Beer Money Presented at Aldenham School

On Wednesday 20 May, the Master Brewer, Fergus McMullen, visited Aldenham School to conduct our annual Beer Money Ceremony for Year 9 students.

During the ceremony, the Master presented a commemorative £5 crown to each student. The Clerk, Cdre Nick Tindal, spoke to the students about the meaning behind the ceremony. He told them that the ceremony reminds us of the longstanding link between the Brewers’ Company and Aldenham School. The Brewers' Company were entrusted with the care of the School in 1599 by its founder and first headmaster Richard Platt, who was a Past Master of the Brewers' Company. The crown presented to the students is a symbol of the Brewers' Company's concern for the students' wellbeing. It acknowledges that, in days gone by, beer would have been much safer to drink than the dirty water that was available. The beer money ceremony is believed to have evolved out of a beer allowance given to pupils in the early days of the school. Later on, as the supply of drinking water became cleaner, money was substituted instead of beer itself.