Whitsun Ale

In late medieval and Renaissance England some parish churches financed themselves by holding church ales. These community parties, held at the local church, featured the sale of beer brewed specially for the occasion. Sometimes the parties included food as well. Most church ales were held on holidays and so provided people a way to celebrate as well as furnishing the local church with needed income. These events took place most frequently at Whitsuntide (Pentecost and the week that followed), but might also occur around Easter, May Day, Christmas, and on patron saint days. The English often referred to Pentecost as Whitsunday, so these Pentecost parties became known as Whitsun ales.

One writer of the time described a Whitsun ale in Cornwall (southwestern England) as follows:

For the church-ale, two young men of the parish are yerely chosen by their last foregoers to be wardens, who, dividing the task make collection among the parishioners, of whatsoever provision it pleaseth them voluntarily to bestow. This they employ in brewing, baking, and other acates [purchased provisions], against Whitsuntide, upon which holidays the neighbours met at the church house, and there merily feed on their owne victuals, each contributing some petty portion to the stock, which, by many smalls, groweth to a meetly greatness; for there is entertayned a kind of emulation between these wardens, who, by his graciousness in gathering, and good husbandry in expending, can best advance the churche's profit. Besides, the neighbour parishes at those times lovingly visit one another, and frankly spend their money together. The afternoons are consumed in such exercises as olde and yonge folk (having leysure) doe accustomably weare out the time withall. When the feast is ended, the wardens yeeld in their accounts to the parishioners; and such money as exceedeth the disbursement is layd up in store, to defray any extraordinary charges arising in the parish, or imposed on them for the good of the countrey or the prince's service; neither of which commonly gripe so much, but that somewhat stil remayneth to cover the purse's bottom.

In the sixteenth century a religious reform movement known as the Protestant Reformation gave birth to Protestant Christianity. In England one of the new sects, a group of conservative Protestants called Puritans, objected to many folk customs connected with holiday celebrations, among them church ales. They denounced the events as irreverent intrusions onto holy ground that encouraged drunkenness, disorder, and sexual misconduct. Their campaign against Whitsun ales may have dampened England's enthusiasm for the events. The decline of the Whitsun ale was secured, however, by the fact that by the late seventeenth century church ales had ceased to be an important source of parish funding. Although churches stopped sponsoring these events, people in many parishes continued to gather together for a Whitsun feast, which they organized and paid for themselves.

Further Reading

Hackwood, Frederick W. Inns, Ales, and Drinking Customs of Old England. London, England: T. Fisher Unwin, 1909. Hutton, Ronald. Stations of the Sun. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1996.

单词	whitsun ale
释义	Whitsun Ale Whitsun Ale In late medieval and Renaissance England some parish churches financed themselves by holding church ales. These community parties, held at the local church, featured the sale of beer brewed specially for the occasion. Sometimes the parties included food as well. Most church ales were held on holidays and so provided people a way to celebrate as well as furnishing the local church with needed income. These events took place most frequently at Whitsuntide (Pentecost and the week that followed), but might also occur around Easter, May Day, Christmas, and on patron saint days. The English often referred to Pentecost as Whitsunday, so these Pentecost parties became known as Whitsun ales. One writer of the time described a Whitsun ale in Cornwall (southwestern England) as follows: For the church-ale, two young men of the parish are yerely chosen by their last foregoers to be wardens, who, dividing the task make collection among the parishioners, of whatsoever provision it pleaseth them voluntarily to bestow. This they employ in brewing, baking, and other acates [purchased provisions], against Whitsuntide, upon which holidays the neighbours met at the church house, and there merily feed on their owne victuals, each contributing some petty portion to the stock, which, by many smalls, groweth to a meetly greatness; for there is entertayned a kind of emulation between these wardens, who, by his graciousness in gathering, and good husbandry in expending, can best advance the churche's profit. Besides, the neighbour parishes at those times lovingly visit one another, and frankly spend their money together. The afternoons are consumed in such exercises as olde and yonge folk (having leysure) doe accustomably weare out the time withall. When the feast is ended, the wardens yeeld in their accounts to the parishioners; and such money as exceedeth the disbursement is layd up in store, to defray any extraordinary charges arising in the parish, or imposed on them for the good of the countrey or the prince's service; neither of which commonly gripe so much, but that somewhat stil remayneth to cover the purse's bottom. In the sixteenth century a religious reform movement known as the Protestant Reformation gave birth to Protestant Christianity. In England one of the new sects, a group of conservative Protestants called Puritans, objected to many folk customs connected with holiday celebrations, among them church ales. They denounced the events as irreverent intrusions onto holy ground that encouraged drunkenness, disorder, and sexual misconduct. Their campaign against Whitsun ales may have dampened England's enthusiasm for the events. The decline of the Whitsun ale was secured, however, by the fact that by the late seventeenth century church ales had ceased to be an important source of parish funding. Although churches stopped sponsoring these events, people in many parishes continued to gather together for a Whitsun feast, which they organized and paid for themselves. Further Reading Hackwood, Frederick W. Inns, Ales, and Drinking Customs of Old England. London, England: T. Fisher Unwin, 1909. Hutton, Ronald. Stations of the Sun. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1996.
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