Deanna Miconi
Prof. M. Sergi
ENG331
1 April 2014
Cheshire’s Beer-Brewers’ Company: Dressing
the ‘Childe’
CONTENTS
Keywords 2
Abstract
1.1 Introduction
2
1.2 Background
2
Procedure 3
Results
Figure 1. Payments made
by the Beer-Brewers’ Company 4
Discussion
4
Conclusion 6
Works Cited 7
Keywords
Beer-Brewers’ Company, Midsummer Show, Child/Childe, accessories,
payments
Abstract
1.1 Introduction
This report will compile and interpret
the records of payments made to the Midsummer Show by the Beer-Brewers’ Company
between 1607 and 1613, noted by Clopper and Mills (2007). The company
paid the most money on clothing items, and more importantly, these articles of
clothing were mainly accessories for costumes. As the first guild to
enter the Midsummer Show post-reformation, the Beer-Brewers conformed to
England’s emerging conservatism, noticeable in the dressing of the young
children (the ‘Childe’) associated with this guild.
1.2 Background
The Beer-Brewers’ Company is a trade
guild that entered Chester’s records in 1606, after a time of cultural,
economic, and religious reform. The Reformation brought forth both social
conservatism and freedom for Europe, increasing social restrictions and
loosening others, noticeable in England’s field of drama. This social
shift is evident in the Beer-Brewers investment of costumes and involvement of
children in shows and plays; a particular aesthetic became an integral part of
performances and reflected a clear depiction of a guild’s abilities,
importance, and affluence. First noticed during the time of the annual
Midsummer Show starting mid-June of 1499, the Beer-Brewers’ Company helped
increase the show’s profit and attractiveness. Either completely naked or
wearing skin-tone bodysuits, children paraded with certain guilds throughout
the show (Clopper & Mills, 880). Assuming the children wore clothing
at all, the Beer-Brewers accessorized their existing coverage rather than fully
clothing them. They were not permitted to wearing proper clothing until
the Midsummer Show was nearly expelled in 1600 by Mayor Henry Hardware II
(Midsummer Watch History). Characterized by fleets of “dancers and
several large ‘animals’- the dragon, the elephant, the mayor’s mount…” (Clopper
& Mills, lxxi) and naked children, this show became a popular, yearly
attraction.
Due to changing political and religious
conditions at the end of the 15th century, rather than eliminating the Midsummer
Show, the mayor forbade the appearance of aspects such as the naked boys and
the devil dressed in feathers (881). He preferred more modestly dressed
children to ride with guild representatives instead. The various articles
of clothing and the amount of money spent on them were dependent on the
specific guild (880). Between 1607 and 1613, the Beer-Brewers’ Company
presented significantly different shows with different expenses.
Nevertheless, more clothing items were added to the list as years
progressed. As a new member of the Midsummer Show in 1606, whether the
Beer-Brewers’ Company intended to give a lavish performance or not, the company
established an honorable name for itself by covering more and more of its
children’s bodies after a period of Reformation.
Procedure
The first step to contextualizing the
Beer-Brewers’ Company’s records of payments for the Midsummer Show is analyzing
the background information of the Show itself. Comparing a series of
dated records and identifying similarities, differences, and trends among them
stimulates new questions about the Midsummer Show and those involved in the
Beer-Brewers’ pageant. Using the index to search associated words such
as: beer-brewers, Midsummer Show, and children (when ‘Childe’ was not found)
allowed me to make further connections between the Beer-Brewers’ records, the
detailed background information, and the descriptions of children in pageants. After noticing the Beer-Brewers were the
first guilt to join the Midsummer Show post-Reformation, I analyzed records
from 1607 through 1613 to explore trends in payments, namely, to explain why
money spent on children’s costumes were significantly higher than any other
payment.
Results
|
Year
|
Item
|
Shillings (s)
|
Pence (d)
|
|
1607
|
stockings
|
6
|
|
|
1608
|
stockings
|
6
|
|
|
1609
|
stockings &
gloves
shoes & strings
|
3
|
20
|
|
1612
|
stockings
shoes
gloves
|
2
|
6
16
8
|
|
1613
|
stockings
shoes & strings
gloves
garter belt
|
2
2
|
8
30
8
2
|
Figure 1. Payments made by the Beer-Brewers’ Company
Discussion
Noted in the 1607 record, aside from
the 6 pence spent “...for a payre of stockings for the childe thest rydd/ at
Mydsomer” (Clopper & Mills, 316), the only other payment mentioning
children is for an “Item give to two footemen to leade the horse and
guide” (316). Only 2 pence were paid to have the children ride horses through
the parade (see Fig. 1). I encountered the
similar findings in the 1608 record. Considering these were a few of the
first appearances that the Beer-Brewers’ Company made at the Show, I
became more curious about the great price difference between accessories
purchased for children and other items that seem like they should be more
expensive such as the horses that were purchased to carry the children and
gifts and cases of “good wyne” purchased for the mayor (316). After
analyzing the Beer-Brewers’ records from 1609 to 1613, I noticed more
accessories were added to each list, again, specifically purchased for the
children. The most repetitive items listed were shoes. As shown in
Figure 1, more money was paid for shoes as the years progressed. This has
led me to consider two possibilities: the market price of shoes increased, or
more children increasingly became involved in the Show after 1608. Either
way, children were noticeably a valuable asset to the Beer-Brewers’ pageant as
guild members were willing to spend as much money necessary to dress the
children.
As the lists never include prices for
accessories or costumes for the Beer- Brewers themselves, the children or
“Childe” may be noted as significant. According to the historical
background information on the Show and the Reformation, it was not common for
children to attend pageants involving alcohol; as a result, the Beer-Brewers’
may have been one of the first guilds to invite children to theirs, post-Reformation
(801). During the Reformation, accessories for children’s were not
compulsory as less attention was paid to them during pageants (Midsummer Watch
History); perhaps accessorizing their outfits may have compensated for the
children’s appearance at the Show as it involved plenty of alcohol. The
political and religious conservatism that the mayor enforced after 1600 is
evident in the Show as children were dressed up with more and more accessories
as the years progressed, from shoes and stockings, to shoes, stockings, garter
belts, and gloves (see Fig. 1). As he threatened to cancel the Midsummer
Show, there is a possibility that the Beer-Brewers wanted to cover the children
with as many simple accessories as they could to comply with the mayor’s shift
to conservatism and keep the Show in action. The lack of staple items such as
trousers and shirts in the list may also suggest that whether the children
already wore such outfits or solely bodysuits, the guild may have wanted to
enhance the aesthetic and professional aspects of their performance through
more distinguished costumes. The shift from a more liberal to
conservative social structure after the Reformation is evident among each of
these possibilities.
Conclusion
As the first guild to invite children
to a pageant represented by alcohol, the Beer-Brewers reveal England’s social
freedom after the Reformation through the field of drama. Rather than
investing in accessories for the Beer-Brewers themselves, dressing up the
children was a more effective way of presenting their guild’s professionalism
and affluence. Considered lucky to involve children in their pageant, the
Beer-Brewers did so by conforming to the mayor’s conservatism by fully clothing
and accessorizing the ‘Childe’. They also did so “modestly” (lxxi)
as the mayor wanted, as the accessories purchased were still simple—nothing too
extravagant. The Beer-Brewers were also privileged to have entered the
Show after the Reformation when it was nearly cancelled in 1600; therefore,
they did what they could to establish and maintain a reputable image.
Word
Count: 1251
Works Cited
M. Clopper, and David Mills, eds. Cheshire
including Chester Records of Early English Drama. Vol 2. Toronto: University of Toronto Press,
2007.
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