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Subject: News from The Pubs, Inns and Taverns Index - August 1999
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 18:32:00 GMT

To: ,
Subject: News from the Pubs, Inns and Taverns Index - August 199
From:
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 18:24:43 GMT

Hi Listers,

The old cliche about needing more hours in the day has certainly
applied during the last month! The availability of the 1881 Census on
CD-ROM has meant that a greater number of submissions from this source
have come in and have been most welcome. In theory, 1881
should eventually be the best Indexed year of the century.

Following our brief, potted history of the origins of the name "Red
Lion," we have received a number of favourable comments. This month we
offer "The Marquis of Granby": A public-house sign in honour of John
Manners, Marquis of Granby, commander of the Blues & Royals during the
30 years war and a popular English general (1721-1770).
The Times said the old marquis owed his sign-board notoriety "partly
to his personal bravery and partly to the baldness of his head. He
still presides over eighteen public-houses in London alone." In fact,
the Marquis was highly regarded by his soldiers and he was
instrumental in many of them becoming publicans after their military
career ended.
In "Pickwick Papers," Dickens has Old Weller marry the hostess of the
"Marquis of Granby" at Dorking.

Another subject about which we have had several enquiries is the
various licensing laws over the period we cover. This is not an easy
subject to condense into a few lines but the first piece of
legislation that affects our period is unquestionably the 1830 Beer
Act. This permitted almost any householder to sell beer provided that
he obtained an excise permit. The act was celebrated up and down the
country and more than 24,000 beerhouses opened their doors for
the first time in that year. Five years later the figure had shot up
to around 40,000.
Beerhouses were often small and dingy and frequently situated in
courts and alleyways. Typical customers were generally of the working
class and poor since they could not afford the higher prices charged
in publican's tap rooms. Additionally, a number of services neglected
by "respectable" public houses were often on offer. Gaming, finding
work and lodgings, picking up prostitutes, organising petty crime and
fencing stolen goods were common activities in the back room of such
premises. Drunken fist fights were also a regular occurrence although
weapons seem to have been used relatively rarely.

The Index now stands at 262,016 entries and the Top Ten Counties this
month are:

1. Kent30,256
2. Norfolk16,384
3. Surrey10,488
4. Suffolk10,110
5. Lancashire 9,660
6. Derbyshire 8,774
7. Essex 7,282
8. Lincolnshire 6,212
9. Hertfordshire 5,400
10.Devon 5,110

Huntingdonshire remains bottom of the list with a mere 35 entries,
with Herefordshire just above with 46. Obviously, there were very few
pubs in these counties!

Finally, and after much trial and tribulation, we have managed to get
a website on-line but PLEASE remember, it is not finished yet and for
the present, "what there is is what you get!"
The URL, for those intrepid souls who like an adventure, is
http://www.pubsindex.freeserve.co.uk/index.htm
Please spare a moment to sign our guest book and if you have any
information on pubs, inns, taverns, etc., please try the "easy entry"
form.

We close, as usual, with our thanks to all of you who have sent in the
information from which the Index is compiled and thanks in
anticipation of those of you who keep meaning to send it
but haven't had an opportunity...

Stan Gooch Rob Sones
member, member,
East of London FHS Berkshire
FHS________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

The Pubs, Inns and Taverns Index for England 1801-1900
A non profit-making project to index all the licensed
premises in England for the 19th Century.

If you have any details of such premises,
please contribute them to:


Our website is now on-line - please remember to sign our Guest Book
...
http://www.pubsindex.freeserve.co.u

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