Redstreak
Encyclopedia
The Redstreak, also spelt Redstrake, Red Streak or Red-streak, is or was a very old variety of cider apple
formerly commonly planted in England
.
It is sometimes referred to as the Herefordshire
Redstreak or Old Redstreak to distinguish it from later-developed varieties, such as the Somerset Redstreak, with a similar name.
recorded that it was originally named the "Scudamore Crab", having first been intensively planted by the diplomat and politician John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore
. Scudamore's efforts in improving and raising fruit trees on his estate at Holme Lacy
were an attempt to match the superior French
cider available at the time. Scudamore had been ambassador to France, and supposedly raised this apple from a pip brought back from there.
During the 17th century, the Redstreak (as the apple was later to become known) became celebrated as the finest cider apple variety in England, and was the source of Herefordshire's reputation as the premier cider-producing region in the country. Scudamore himself assisted in popularising the drink, having tall, elegant glasses for it engraved with his and the royal arms, and setting up large-scale production at Holme Lacy, where the cider was bottled and kept in water-cooled cellars.
For a time cider made from Redstreak apples changed hands at extraordinarily high prices - as high as the best imported wine - but by the late 18th century the variety was already in decline. By the 19th century the Redstreak was reported to be almost extinct, much like the Styre
, another formerly well-known cider apple variety that had suffered from an apparent decline in quality and productiveness. Thomas Knight
's Pomona Herefordiensis (1811), noted that "trees of the Red-streak can now no longer be propagated; and the fruit, like the trees, is affected by the debilitated old age of the variety, and has in a very considerable degree, survived those qualities to which it was owing its former fame".
This decline may have occurred in older apple cultivars as virus
es gradually built up in their tissues over time and were transferred during propagation, with increasing negative effects on productiveness, vigour and even flavour.
"Herefordshire Redstreak" apples are currently available from some nurseries, but it is unclear whether these are related to the original variety, which may now be extinct.
, in his late 18th-century Observations on the Management of Orchards and Fruit Liquor in Herefordshire, noted that only a "few old trees" of the Old Redstreak remained, and that the fruit was "small, roundish, of a pale yellow ground, with numerous faint red streaks; the flesh firm, full of juice, and when ripe, finely flavoured". The tree's habit was described as "singularly awkward [...] ragged and unsightly".
The Redstreak was classed as a "bittersweet" cider apple variety, and indeed was the first of the bittersweet varieties to appear in England: the second generation of bittersweet (or "French") varieties, such as Dymock Red, were produced from it.
Cider apple
Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in cider production. In the UK the Long Ashton Research Station categorised Cider apples in 1903 into four main types according to the nature of their flavour components. For Cider production it is important that the fruit contains...
formerly commonly planted in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is sometimes referred to as the Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
Redstreak or Old Redstreak to distinguish it from later-developed varieties, such as the Somerset Redstreak, with a similar name.
History
The variety is traditionally said to have first appeared in the early 17th century; John EvelynJohn Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
recorded that it was originally named the "Scudamore Crab", having first been intensively planted by the diplomat and politician John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore
John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore
John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore , diplomat and politician, was the eldest son of Sir James Scudamore of Holme Lacy, Herefordshire....
. Scudamore's efforts in improving and raising fruit trees on his estate at Holme Lacy
Holme Lacy
-Etymology:Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse holmr "island" like other places of the name Holme, but from the fairly similar Old English hamm "land in a river-bend". The name was recorded as Hamme in the Domesday Book in 1086...
were an attempt to match the superior French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
cider available at the time. Scudamore had been ambassador to France, and supposedly raised this apple from a pip brought back from there.
During the 17th century, the Redstreak (as the apple was later to become known) became celebrated as the finest cider apple variety in England, and was the source of Herefordshire's reputation as the premier cider-producing region in the country. Scudamore himself assisted in popularising the drink, having tall, elegant glasses for it engraved with his and the royal arms, and setting up large-scale production at Holme Lacy, where the cider was bottled and kept in water-cooled cellars.
For a time cider made from Redstreak apples changed hands at extraordinarily high prices - as high as the best imported wine - but by the late 18th century the variety was already in decline. By the 19th century the Redstreak was reported to be almost extinct, much like the Styre
Styre
The Styre or Stire, also known as the Forest Styre, was an old English variety of cider apple which was formerly common in the Forest of Dean. It is currently thought to be extinct, but may still survive in old orchards or gardens.-History:...
, another formerly well-known cider apple variety that had suffered from an apparent decline in quality and productiveness. Thomas Knight
Thomas Andrew Knight
Thomas Andrew Knight, FRS was a horticulturalist and botanist who lived at Downton Castle, Herefordshire. He was the brother of Richard Payne Knight....
's Pomona Herefordiensis (1811), noted that "trees of the Red-streak can now no longer be propagated; and the fruit, like the trees, is affected by the debilitated old age of the variety, and has in a very considerable degree, survived those qualities to which it was owing its former fame".
This decline may have occurred in older apple cultivars as virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es gradually built up in their tissues over time and were transferred during propagation, with increasing negative effects on productiveness, vigour and even flavour.
"Herefordshire Redstreak" apples are currently available from some nurseries, but it is unclear whether these are related to the original variety, which may now be extinct.
Characteristics
William MarshallWilliam Marshall (agricultural writer)
William Marshall was a leading writer on 18th century English agriculture. He was an early proponent of the establishment of a state-sponsored body to promote improved farming standards and agricultural colleges. He was born the younger son of William and Alice, yeoman farmers, in Sinnington, in...
, in his late 18th-century Observations on the Management of Orchards and Fruit Liquor in Herefordshire, noted that only a "few old trees" of the Old Redstreak remained, and that the fruit was "small, roundish, of a pale yellow ground, with numerous faint red streaks; the flesh firm, full of juice, and when ripe, finely flavoured". The tree's habit was described as "singularly awkward [...] ragged and unsightly".
The Redstreak was classed as a "bittersweet" cider apple variety, and indeed was the first of the bittersweet varieties to appear in England: the second generation of bittersweet (or "French") varieties, such as Dymock Red, were produced from it.