Note from the Editor
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Corrections to corrigenda: Wadhurst - Town of the High Weald: for ‘p 126 Caption’ read ‘p 123 line 28’ and the Caption on p 126 should read ‘c.1905’ and not ‘c. 1935’
gallons to 150 gallons in good years. [cont. over]
The barrel is transported to my house and the juice is gravity fed into a similar barrel in my cellar. It is raw juice, unpasturised, and will naturally start fermentation from the wild yeasts on the apples; however in order to ensure it starts quickly (it can go off with no preservative) yeast is introduced. There are many varieties of yeast – the one I use is Gervains No 3. a high alcohol wine yeast easily obtained from Wine Equipment Shops in Maidstone or St Leonards.
Once fermentation starts – 2-3 days after yeasting - it will continue from early November till March, very vigorously at the start and then tailing off Jan/Feb/Mar. In order to increase the percentage of alcohol in the final cider the fermenting apple juice (must) is fed with granulated sugar, which must be added slowly as the fermentation activity will burst into life as the yeast feeds on the raw sugar. I add 1 kg every 2 weeks, a max of about 10 kg per 50 gallon barrel and this produces cider of about 8% alc. Sugar is not essential if a lower alc % is required. The tall 50 gallon barrels are better at fermentation than the shorter 5 gallon, although it is still possible to use the latter for special batches of juice.
Initially, the must will be very cloudy but as fermentation ceases in March the then cider will clear with a sediment at the bottom (lees). The cider is then drained (racked off) from the big barrels to smaller 5 gallon semi-clear plastic, leaving the lees behind. It is left unsweetened (so dry it takes the skin off your teeth) because it will last longer. Finally, it is racked from 5 gallon down to a small 20 pint barrel for the kitchen and at the same time sweetened to taste – its life is then about 2-3 weeks, if it lasts that long. A minimum airspace in the barrels ensures the cider has a long life. I don’t think it improves after 3 years so there is no gain in keeping it longer. There is also the risk of it turning into vinegar.
If you want cider-vinegar simply expose the cider to the maximum airspace (a shallow bowl) and it will quickly turn, one to two weeks.
It is possible to make cider from most apple varieties, but some are dreadful (Jonagold) or taste thin but smell superbly (Worcesters); some are good (Cox) and some very good (Blenheim Orange) but getting a
That March he exhibited the moulds to the Society of Antiquaries. Augustus Franks praised his detective work.
The reactions of those who had accepted the objects as genuine arc not known. Charles Roach Smith made no mention of the affair in his memoirs. George Eastwood,
[cont. on p. 132]
however, continued in business in the Haymarket until 1866.
It may be wondered how people were duped by these objects, but scientific archaeology was in its infancy. Charles Roach Smith and Thomas Hugo were the first people to make a systematic study of medieval small finds. Beside this. the debate turned into a moral issue, making impartial discussion difficult.
Billy and Charley escaped prosecution (it may have been difficult to prove that they had broken the law). They continued their activities and swindled several members of the British Archaeological Association. Increasing awareness of Billy and Charley's activities may have caused them to seek new markets. In 1867 they toured the Windsor area selling their creations until a clergyman recognised the objects and alerted the police. Billy and Charley were taken to court, but there were insufficient grounds for prosecution and they fled back to London.
By 1869 Billy and Charley were finding it so difficult to sell their forgeries that Henry Syer Cuming could buy them for a penny. Charley Eaton died on January 4th 1870, aged 35. His death certificate gave the cause of his death as consumption and the place of his death as a tenement in Tower Hamlets. There is no evidence that he died a wealthy man. Billy Smith’s fate is unknown.
There is no record of Billy and Charley’s output, but evidence presented in court at Guildford in 1858 suggested that they manufactured between 1000 and 2000 objects in a year. This indicates that they produced four or five a day (which sounds reasonable considering their working conditions). Between then and 1861 they could have produced
The Billy and Charley Story [cont. from p
Cider Making [cont.]