Alehouses and good fellowship in early modern England

摘要

The aim of Mark Hailwood's new monograph is ambitious: 'to demonstrate the significance of the history of drinking to the history of early modern England' (12). To such an end Hailwood has decided to concentrate his analysis on the English alehouse. The alehouse was a well-established, if lowly, drinking establishment during the middle ages, something of a poor relation when compared with the tavern and the inn. They were, however, numerous. An official survey of 1577 suggests that there were some 24,000 alehouses by this time, while estimates suggest that this figure had reached 58,000 by 1700. Using a variety of primary sources, including an impressive array of archival materials from Cheshire, Essex, London, Wiltshire, and elsewhere, Hailwood looks at the alehouse as a space where one might sociably and recreationally consume alcohol and, that is, be a good fellow.