A Day in the life of William Rowley, a brewer (morning)

New Ship Inn Yard, Shrewsbury (image) [+]
There's my great brewhouse on the left. On the right is my warehouse for loading up the carts. (Image courtesy of Shrewsbury Museums Service and www.darwincountry.org)

May the Lord be with you this frosty morning! Get some of my beer down you – that’ll put fire in your belly! No good drinking the filthy water here, though they say the new conduit waters are much improved; it’s beer for breakfast, midday and supper, if you want to stay healthy. What’s good for your stomach keeps my family well fed. We’re the largest brewers in the town, and this vast great brew house is mine and the warehouse across from it where my carts are loaded. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t like drunkenness. Why, as bailiff, I once arrested Ozias Lloyd for holding a party in his house – on the Sabbath too!

How true is "Days in the Life..."?

These dramatised accounts have been created by the Discovering Shropshire's History team. We used information taken from biographies of these individuals as researched by Bill Champion, author of "Everyday Life in Tudor Shrewsbury". These biographies, with the sources he used, can be seen in full by clicking on the "in depth" buttons on each page.