A buttery was a service room in a large medieval house in which butts, barrels or bottles of alcoholic drink were stored and from which they were served into the Great Hall. The "butler" was anciently the household officer in charge of the buttery, and possibly for its provisionment, that is to say the sourcing and purchasing of wine, and was required to serve wine to his lord and guests at banquets. In the royal household such officer was termed the "Marshal of the Buttery" and was often a post discharged under the feudal land tenure of grand serjeanty. In less important households such an officer was termed the yeoman of the buttery.