The First Sherburn Brewery
Prior to the recognised brewing activities at the Pigeon Pie Hotel an number of farms and houses brewed their own beer. There are a number of dwellings listed as beer houses in census 1820, there are still a number of beer houses listed in the 1840s.
William Rivis and his son George Rivis began brewing beer at the Pigeon Pie on High Street during the 1820s.Fourteen years later one of George’s relatives Mathew Rivis from Wykeham was brewing beer along side the west beck in building later converted into the East Riding Brewery.
The Rivis family had been a well know family of land owners in Sherburn for many years, there are members of the family buried in St Hilda’s Church. There is a monument memorial inside the church to Mathew Rivis and his wife Mary, Mathew was the agent for Wykeham estate for 44 years.
In the 1841 Census a number of village men are listed are listed brewery workers, maltsters and coopers,
William Rivis aged 25 Farmer/Brewer, George Atkinson aged 30 Maltster, William Brown aged 60 Brewer, John Wilson Cooper John Knaggs is listed as proprietor of the Pigeon Pie Inn, Mathew Rivis listed as Brewer and Maltster, William Moon is listed as a Sadler who also runs a beer house, William Silversides runs a beer house.
Sherburn Brewery Sold
The Brewery was sold to James Kirk of Leeds in 1867 who appointed Mr Robert Brown as manager in 1867, James Kirk already had a successful brewing business in Leeds. In 1867 James Kirk and his wife and family moved into Brewery House.
James Kirk was a very active member of the community, in his time he was chairman of the Sherburn District Conservative Association, Chairman of Sherburn Agricultural Club, and he was County Councillor for Sherburn District.
Sherburn Brewery House adjoining the brewery office and main brewery building on Sherburn High Street prior to a fire which badly damaged part of the building.
The Staff of the East Riding Brewery Sherburn
Sherburn Brewery described as a 6 quarters Brewery with a capacity of 270 barrels per week.
James Kirk appears to have been a very philanthropic member of the community. He was a supporter and major donator to a number of local charities and functions, such as Working men’s benefit , Cricket Club, and Sherburn Brass Band, and the Sherburn clothing fund and poor fund.
He was a generous patron of Sherburn Methodist Chapels and both Sherburn and Ganton Churches.
Extract from Sherburn Parish Magazine
James Kirk appears to have been a very philanthropic member of the community.
As well as the brewery James Kirk farmed land around Sherburn, he owned fields around the brewery and land below the A64 around Millfield, he also owned most of the houses in Millfield.
The farming was mainly cattle which he was able feed using waste product from the brewing process.
In January1883 Superintendent Farrah reported a serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease among the stock on the premises of Mr James Kirk, Sherburn’s East Riding Brewery. It is reported that 14 out of 25 fine beasts had been infected, most of them were to be offered for sale at Malton Market the following week, hence a serious loss to Mr J Kirk. The magistrate declared the premises infected and Superintendent Farrah recommended to the privy council a area of infection including all of Sherburn.
Pidgeon Pie Hotel Sherburn High Street 1905
