'Stinking Bishop' is a variety (cultivar) of

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the po ...

cultivated near

Dymock Dymock is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England, about four miles south of Ledbury. In 2014 the parish had an estimated population of 1,205. Dymock is the origin of the Dymock Red, a cider appl ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, England, primarily for

perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

. The main name of the cultivar is actually 'Moorcroft', named after the farm at

Colwall Colwall is a civil parish in Herefordshire, England, situated on the border with Worcestershire, nestling on the western side of the Malvern Hills at the heart of the AONB. Areas of the village are known as Colwall Stone, Upper Colwall which sha ...

where it first arose,Morgan (2015) ''The Book of Pears: The Definitive History and Guide to Over 500 Varieties'', Chelsea Green, p.262 and 'Stinking Bishop' is only one of several other names, including 'Malvern Hills', 'Malvern Pear', 'Choke Pear', and 'Choker'. The name 'Stinking Bishop' refers to FrederickTasty Bishop burger is no striker
, ''Cotswold Journal'', 01-09-06 (or Percy) Bishop, who owned Moorcroft Farm in the early 1800s and was presumably the cultivar's breeder. Bishop allegedly had an ugly temperament. In a 2005 American

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

interview, Charles Martell, the maker of Stinking Bishop cheese, related a story that Bishop got angry at his kettle one day for not heating fast enough and in retaliation shot it. This story, although apocryphal, illustrates the sort of behaviour that earned Bishop his reputation for irascibility.

Characteristics

'Moorcroft' is a medium-sized pear of rounded-conical shape; it has a greenish-yellow skin, turning bright yellow, and some russetting. Its juice has medium acidity and tannin with little or no citric acid present; in the 19th century, it was praised for making perry with good alcoholic strength and flavour.

References

External links

Pears of Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire Orchard Group
{{Pyrus Forest of Dean Pear cultivars