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Elsie Marley
Elsie Marley (c. 1713–1768) was an Alewife (trade), alewife in Picktree, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. This is close to Harraton Hall, the home of the Lambton family. A song and jig tune bearing her name, popular in her lifetime, are still current locally. Life A surprising amount is known about the life of Alice (Elsie) Marley, from birth and marriage records, from newspaper accounts of her death, and from Cuthbert Sharp's notes on the song about her life, prepared in consultation with her grandson. Her birth name, Alice Harrison, being common, a firm identification seems impossible, but she may well be the Alice Harrison christened in Houghton-le-Spring, on 24 August 1713. This is not far from Chester-le-Street, and this birth date is consistent with the date of her marriage. In 1735 she became the first wife of Ralph Marley, who kept a public house at Chester-le-Street#Bus, Picktree, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham. They had eight children. She was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alewife (trade)
Alewife, also brewess or brewster, is a historical term for a woman who brewed ale for commercial sale. Women have been active in brewing since before the process's industrialisation. Etymology The word "alewife" is first recorded in England in 1393 to mean "a woman that keeps an ale-house", synonymous with the word "brewster". "Alewife" is now commonly used in translations of ancient texts to refer to any woman who brewed and sold ale dating back to the beginning of recorded history. Background Although the profession was later taken over by men, the original brewing profession back in ancient Mesopotamia was principally performed by women. The character of Siduri in the Epic of Gilgamesh appears as a divine alewife. Women also brewed the majority of ale for both domestic and commercial use in England before the Black Death, and some women continued brewing into the 17th century.Bennett (1996), p.15. Ale represented a key part of the medieval English diet as it was both the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
