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 Tracing
your ancestors who worked in pubs
Introduction
The public house has been an important social institution since
medieval times. As the authorities have always looked on pubs with
some degree of suspicion, regarding them as potential centres for
dissension, drunkenness, and disorder, there are documents going
back until Tudor times which list publicans. In addition there are
other records which can shed light on publicans, the people they
employed, and their lives.
The background
The public house as we know it today is really an invention of the
18th century, before then there were alehouses that sold beer brewed
on the premises often by women, known as alewives or brewsters.
More salubrious were inns, much larger establishments, which might
offer food, stabling for horses, and a variety of dining and meeting
rooms.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw a massive rebuilding
of pubs in reaction to changing tastes and the opening of new establishments
to meet new demand in industrial and suburban areas. Meanwhile more
and more pubs were being bought by breweries with the object of
selling the company’s products. At the same time the authorities
sought to close pubs as a way of reducing drunkenness, which was
endemic among sections of the working classes. In addition increasing
restrictions were placed on pubs, particularly with regard to opening
and closing hours and the games which might be played there.
Since the Second World War a further revolution
has taken place as pubs have had to compete with an increasing range
of leisure pursuits. Many started selling food, while others became
theme pubs in the hope of attracting young people. Their problems
were compounded by immense changes in the brewing industry itself,
which first saw rationalisation into a few large companies and then
the decision of many breweries to stop brewing altogether.
The people
Over the centuries hundreds of thousands of people have run pubs.
Indeed it stills remains an ambition for many a drinker, although
few realise how hard the work is. There is no clear rule about who
became publicans, alewives or innkeepers, but the following suggestions
may help you in your search.
A number of publicans were former sportsmen or
servants (such as butlers and footmen) who often saw a pub as a
way of providing for their retirement. Many children followed their
parents into running pubs. Girls started as barmaids or working
in the kitchen, while boys became potboys or ostlers. It was extremely
common for publicans, particularly in smaller establishments, to
work only part-time, combining run a bar with other work. During
the day running the pub was left in the hands of his wife and other
members of the family. A number of women also ran pubs, often taking
over on the death of their husbands or fathers.
A number of different people were involved with
pubs. Your ancestor may have undertaken one or more of these tasks.
The publican, sometimes known as the landlord,
licensee, licensed victualler, ‘the gaffer’, ‘gov’nor’
or ‘mine host’. It is he (sometimes she) who holds the
license to run the pub and it is his job to ensure the financial
success of the premises. Many licensees are tenants of a brewery,
that is they run the pub on an agreement with the brewery which
owns it, and pay the brewery an agreed amount every year in rent.
Over the past thirty years or so salaried managers,
put in by the company, have begun to run an increasing number of
pubs. Barmaids – female bar staff were often the wives and
daughters of publicans, although by the end of the nineteenth century
barmaids were being hired in the larger and more popular establishments.
Victorian sensibilities ensured that barmaids only worked in the
more expensive saloon or lounge bars, where a better class of customer
was served. Pay was low and hours long, although it was the custom
for accommodation and meals to be included. Barmen – tended
to be young. They were better paid than barmaids, although hours
were as long. Most only remained as barmen for a few years, before
seeking other work. Cellarmen – are employed to look after
the barrels of beer. They tend to be employed in the larger or busier
establishments.
Elsewhere the publican or barstaff usually managed
the cellars. Ostlers – were men and boys who looked after the
horses in coaching inns. This was important work as dozens of coaches
might pass through an inn everyday. Potmen or potboys – potmen
were originally employed to keep pewter drinking mugs clean and
shiny. As glassware replaced pewter during the nineteenth century,
these people were increasingly used to collect glass from tables
in the bar and to act as a general servant to the pub. They were
less well paid than the barstaff.
Extract from 'Tracing your ancestors who
worked in pubs' by Simon Fowler, The Pub History Society
Full article : http://www.uk-history.co.uk/phs/research/ancestors.htm
The records
Licenses
From 1552 onwards, anyone who wanted to sell ale had to apply for
a licence at the Quarter Sessions or the Petty Sessions. In addition
alehouse keepers had to declare that they would not keep a ‘disorderly
house’ and prohibit games of bowls, dice, football and tennis.
These declarations were called recognizances or bonds. Although
the requirements have changed over the years, landlords still have
to get a licence, renewed yearly, and which can be revoked if the
magistrates, meeting in the annual brewster session, feel that the
individual has been running a disorderly pub.
In 1617 the requirement for licences was extended
to inns. In addition between 1570 and 1792 licences could be obtained
directly from the Crown (from 1757 the Stamp Office) rather than
from local magistrates, although few records now survive of these
licences.
The system was overhauled in 1828 with a new
Alehouses Act that provided a framework for granting licences to
sell beer, wine and spirits and for regulating inns.
Records of these licences can generally be found in Quarter and
Petty Session records at local record offices. Quarter sessions
were originally meetings of magistrates (JPs) who met together four
times a year to dispense justice and discuss the administrative
needs of the county, hence the term. Petty sessions were summary
meetings of two or more magistrates to deal with less important
matters.
You should look out for registers of recognizances
and licences granted to licensed victuallers. Few records however
survive from the seventeenth century, but an act of 1753 enforced
the keeping of such registers, so most counties have some material
from the late-eighteenth century. Again the system fell into abeyance,
particularly after 1828, but detailed registers have been kept since
1871. The most detailed registers give the name of the licensee,
the parish in which he lived, the inn sign (i.e. name of the pub),
and the names of occupations of two guarantors who vouched for the
applicant’s probity. However, you are more likely to find just
the name of names of individuals and possibly the parish they came
from, with no indication of which pub he ran.
Within the records there may also be correspondence, copies of bonds
and notes that might contain other information.
The most useful introduction to these records
is Jeremy Gibson and Judith Hunter, Victuallers’ Licences (Federation
of Family History Societies, 1997). The Access to Archives project
is making indexes to all these records, including those relating
to licensed victuallers, available on the internet at www.pro.gov.uk/a2a/
Records of breweries
From the late eighteenth century breweries increasingly bought pubs
which would then only sell their beer. These pubs were known as
tied houses, those which remained free of any tie were free houses.
By the 1980s, about 90% of public houses were tied to one brewery
or another.
The recent turbulent changes in the brewing industry
can make it difficult to track down which brewery originally owned
the pub. If you don’t know have this information, it is worth
trying to track down an old photograph of it which may include signs
indicating who owned it. Local studies libraries (see below).often
have large, and well indexed, collections of local photos. If the
pub is still trading the locals may be able to help.
Once you have tracked down the right brewery,
their records may tell you from whom the pub was bought or when
the land it was built on was acquired. Estate records are usually
held in alphabetical order by premises, and may include title deeds,
mortgages, maps and plans, pub lists and books containing lease
and conveyance details, In addition there may also be records of
beer sold (known as barrelage in the trade) by the pub, although
here too the records are arranged by property rather than by the
publican
Some breweries keep their own records, but many
have been deposited at local record offices. Because of the great
changes taking place in the brewing industry at present it is not
always clear where the records of the larger brewers are. The Brewery
History Society (see below) is keeping an eye on the situation to
ensure the brewery archives are maintained by their new owners or
transferred to the appropriate archival repository. The National
Register of Archives (also see below) should be able to advise you
where these records are at present. Another useful source is Lesley
Richmond and Alison Turton, The Brewing Industry: a Guide to the
Historical Records (Manchester University Press, 1990).
A few breweries have published histories, which
often describe their pubs. Unfortunately these books can be hard
to track down. The best place to start is probably the local history
library.
Other record sources
Census
Census returns survive for the period between 1841 and 1891 (1901
available from January 2002). There are computerised surname indexes
for the 1881 and 1901 censuses, which can be consulted at local
record offices. The national collection of records is at the Family
Records Centre, 1 Myddelton St, London EC1R 1UW, 020-8392 5300 (www.pro.gov.uk/frc),
although the 1901 census will also be available on the internet
(www.census.pro.gov.uk).
Local record offices have copies for their areas.
As occupations of individuals are described it
is fairly easy to pick out publicans. If they ran their pub part-time
the other occupation may also be noted, such as ‘publican and
plumber’. Other members of the household listed in the returns
were likely to have been involved with the pub in one way or another.
The name of the pub is also usually included, together with its
address.
Directories
Directories list all trades people, local notables, and householders.
They were most important in the late nineteenth century, although
they start in the late eighteenth century. Pubs will be listed and
the publican normally named. In addition there may well be adverts
for the larger inns, particularly in tourist areas. As directories
were published every year or so, it is possible to work out roughly
the length of time a person ran a pub and, perhaps, his career moving
from pub to pub..
The Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury, London EC4
holds the largest national collection of directories – although
the Society of Genealogists (See below) also has a sizeable holding.
Local libraries and record offices should have some directories
for their area.
Land records
Even quite small public houses in rural areas
are likely to have a plot of land attached. Descriptions of this
land will appear in tithe and enclosure maps and accompanying documents,
which are roughly for the period between about 1750 and 1850. Sets
of these records are at both the Public Record Office and at local
record offices. Valuation Office returns, between 1911 and 1915,
(at the PRO) describe individual pubs and the land they occupied
in both urban and rural areas, although the records are difficult
to use. Ordnance survey and fire insurance maps will show pubs and
the land they occupied in towns – sets of these maps are normally
at local record offices. Local record offices may also have records
about the sale of properties.
Newspapers
Newspapers are another important – and under used resource
– for finding about publicans and the pubs they ran. There
may be stories about the departure of long-serving landlords and
their staff, activities which took place in local pubs, such as
a darts tournament or annual dinners, court cases involving local
pubs, and the activities of prominent local publicans perhaps within
the Licensed Victuallers Association or in charity work. It is also
worth looking out for notices about the sale of inns and advertisements
from pubs perhaps telling readers about new facilities they offer.
Local record offices and study libraries are
likely to have newspapers for their areas. The biggest collection
of newspapers is at the British Library Newspaper Library, Colindale,
London NW9 5HE (020-7412 7353), with the catalogue now on-line at
www.bl.uk. The PRO has a microfilm set of The Times in the microfilm
reading room and an index on CD-ROM to the newspaper between 1785
and 1905 in the library. The best guide to newspapers is Jeremy
Gibson, Local Newspapers 1750-1920 (Federation of Family History
Societies, 1989).
With the exception of The Times few newspapers
are indexed, although it is always worth asking whether there is
an index for the period in which you are interested. You may have
to go through many months before you find anything of interest.
The Newspaper Library also has copies of the
various trade papers and journals published for the industry. These
journals contain many stories about individual publicans and contain
stories about developments and challenges faced by licensees.
Personal papers
Very few publicans have left personal papers behind. If you are
lucky, they may include letters or perhaps account books. This material
may either have been deposited with the local record office or are,
perhaps, still be in the family’s possession. The National
Register of Archives (see below) will be able to tell you whether
any records survive for your ancestor.
Ratebooks
Rates have long been levied on property, normally of the reasonably
well to do. Before the twentieth century separate highway and poor
rates were levied but they were normally collected together, and
details recorded in rate books, which are normally to be found at
local record offices. They list the householder, landlord if appropriate,
rate levied, with a brief description of the premises. Pubs will
be included, although it can sometimes difficult to identify individual
properties
Wills
About 10% of people made wills before 1900 – although publicans
are likely to be among this number as they often had property to
bequeath. Wills are useful because they list family members and
gives impression of wealth and possessions held. Before 1858 wills
were administered by a complicated system of ecclesiastical courts.
They are found at various record offices depending on how rich the
person making the will was. Many for Northern England are with the
Borthwick Institute, Peasholme Green, York, YO1 2PW www.york.ac.uk/inst/borthwick.
The Prerogative Court of Canterbury however was
the largest and most important court. Their records are at the Family
Records Centre.
After 11 January 1858 wills are held by the Principle
Probate Registry, First Avenue House, 44-49 High Holborn, London
WC1V 6NP. They have easy to use surname indexes arranged by year
of death. Copies cost £5 each (2001 price).
Further reading
Norman Barber, A Century of British Brewers
(Brewery History Society, 1994). The BHS is also publishing a number
of more detailed county guides to breweries, including home-brew
pubs. Counties covered so far are South Yorkshire, Leicestershire
and Rutland, Northamptonshire and Norfolk.
Peter Clark, The English Ale House, 1200-1830
(Longman, 1983)
Mark Girouard, Victorian Pubs (Studio
Vista, 1975)
Peter Haydon, The English Pub: A History
(Robert Hale, 1994) – the best introduction!
See also entries for alehouses and inns in David
Hey (ed), The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History (Oxford
UP, 1996) and sections in Andrew Barr, Drink: A Social History (Pimlico,
1995). In addition, there are several useful articles in Family
History Monthly. Issue 34 contains an article on Publicans, Helen
Osborn looked at 'Brewers and their records' in issue 56. Copies
cost £3 each and can be obtained from Family History Monthly,
45 St Mary’s Rd, London W5 5RQ (020-8579 1082).
A number of local history societies and individuals
have published histories of public houses in their areas, which
can often be very hard to track down. The local study librarian
or archivist should be able to tell you what exists for their district.
Copies should have been deposited with the British Library, although
this is rarely the case. The Society of Genealogists (see below)
also has a small collection.
Websites
The Pubs, Inns and Taverns Index, 1801-1901 is building an index
to the public houses of the 19th century and the people who worked
in them: www.pubsindex.freeserve.co.uk
The excellent National Pubs and Breweries website, which has a bulletin
board and links to other sites around the country. www.btinternet.com/~steven.williams1/pubpgintro.htm
Also useful, there are pages on tracing the history
of pubs here www.sfowler.force9.co.uk/
And, of course, don’t forget the Pub History Society’s
own website www.uk-history.co.uk/phs.htm
There are several sites devoted to pubs of particular
counties. Essex is covered at www.essexpubs.co.uk/
while on the other side of England the pubs of Gloucestershire can
be visited at www.gloucestershirepubs.co.uk
Finding out what’s where
Most original documents can be found in one of three places: a county
record office, a local studies library or a national repository.
Directory enquiries should have their phone numbers. If you have
access to the Internet there is a website that lists almost all
the collections of records held by local record offices, maintained
by the National Register of Archives (www.hmc.gov).
Every county has a county record office: a few
cities, such as Southampton or Coventry, also have a city record
office as well. These record offices hold material created both
by local government, such as rate books, quarter session records
or council minutes, and unofficial material donated by individuals,
companies or clubs, which may include such things as land and house
deeds, account books, and photographs.
It is important to ring before hand to book a
seat - as most record offices have very cramped reading areas. They
should also be able to give you a rough idea whether they have the
records you are interested in.
Local studies libraries are the poor relations
of the archive world, mainly because they are neither quite an archive
nor really a library but contain elements of both. They are likely
to have a comprehensive collection of books about the locality,
including street directories. Their greatest asset is often a comprehensively
indexed collection of press cuttings from local, and sometimes national,
newspapers going back to before the First World War. They may well
also have some original documents, such as poor law records or personal
papers, but they are usually not the first place to see original
material.
It can be difficult to locate local studies libraries,
although they are often found in county or town central libraries.
Many addresses are given at: www.earl.org.uk/familia
There are also national repositories, particularly the Public Record
Office, Family Records Centre and the British Library which may
contain useful material.
Other useful addresses
British Library
96 Euston Rd, London NW1 2DB. Tel: 020 7412 7000
Website: www.bl.uk
The British Library is Britain’s national
library. To get access you have to have a reader’s ticket and
demonstrate why you need to use the library’s collections,
although access restrictions have been significantly liberalised
in recent years. The library catalogue is available on-line, which
includes the vast majority of books published in the British Isles.
It is a useful way to check what books were published about pubs
in your area.
National Register of Archives
Quality House, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1HP Tel:
020-7242 1198
Web site: www.hmc.gov.uk
The National Register of Archives comprises copies
of listings of collections supplied by local record offices in England
and Wales. Its indexes can be searched on-line. The Register is
part of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (HMC) which
co-ordinates the work of local archives. They also have catalogues
for many records held by local record offices in their welcoming
reading room. The web site contains links to most archive web sites
as well as addresses which have no web access.
Public Record Office
Ruskin Ave, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU Tel: 020-8392 5200
Website: www.pro.gov.uk
The Public Record Office (PRO) is the national
archives of the United Kingdom and England. It has records on almost
every aspect of English society going back to the Domesday Book
of 1086. Of particular interest here are lists of inns and alehouses
prepared as possible billets for troops in 1686 and 1756 (series
WO 30) and Victuallers’ Recognizances (E 180) which were bonds
given by victuallers that they would not kill, dress, or eat flesh
during Lent, keep gaming houses, suffer unlawful games to be played
in their houses, or harbour rogues and vagabonds, etc between 1578
and 1672. There are also many records of legal cases in which publicans
were involved. There are particularly fine collections of maps and
photographs. Its catalogue is on-line so it is fairly easy to see
what there is about your area.
Society of Genealogists
14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA Tel: 020-7251
8799
Website: www.sog.org.uk
The Society’s Library is a major resource
for family and local historians, with much material that may not
easily be found elsewhere. A fee is charged to use the Library for
non-members, currently £3 per hour or £12 per day. The
Library catalogue is available on-line with a number of entries
about pubs and publicans.
Pub History Society, 15 Hawthorn Rd, Peterborough
PE1 4PA.
Website: www.uk-history.co.uk/phs.htm
Brewery History Society, Manor Side East,
Mill Lane, Byfleet, West Byfleet KT14 7RS.
Website: www.breweryhistory.co.uk/
A large variety of books on inns and breweries
is sold by Paul Travis, BeerInn Print, Long High Top, Heptonstall,
Hebden Bridge HX7 7PE.
Simon Fowler
Pub History Society
April 2001
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