Assize of Ale

About this route

History & Origins Medieval Roots • The Assize of Bread and Ale was enacted in England around 1266 under Henry III • It established regulated prices for bread and beer based on grain prices — essentially the world's first consumer protection law for food and drink • Beer was a safer drink than water for much of medieval life, making alehouses central to community life The Victorian Revival • In the late 19th century, Victorian civic societies revived the Assize of Ale as a **