Aristocratic

In the course of a recent pointless argument on an internet forum, I was criticised for the "aristocratic tone" of my posts. Little did my taunter realise how close he was to the truth.

Blue blood does indeed flow through my veins. Very ancient blue blood. An ancestor of my mother's was one of William the Conqueror's gang and, as a reward for all that killing and oppressing, was given a title and a large estate in the Midlands.

The Earls de Chandelent were a force throughout the Middle Ages, but by the early 20th century only the rump of the estate - a few farms and a village - remained in the family's hands. Still, there was enough money left to provide me with a reasonable private education, albeit not at Eton, as was family tradition.

I don't usually like to talk about my background as it tends to evoke envy and hatred amongst the plebs. You lot won't turn nasty on me, will you, just because I'm a bit of a toff?

I'll see if I can dig out an image of the family coat of arms for you to admire.

What's this got to do with beer? Well, there's a disused brewery at the family seat. It looks just like a stable or storehouse, but I've been assured that they brewed there until sometime in the middle of the 1800's. See if you can spot which it is in "Country House Brewing in England 1500 - 1900" by Pamela Sambrook, 1996 (ISBN 1 85285 127 9).