Bere (Hordeum vulgare) is lax eared 6-row old variety of barley which was once traditionally grown in the more northern parts of Britain and Scandinavia. Unlike the modern barley’s of today, which are mainly grown for malting or animal fodder, Bere is ground down into Beremeal and made into breads and bannocks. The Production of Bere today is extremely small and isolated to the North of Scotland and the Northern Isles, with Orkney growing the largest quantity while very small quantities are grown in Shetlands and parts of Caithness. The importance of the historical role of Bere in Scottish agricultural terms is indicated by the fact in 1769 more Bere was grown in Scotland than barley and that until 1960 the Scottish Agricultural statistics recorded barley and Bere together.
|
 |
Barley History
Barley is the oldest cereal cultivated in Britain and probably the oldest in cultivation in the world. Archaeological finds of lax eared 6-row barley were recorded in Early Iron Age remains from Maiden Castle, Dorset dating back 2500-2700 years. However, consumption of cereals by hunter-gatherers can be traced back to ancient times. Fossilised, 2-rowed barley has been found in Jericho and Jordan, which are believed to date back to the Palaeolithic period, some 10,000 years ago. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L), along with Emmar and Einkorn wheat are thought to be the first cereals cultivated 10,000-8000 BC by semi nomadic hunters who gathered the wild cereals in the “Fertile Crescent”, a land area incorporating modern day Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey Iran and Iraq.
|
Origins of Bere
It is not clear when or where Bere originated or even when it first appeared in the UK. But, grains of 6-row barleys dating back to about 3000 BC have been found at Unstan in Orkney and 6-row barleys were commonly grown in Britain from Neolithic to Viking times. It has been suggested that Bere may have been introduced to Orkney by the Vikings as, in the past, it was also called “Bygge” or “Big” which probably originated from “Bygg”, the Old Norse for barley. By the 19th century, Bere was also referred to as Scots Bere and by the end of the 19th century several types of the latter were recognised – “Black Bere”, “Victoria Bere”, “Buchan Bere” and “Winter White Bere”. It is not clear how today’s Bere relates to these types. The first, not very complementary (!), written reference to “beare barley” comes from Fitzherbert writing in 1523 who described it as having “small cornes and little flour and that is the worste of barley”.
Bere and Orkney
Bere has been intimately associated with the Orkney Islands and Orkney Agriculture. The importance of this crop to the farmers in the Northern Isles through the centuries is without question. The Bere served as a source for bread and drink, a valuable commodity for the important export trade to Shetland, Caithness, Norway and Germany, and also a large portion of the tenants rent, as the lairds of the day insisted on having a considerable proportion of their rents paid with Bere. The yearly and seasonal fluctuations of the Bere supplies from imports and quantity of Bere grown could have a dramatic effect on diets. Due to low stocks of Bere, locals of North Ronaldsay had a summer without Bere bread in 1529.
 |
The export of Bere as whole grain and meal was very much dependant on the growing season, a poor season could mean only enough grain was availably for Orcadians own use. Equally, a good growing season could provide surplus grain for exporting. The money gained from exporting Bere was very much dependent on supply and demand. Good yielding years could flood the market meaning low prices at foreign ports while quantities of Bere could be sold off at a premium during years of bad weather or drought, assuming the grain did not heat up during the voyage and spoil. In very bad years the export trade reversed and many tenants had to import Bere themselves to make do. The export trade could be an uncertain business bad weather, stormy seas, delayed journeys and competition at foreign ports could be costly but the trade continued to flourish even despite a toll applied to Bere and Beremeal in 1721 by the King of Denmark on all imports.
 |
Historical accounts from Orkney record aspects of its cultivation under the runrig system of agriculture. That Bere was grown on the best piece of infield land and oats grown on the marginal land indicates the importance of this crop. Great care and effort was taken in the preparation of the infield land for the coming seasons Bere crop. In the Diary of Patrick Fea, of Stove Orkney 1766-96; he indicates that at least 35-40 days a year were set aside for the collection of seaweed, that winter storms had deposited on the shore and putting it onto the infield land as manure. Up to as many as 26 men and 20-30 horses were employed for the gathering and carting of the seaweed to the fields.
 |
Bere was grown mostly in Scotland and Wales and until about the end of the 19th century it was a staple crop in the Northern Isles of Shetland and Orkney where it was obviously well adapted to the local environment. Through the 20th century, however, it was displaced by higher yielding 2-row varieties and by the 1990s only about 10 ha of Bere was being grown in Orkney, Shetland and Caithness. The survival of the crop in cultivation is largely thanks to the dedication of a few interested growers and, in Orkney, to the commercial outlet for Bere meal provided by Barony Mill.
 |
 |