Wild apples originate in Central Asia and spread throughout Europe – our native crab apples
09 Jul, 1971
5000BC
The ancestor of modern, domestic apples moves west from the Tien Shan mountains with traders along the Silk Road
08 Apr, 1972
1000BC
Hebrews drink ‘shekar’ and Greeks drink ‘sikera’
08 Apr, 1973
1000BC – 50AD
Evidence suggests that Celtic Britons were making and drinking a primitive form of cider from crab apples
09 Jan, 1975
50 AD
Romans invade Great Britain, bringing with them their domestic apple varieties and orchard techniques
09 Mar, 1990
400AD – 1066
The Middle Ages prove a quiet time for cider, with much knowledge and understanding of apples and cider lost
09 Dec, 1991
1066
After the Invasion, the Normans brought over superior, high tannin cider apples, improved orcharding and advanced pressing technology
09 Jan, 1993
1120
10 acres of orchards recorded in Nottingham
09 Jan, 1994
1270
Cider making recorded in Yorkshire, Hampshire and Sussex
09 Jan, 1995
1320
The Church felt it necessary to warn people not to baptise their children with cider
09 Feb, 1996
1420
The Wycliffe ‘Cider’ Bible is published. It gets its name owing to the translation of the verse, ‘For he (John the Baptist) shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor cider’
09 Feb, 1997
1632
Christopher Merret delivers a paper to the Royal Society detailing his experiments of fermenting cider in strengthened bottles, a method popularised in Champagne, but crucially, 6 years before pioneer Dom Perignon was even born!
09 Feb, 1998
1646
King Charles I drank cider in preference to wine
09 Feb, 2000
1763
Lord Bute’s Government introduces a tax on cider leading to ‘cider riots’ in the West of England. It also led to the phrase ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’, coined by William Pitt the Elder, describing the layman’s right to protect his private property from entry by the tax man
09 Feb, 2001
1880s
True commercial cider production begins. Producers begin to purchase apples and make cider for sale, rather than for the farm
09 Feb, 2002
1887
Truck, the practice of part payment of wages for farm labourers with cider, is officially deemed illegal, but continues well into the 20th century. Up to 8 pints a day were on offer for the best workers!
09 Feb, 2003
1920
National Association of Cider Makers is founded
09 Feb, 2004
1945 – present
Cider making and orchard management techniques improved to increase yield and consistency to match increasing consumer demand
09 Feb, 2005
1976
Cider Duty is reintroduced
09 Feb, 2017
2006
Cider renaissance well underway, supported by new branding, advertising and changing consumer trends
09 Jul, 2017
2016
Cider has a greater diversity of producers, brands and consumers than ever before!
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