Po(o)rter beer references

Reference material mentions Poorters beer or poertre in the Low Countries dating as far back as the year 1301.

Reference 1:
Leven der doorluchtige Heeren van Arkel, ende Jaar-Beƒchrijving der stad Gorinchem, Heerlijkheyd, ende Lande van Arkel, onder deƒƒelfs Heeren, ook onder de Graven van Holland, tot den Jare 1500.
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München
Author: Abraham Kemp
Publisher: Vink
Date: 1656
Google digital 8 jan 2010

Page 429:
Des Saterdaags voor S.Symon en Juda 1498. wierd verhaald een manier hoe men na ouden Herkomen, Stadts Accijƒen verpacht.

[The Saturday before Saint Symon and Judas 1498 is told a way in which following the old custom, the Cities taxes are defined.][translation by the author]

Page 430:
‘Geen Brouwer ƒal bier uyt ƒijn huys laten dragen, dan mette geƒworen dragers, uytgenomen Poorters en Schipluyden bier, dat ƒy ƒelver drinkken, op boete als voren.’

[No brewer will have beer carried out of his house, other than with sworn porters, except Poorters and Schipluyden beer, that they drink themselves, fined as before mentioned.][translation by the author]

Reference 2:
H. Bruch, Middeleeuwsche rechtsbronnen van Gorinchem. Werken der Ver. tot uitgaaf der bronnen van het Oud-vaderlandsche recht, Derde Reeks, nr. 8 (Utrecht 1940)
This is an older version of Source 1  (1398 )
[Note that the text remained the same and the spelling changed in time, oo changed to oe]

... int jaer xcviii tsaterdaghes voer sente Sijmon ende Judendach na allen ouden haercomen ...'

uutghenomen der poerters bier ende der sciplude bier dat si selven drincken, ...'

Reference 3:
'De middelaer of Bydragen ter bevordering van tael, onderwys en geschiedenis'
Volume 1 1840
Google digital 21 april 2008
Page 305
Dit geschiedde reeds een maend (1) na de pas gemelde overeenkomst: Berthout en de hertog vergunden aen die van Mechelen eene allervoordeeligste Keure…
(1) Namelyk den 13 December 1301.

[This happened already one month (1) after the agreement before mentioned: Berthout and the Duke granted those of Mechelen very advantageous rights and privileges.
(1) Namely 13th of December 1301.][translation by the author]

Page 307
Voert, dat men engheenrande bier binnen der vriheit van Machelne bringhen en mach, en (of het) sal assise gheven, ghelijc dat ghebruwen ware binnen Machelne, noch dierre (duerder) vercoopen dane poertren (1)
(1) Dan poortersbier, zulk namelyk dat de fatsoenelyke burgers drinken. Zou men hier niet mogen denken aen den engelschen porter?

[Next, does one bring any beer into the city, this will be taxed, as if it where brewed within Mechelen, and one is not allowed to make it more expensive than poertren (1). (pronunciation: Porter)
(1) Than Poortersbeer, that in fact what the decent people drink. Should one not think here about the English Porter?]
[translation by the author]
(Please note that the original tekst is from 1301 and the comments are from 1840.)
(Please note that 'poertren' meaning Poorter turns into beer by means of context, like in: 'lets drink a Porter'.)

Reference 4:
In the ‘Keurboek’ of the city of Reimerswaal second half of the 16th century (ed. R.Fruin) page 101 number 50 is a keur titled ‘Poorters excijs’:

Item wie bier tapt binnen of buyten huyse, dat hy opgeleyt heeft tot zijns selfs drincken, die zal daeraf geven geheelen excijs. Insgelijcx sullen doen diegene, die bier overslaen in haer scepen ende thuysdragen met den vate of met cannen, mits noch verbueren(de) 3 lb..

Translation Dutch
nummer 50 ‘Poorters accijns’
Voorts: wie bier, voor eigen gebruik opgeslagen, tapt in zijn huis of daarbuiten moet de volle accijns betalen. Hetzelfde geldt voor degenen die bier in hun schepen overladen en naar huis dragen in vaten of in kannen. Boete 3 pond.

Translation English
Number 50 ‘Poorters tax’
Next, those who sell beer in or outside of their houses, that was stored for their own use, must pay full taxes. The same applies to those who tranship beer from their ships and carry it home in barrels or jugs. Fine 3 pounds.

[A poorter (or older poertre) is an old legal term concerning an inhabitant of a fortified walled city with city gates. In Dutch ‘poort’ means ‘gate’ as in 'stadspoort' meaning 'city gate'. Poorter legislation differed from city to city but generally stated that a person could only be poorter in one city and had to be loyal to that city in various ways. One way would be to demand a poorter be to able to show up armed in case of an attack on the city.]

Frederik Ruis