E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Banbury.
A Banbury-man—i.e. a Puritan (Ben Jonson); a bigot. From the reign of Elizabeth to that of Charles II. Banbury was noted for its number of Puritans and its religious “zeal.”
1
As thin as Banbury cheese. In Jack Drum’s Entertainment we read, “You are like a Banbury cheese, nothing but paring;” and Bardolph compares Slender to Banbury cheese (Merry Wives, i. 1). The Banbury cheese is a rich milk cheese about an inch in thickness.
