History of Cider

Wild apples originate in Central Asia and spread throughout Europe – our native crab apples

The ancestor of modern, domestic apples moves west from the Tien Shan mountains with traders along the Silk Road

Romans invade Great Britain, bringing with them their domestic apple varieties and orchard techniques

The Middle Ages prove a quiet time for cider, with much knowledge and understanding of apples and cider lost

After the Invasion, the Normans brought over superior, high tannin cider apples, improved orcharding   and advanced  pressing technology

10 acres of orchards recorded in Nottingham

Cider making recorded in Yorkshire, Hampshire and Sussex

The Church felt it necessary to warn people not to baptise their children with cider

The Wycliffe ‘Cider’ Bible is published. It gets its name owing to the translation of the verse, ‘For he (John the Baptist) shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor cider’

Christopher Merret delivers a paper to the Royal Society detailing his experiments of fermenting cider in strengthened bottles, a method popularised in Champagne, but crucially, 6 years before pioneer Dom Perignon was even born!

King Charles I drank cider in preference to wine

John Evelyn’s Pomona is the first countrywide account of cidermaking practices.  He also noted,’ Generally all strong and pleasant cider excites and cleanses the Stomach, strengthens Digestion, and infallibly frees the Kidneys and Bladder from breeding the Gravel Stone’

Lord Bute’s Government introduces a tax on cider leading to ‘cider riots’ in the West of England.  It also led to the phrase ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’, coined by William Pitt the Elder, describing the layman’s right to protect his private property from entry by the tax man

True commercial cider production begins. Producers begin to purchase apples and make cider for sale, rather than for the farm

Truck, the practice of part payment of wages for farm labourers with cider, is officially deemed illegal, but continues well into the 20th century. Up to 8 pints a day were on offer for the best workers!

National Association of Cider Makers is founded

Cider making and orchard management techniques improved to increase yield and consistency to match increasing consumer demand

Cider Duty is reintroduced

Cider renaissance well underway, supported by new branding, advertising and changing consumer trends