Publicans etc

[Trees]

With the help of wonderful Roots chatters I have been on a massive pub crawl trying to find out as much as possible about several publican ancestors. The establishments are listed below. I know that the Beer Act of 1830 allowed any rate payer to purchase a license to open a beer house but what was the situation before the Act? As you can see several ancestors were involved before that date. please feel free to check the Oxford and Berkshire boards for discussions about several of these and please let be have any details of the others you may have.
1.Beer House Alwington Devonshire      1814-1820
2.The Twistledon Arms Broughton Oxfordshire possible family member 1812-1826
3.The Twistledon Arms Broughton Oxfordshire 1841- 1851
4.The Gate Hangs Well Wollaston   1871
5.The Dog Inn. School Rd. Kidlington Oxfordshire 1818-1891
6.The Bell Cassington Oxfordshire 1871-1880
7.The Crown Burr Street Harwell Berkshire 1871-1891
8.The Six Bells Kidlington Oxfordshire Owned 1832-1856
9.The Six Bells Kidlington Oxfordshire 1880-1883
10.The Six Bells Kidlington Oxfordshire 1891-1900
11.The Bell Hampton Poyle Oxfordshire 1851-1901
12.The Bell Warwick Lane Coventry 1841-1851
13.The Golden Cross 81 Dale End Birmingham 1891
14.The Dun Cow Northmoor Oxfordshire 1881
15.The Crown Bury Street Abingdon, Berkshire 1854-1881
16. Beer  House East of horses Grand Junction Warf Coton End Hardingstone Northampton 1851-1869
17.The Hatchet Childrey Berkshire 1911
18.The Leather Bottle Challow Berkshire 1902-1908
19.The Chequers Charney Bassett 1881-1891
20. The Crispin Burr St Harwell Berkshire 1881-1883
21. The Three Horseshoes Kidlington 1889-1894
22. The Three Pigeons Kirtlington 1861
23 The Chequers Spring Street Chipping Norton 1881
24 the Gun smith's Arms Beaford Devon 1851-1901



Cheers
 Trees

[stanmapstone]

The Alehouse Act 1552 (5 and 6 Edw.VI c.25) was the first attempt to co-ordinate existing controls and embody them in statute. Under this Act no-one was allowed to sell beer or ale without the consent of the local Justices of the Peace An act of 1729 gave formal approval to the practice of only granting licenses annually at special licensing sessions known as Brewster Sessions,

The Licensing Act of 1753 (26 Geo. II c.31) did not radically change existing legislation. New licenses could only be granted by persons producing certificates of good character usually signed by parish notables. Most importantly, however, the 1753 act ordered that full registers of victuallers and their recognizances were to be kept by the Clerk of the Peace at Quarter Sessions. Thus began a more thorough recording of the licensing business.
The Ale House Act 1828 incorporated all of the previous statutes relating to the grant of licences. Between 1828 and 1910 a number of Acts were passed such as the Beer House Act 1830, the Beer House Act 1834, the Licensing Act 1842, the Refreshment Houses Act 1860 and the Wine and Beer House Act 1869 as well as licensing Acts in 1872, 1881 and 1902.

Stan

[Trees]

many thanks Stan Do you know if houses run by  the church were regulated in the 16 century? I'm thinking of The Mug House in Claines Worcester still open in the grounds of the church and said to have been built to offer church goers good wholesome drink at a time of dodgy water and The Dog in Kidlington which is described thus
 http://www.communigate.co.uk/oxford/kidhist/page3.phtml  “The Old Dog - .. once known as the Dog & Duck and in mediaeval times `The House of Jesus' or `Jesus House' an inn probably run by monks for travellers passing over Kidlington Green. Parts of the present building thought to date from early 16th.century.”
Trees

[stanmapstone]

Hi Trees,
Apparently although the Public House, or alehouse has been a part of English life since Roman times, it was not until until the mid-sixteenth century that its development can be fully traced. That was when a national system of licensing was first introduced.
In 1552 the crown sought to regulate all alehouses as an action against an apparent increase in levels of drunkenness and social disorder. Evidence from manorial records, suggest that local controls were being implemented throughout the medieval period, but the 1552 Alehouse Act was the first attempt to integrate these existing controls and bring them together in statute.

Stan

[Trees]

So we have covered the sale and premises for drinking beer Did the license out lined also cover who could brew the ale/beer and was any regulation applied to the quality etc in the case of the monks were they supplying "small ale" were there any restrictions on the age of the customers?
Trees

[stanmapstone]

Hi Trees,
You could look at A History of Beer and Brewing
 http://www.rootschat.com/links/01z0/

Stan

[Trees]

Thank you Stan that is an interesting read. I am still wondering about children drinking though. I think the beer must have been pretty weak stuff as it seems to have been consumed in great quantities.
Trees

[stanmapstone]

Small Beer was a popular drink consumed by both adults and children in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was of low alcohol content, and it was safer to drink than water because as it was boiled during production, harmful bacteria were killed.

Stan

[hennie_g7]

Dear All,

I also have a question about publicans. My great grandfather (Frank Lewis Goodchild) is listed in the 1901 census as being the publican of the Wheelwright's Arms in Hurst, Berkshire.  Does anyone have any advice on what sort of records and where I could look for more detail on this?

Many thanks,
Helen