Happy Boys at Winchester College

Yesterday, I took a detour from an academic field trip to Winchester Cathedral to tour Winchester College. (Don’t let the name confuse you. It’s what us Americans would call a private school for boys 13-18. Centuries ago, it was for boys about 8-13.) It was founded by William of Wykeham in the late 14th century and served as a feeder school to New College, Oxford, which he also founded.

Since school is in session, it was a guided tour. But the guide’s information was most interesting, particularly the following. And I know of some boys that would find the following interesting as well.

In times past, the water was not good to drink. The solution? Beer. The boys had a ration of 3 1/2 pints of beer a day. Now it was weakish beer, but still. The school even had its own brewery.

The boys didn’t stop getting their beer until 1902.