Talk:Buttery (room)

"Beer and candles"?
"Beer and candles"? Why candles? Seems a little odd--a word or two or explanation is probably in order. Or is should "candles" perhaps read "candies"?
 * No, it most definitely is not candies! candles were stored there and dispensed from there. odd, but true.  Giacomo   19:51, 31 October 2010 (UTC)
 * Maybe a clue is in the name. Why is the room called buttery; what exactly does it mean; did it originally refer to a place where butter was made? Maybe candles were originally made in the same room. Maybe there's some link between butter and candles. Found this on GoogleBooks: it describes the making of margarine (I think) and one sentence reads: "Most of the impurities are allowed to settle with the water, and the clear yellow melted fat, having been freed from floating impurities by skimming, is run off into wooden vessels, and the stearin used for candle making then crystallizes out". I have no idea how the beer fits though.--Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 04:28, 1 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I suspect the name more likely comes from the barrels or "butts" (Latin: buttis - large cask) of beer stored there from . That's why the English word "butler" has more to do with alcohol than butter. In such a household butter woul have been made by a dairy maid housed in a cold dairy probably in a base court.  Giacomo   12:59, 1 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Giacomo is right. I added the misreference to "butter" in a footnote.--Wetman (talk) 18:05, 1 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Ah cool. I was way off mark. I thought I had it nailed with the stearin. I Googled a bit and found out there's actually an English surname Buttery, which is derived from the Anglo-Norman French boterie, and refers to the 'keeper of the buttery'. The ANF word comes from the Late Latin botaria, and this comes from bota, meaning "cask", like you said.--Brianann MacAmhlaidh (talk) 07:31, 2 November 2010 (UTC)