51/78

This dark blue keg was used for cider. It is made of eighteen curved oak staves held together by four iron hoops and holds a gallon of liquor. It was owned by John Denley at his farm in Woodmancote in Gloucestershire and has the initials ‘J. D.’ carved on both of the heads. It has an iron handle and was used for holding a worker’s drink when harvesting in fields.

1 keg: wood (oak); metal (iron)

Citation in publication [H. J. Massingham, 'Country Relics' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1939)] –'These "costrels", "kegs", or "harvest bottles", as they are variously called, were either of leather, the older type, with a leather handleor an oak barrel with iron hoops made by the cooper. The later varied in capacity from half a pint to a gallon, and I have two of them in the Hermitage. Some were painted blue and still more were incised with the initials of their owners. The older keg came from Woodmancote in the Vale of Gloucester and the farm of Mr John Denley, who still uses his cider-mill and press every October, regardless of the "scratter", a trumpery machine which, failing to crush the kernels, sacrifices the flavour. The end grooves are lined with reed to prevent the "scrumpy" (cider) from leaking. My other keg holds little more than half a gallon of its sister-bottle, loops are differently fitted and the handle is of leather instead of iron. It came from Finchingfield in Essex and was given me by Mr Henry Warren.' (p.120) [see also 51/79], MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, circa 1951] - 'Museum of English Rural Life // Equipment to be loaned to the Cotswold Tradition Exhibition // Cat Ref. No.: // 51/78 M // [tick] Cider Barrel [Cleaned] [tick] ...', MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, circa 1951] - '[insert] MASSINGHAM FILE [end insert] // THE COTSWOLD TRADITION // AN EXHIBITION AT CIRENCESTER PARK // MAY-SEPTEMBER 1951 ... // RECEIPT. // Received with gratitude the following articles, collected from Reading University on the 29th April, 1951: // ... Cider Costrel. ... // Loaned by The Massingham Collection.', MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, October 1989] – 'ACC. NO.: 51/78 // NAME: CIDER BARREL // NEG NO.: 35/121 // STORAGE: P. Ex. [Permanent Exhibition] Harvesting.'

Wood, oak, Metal, iron