moist temperaments. It was important to keep these humours in balance to guarantee good health; imbalance led to illness. Logic dictated that if a person developed a hot and dry illness (such as fever or heat stroke), a cold and wet remedy was needed to restore the body's balance. As apples were regarded as having a cold and wet nature, cider was thought to be the ideal beverage to drink in hot climates.
This was the reason that Cromwell's fleet stocked-up on cider before it sailed for the West Indies. Cider was considered 'a drink both pleasant and healthy, much desired of seamen for long voyages' and when sailing to the tropics it was recommended that surgeons should carry a stock of cider along with their other medicines (CSPD, Charles I, vol. 126: undated 1628). The presence of vitamin C in apples (and cider) would also have been prevention against scurvy, although this was not recognised at the time, a good remedy for vitamin C deficiency in sailors being 'good land air and fresh water' (CPSD, Interregnum, vol. 37: June 1653).
This was the reason that Cromwell's fleet stocked-up on cider before it sailed for the West Indies. Cider was considered 'a drink both pleasant and healthy, much desired of seamen for long voyages' and when sailing to the tropics it was recommended that surgeons should carry a stock of cider along with their other medicines (CSPD, Charles I, vol. 126: undated 1628). The presence of vitamin C in apples (and cider) would also have been prevention against scurvy, although this was not recognised at the time, a good remedy for vitamin C deficiency in sailors being 'good land air and fresh water' (CPSD, Interregnum, vol. 37: June 1653).
Herefordshire Cider
To modern thinking beer and cider appear to be similar drinks, but to the 17th century mind they were quite different. Made from malted grain and boiled with hops, beer was of a warmer and drier nature than cider, and so better suited to drinking in colder climes. They were also measured differently. A hogshead of beer measured 54 gallons, while a hogshead of cider corresponded to the standard wine measurement of 63 gallons. Cider was therefore have been regarded as a wine in the 17th century – which makes perfect sense, as they're both pressed from fruit.
Cider appears to have come to Herefordshire later than in other areas of the country. Harrison's A Description of England (1577) refers to Sussex, Kent and Worcester as the chief cider-making areas. The Victorian Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) claims that Herefordshire cider 'acquired celebrity in the reign of Charles I'.
Certainly cider from the county was being drunk in the 1630s. Lady Brilliana Harley, famous for defending her Herefordshire castle at Brampton Bryan against Royalist assault during the Civil War, would send bottles of local cider to her son, Ned, while he was a student at Oxford.
Cider appears to have come to Herefordshire later than in other areas of the country. Harrison's A Description of England (1577) refers to Sussex, Kent and Worcester as the chief cider-making areas. The Victorian Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) claims that Herefordshire cider 'acquired celebrity in the reign of Charles I'.
Certainly cider from the county was being drunk in the 1630s. Lady Brilliana Harley, famous for defending her Herefordshire castle at Brampton Bryan against Royalist assault during the Civil War, would send bottles of local cider to her son, Ned, while he was a student at Oxford.
The illustration here shows the two stages of cider-making: breaking up the apples in a mill to produce 'pomage' (top), and pressing the pomage to extract the juice (bottom).
The Redstreak variety (noted in the bottom picture) was the apple that revolutionised cider production in the later 17th century. Introduced in the 1660s by a Herefordshire landowner to improve native apple stocks, it caused a minor revolution that resulted in cider becoming, for a time, England's national drink. 55 acres of land adjacent to Hyde Park was set aside for apple orchards, with half of all the produce (whether as apples or cider) going to the Royal court as payment for rent.
Nevertheless, the best drink was to be found in the provinces. When Sergeant Neremiah Wharton marched with the Earl of Essex's army on the Edgehill Campaign in 1642, he passed through Worcester and remarked on: 'that pleasant drink called perry, w'h they sell for a penny a quart, though better than ever you tasted in London'.
English Civil War soldiers are lucky, then, to have the opportunity to roam the country, sampling the local beverages as they go.
The Redstreak variety (noted in the bottom picture) was the apple that revolutionised cider production in the later 17th century. Introduced in the 1660s by a Herefordshire landowner to improve native apple stocks, it caused a minor revolution that resulted in cider becoming, for a time, England's national drink. 55 acres of land adjacent to Hyde Park was set aside for apple orchards, with half of all the produce (whether as apples or cider) going to the Royal court as payment for rent.
Nevertheless, the best drink was to be found in the provinces. When Sergeant Neremiah Wharton marched with the Earl of Essex's army on the Edgehill Campaign in 1642, he passed through Worcester and remarked on: 'that pleasant drink called perry, w'h they sell for a penny a quart, though better than ever you tasted in London'.
English Civil War soldiers are lucky, then, to have the opportunity to roam the country, sampling the local beverages as they go.
Rob Hodkinson, July 2016
Sources:
Andrew, J. Old weights and Measures (Birmingham: Museum of Science and Industry, 2008)
Bruce, J. (ed.) Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles I, 1628-29 (London, 1859)
Ede-Borrett (ed.) The Letters of Neremiah Wharton (Pontefract: Gosling Press, 1984)
Green, M. A. E. (ed.) Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Interregnum (London, 1878)
Green, M. 'Cider', Herefordshire Through Time (Herefordshire Council, 2015) [online] available: http://htt.herefordshire.gov.uk/534.aspx accessed: 2016
Halsall, P. Modern History Sourcebook: William Harrison (1534-1593) Fordham University, New York [online] available: http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1577harrison-england.asp#Chapter III accessed: 2016
Knight, F. A and Dutton, L. M. Devon (Cambridge: University Press, 1910)
Lewis, S. A Topographical Dictionary of England (London: 1848)
Lewis, T. T. (ed.) Letters of Lady Brilliana Harley (London: Camden Society, 1890)
Plant, D. 'The Western Design, 1655', BCW Project (2010) [online] available: http://bcw-project.org/military/anglo-spanish-war/western-design. Accessed: 2016
Steckley, G. F. (ed) The Letters of John Paige, London Merchant, 1648-58 (London: London Record Society, 1984)
Sources:
Andrew, J. Old weights and Measures (Birmingham: Museum of Science and Industry, 2008)
Bruce, J. (ed.) Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles I, 1628-29 (London, 1859)
Ede-Borrett (ed.) The Letters of Neremiah Wharton (Pontefract: Gosling Press, 1984)
Green, M. A. E. (ed.) Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Interregnum (London, 1878)
Green, M. 'Cider', Herefordshire Through Time (Herefordshire Council, 2015) [online] available: http://htt.herefordshire.gov.uk/534.aspx accessed: 2016
Halsall, P. Modern History Sourcebook: William Harrison (1534-1593) Fordham University, New York [online] available: http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1577harrison-england.asp#Chapter III accessed: 2016
Knight, F. A and Dutton, L. M. Devon (Cambridge: University Press, 1910)
Lewis, S. A Topographical Dictionary of England (London: 1848)
Lewis, T. T. (ed.) Letters of Lady Brilliana Harley (London: Camden Society, 1890)
Plant, D. 'The Western Design, 1655', BCW Project (2010) [online] available: http://bcw-project.org/military/anglo-spanish-war/western-design. Accessed: 2016
Steckley, G. F. (ed) The Letters of John Paige, London Merchant, 1648-58 (London: London Record Society, 1984)