#inns

View of an airplane flying over the Dearborn Inn in Dearborn, Michigan. Printed on front: "The Dearborn Inn, 'a real New England Inn,' opposite Ford Airport, Dearborn, Mich." Printed on back: "The Dearborn Inn, 'a real New England Inn' opposite the Ford Airport and passenger terminal. Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, Mich. 108 rooms, 108 baths. Open all year. Meals, table d'hote and a la carte service. Published by L.G. Treadway Service Corp., post cards of quality, the Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y."

CRAFTS — 218/262 — Taverns, inns and innkeepers

The Czech word for tavern, ‘hospoda’, may originate from the Latin ‘hospes’ – guest, ‘hospitium’ – hospitality, shelter, though the more likely etymology is from the old Slavonic ‘gospod, gospodja’ – the Master of the House. Alehouses were an integral part of all medieval villages. Originally, beer was drawn in what was called the maashouse, an area on the ground floor of a townhouse whose owner had brewing rights, while special-purpose taverns and inns came along later. These served as places for social events, meetings, trading and lodgings. Some inns had rooms for overnight guests and special stables and spaces for carriages – these were called wagoners’ inns and were located out of town at crossroads and along trade routes. The seating was more often outdoors than indoors. It was said of Wenceslas IV that he was fond of visiting taverns and alehouses to eavesdrop on what the locals had to say about him and to check that the owners were complying with his edicts. In the Middle Ages, no one took exception to alcohol. The Germans, Russians and Czechs, in particular, were Europe’s fabled drinkers. There was a formal curfew at dusk, or when the night watchman began his rounds, although drinking and feasting often went on until the early morning hours. In KCD we have tried to keep the image of medieval taverns faithful to surviving records.

TRIVIA

— In the later Middle Ages, inns developed into organized establishments distinct from simple alehouses, offering accommodation for travellers, their horses, and their goods. A typical inn consisted of a hall, kitchen, storage areas, stables, and sleeping chambers, many of which were communal, though private locked rooms became increasingly common over time. Besides lodging, inns functioned as centres of trade, where goods such as beer, wine, and cloth were bought and sold.

By the 14th century, inns had become a regular feature of towns, with their number reflecting the size and importance of the settlement. They generated significant revenue, with innkeepers themselves often belonging to the urban elite, taking part in local government and engaging in adjacent activities such as brewing, trade, and finance, with inns sometimes serving as warehouses or informal banks. However, female innkeepers appeared to only make up about 10-20% of the owner population. Women tended find themselves as innkeepers after their husbands died and they inherited the property.

In nicer inns, floors were sometimes covered with rush mats, which were regularly replaced and often strewn with herbs for freshness. In some places, it was said that the naming of pubs stemmed from Roman times, where the taverns would hang vine leaves outside in order to alert passer-bys that wine was sold within. Besides leaves, tavern most often painted their signs with simple symbols, such as animals in specific colours, so they could be easily recognized by illiterate customers. Sean's Bar is a pub (tavern) in Athlone, Ireland, notable for its alleged establishment in 900 CE, and claims to be the oldest existing bar in Ireland. The Old Ferry Boat Inn is another English pub claiming to be the country’s oldest, with the pub’s history reportedly going back to 560 CE.

On the names of various inns in the city of Cambridge, during the 15th and 16th centuries.