History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 197

amassed great wealth. Englishmen now entered the industry, but we still hear of
Dutch brewers in the reign of James I. Improvements in the art continued to be
brought from the Low Countries; Sebastian Brygonne, a German, set up a new kind of
furnace for brewing in the reign of Elizabeth, and a patent for a similar invention was
applied for by Stowghberghen.
10. 2.
A few brewing terms of Low Dutch origin appear previous to the introduction of beer
brewing at the end of the 14th century.
Scum (a. 1250, Prov. of Alfred, but in this text the word is of doubtful meaning and
identity; the first certain occurrence is 1340, Ayenbite), foam, froth, bubbles; not from
an OE. *scūm, or else the Eng. would have had initial sh-, nor is it recorded in ON.;
the word was probably taken from Low Dutch as a term of brewing; the Low Dutch
forms are MLG. schûm (whence M.Sw., Sw., Norw., Da. skum), M.Du. schuum,
schûme (Du. schuim); for the shortening of the vowel in Eng. compare thumb and
plum.
Gyle-house, Gylhous (1334-5, Durh. Acc. Rolls), a brewhouse. Gyle-fat (1341, Test.
Ebor.), the vat in which wort is left to ferment; the comb. of gyle with fat, of OE. origin,
points to an introduction of gyle considerably earlier than its first recorded occurrence.
Gyling (1411) is used only attributively in gyling-house, -ker, -tub, -fat. Gyle (1594,
Plat, Jewel Ho.), ‘a brewing’, the quantity brewed at one time; (c. 1440, Pr. Parv.,
‘gyylde or newe ale’), wort in process of fermentation; ad. Du. gijl (earlier in Kilian ghijl
is defined as ‘chylus, cremor cereuisiae’); appears a century earlier in combs. than as
a separate word.
Gyle-ker (1573, Lanc. and Chesh. Wills), a tub or other vessel for holding wort; a
comb. of gyle and kier, from ON. ker, a tub.
Kit (1375, Barbour), a circular wooden vessel made of hooped staves; apparently ad.
M.Du. kitte, of the same meaning (Du. kit, a tankard).
Two words appear in the 15th century.
Bung (c. 1440, Pr. Parv.), a stopper for the hole in a barrel; O.E.D. compares with
M.Du. bonghe, a stopper, esp. a large stopper for the mouth of a cask; bung is
probably from M.Du., and its earliest instance, in the Pr. Parv., is all in favour of this
origin.
Keel (1485, Naval Acc. Hen. VII), a tub or vat for holding liquor; probably ad. MLG.
kelle, a ladle, tub, or M.Du. kele, keel; this word may have entered English as a sea
term of the provisioning of ships.
Brewery (1658, Hexham), a house for the purpose of brewing; this word seems to
have been a creation of Hexham's after Du. brouwerije, which he translates by it; it
afterwards found such acceptance as ultimately to supersede the original English
Brewhouse.

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