Overview
Women brewed and sold most of the ale consumed in medieval England, but after 1350, men slowly took over the trade. By 1600, most brewers in London were male, and men also dominated the trade in many towns and villages. This book asks how, when, and why brewing ceased to be women's work and instead became a job for men. Employing a wide variety of sources and methods, Bennett vividly describes how brewsters (that is, female brewers) gradually left the trade. She also offers a compelling account of the endurance of patriarchy during this time of dramatic change.
Full Product Details
Author: Judith M. Bennett (Professor of History, Professor of History, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.426kg
ISBN: 9780195126501
ISBN 10: 0195126505
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 24 June 1999
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
an original contribution to this history of drinking and brewing in England ... Bennett's original contribution to the field is the study that she has made of the surviving records for breaches of the assize of ale. Bennett's volume will be of considerable interest to scholars and students working in a number of different areas. * The Times Higher Education Supplement * This is a stimulating book setting out developments in the brewing industry in a thought-provoking way ... The book is well written, supplied with excellent endnotes testifying to the breadth of the author's scholarly contacts as well as her own researches, and provided with a full bibliography, helpful index and a useful note on pre-decimal currency and medieval liquid measures. * Helen Jewell, Urban History * fascinating facts and figures * Denis Kilcommons, Huddersfield Daily Examiner *
This is a valuable work, not only because of its conclusions, but because of its tackling of the thorny problem of 'historicizing patriarchy.' Highly recommended. --Choice<br> This lean, powerfully argued book merits attention both for its central theme and for its many insights into the development of brewing and the lives of those involved in the trade. --American Historical Review<br>
Author Information
Judith M. Bennett is Professor Emerita of History and John R. Hubbard Chair in British History Emerita at University of Southern California. She has published extensively on the history of women, particularly women in the middle ages. Her books include Women in the Medieval English Countryside (Oxford, 1987) and Sisters and Workers in the Middle Ages (co-editor, 1989).
