Nature of Source
Introduction
Records relating to publicans and licensed premises come from a variety of legal and administrative sources including local courts, licensing bodies, brewery companies and local government archives. They can be particularly valuable for family history research as licensing law required individuals to be formally registered if they intended to serve food, ale, beer, wine or spirits.
The Licensing System
Early Tudor regulations restricted alehouses but licensing as a formal annual local government system took place later in the 19th century. The key Acts include:
- Alehouse Act (1552): The Act introduced licensing controls which established that a person wishing to sell ale or beer required a licence from a Justice of the Peace at the Quarter Sessions or Petty Sessions.
- Further Regulations (1617): The licencing authorities extended and enforced earlier statutory regulations for licensing inns, alehouses and taverns. This meant that innkeepers needed to obtain a license from the Justices who could grant or deny these based on the suitability of the person and the premises.
- Alehouse Act (1828): The Act reorganised and rationalised the system for licensing inns, alehouses and victualling houses in England. It established annual licensing meetings in every city, town and county, providing a clear legal framework for granting licenses to sell alcoholic beverages on the premises.
- Beerhouse Act (1830): The Act overhauled the system creating looser regulations for those applying for a licence and removing local magistrates from the process. The Act allowed any householder/ratepayer to obtain a beer-selling licence directly from the excise department with minimal oversight. This resulted in a significant rise in the numbers of beerhouses and licensed premises selling alcohol, often just rooms in private homes. As a result, drinking in pubs became increasingly popular in the 19th century. The rational for these deregulations was to encourage beer consumption in place of the damaging amount of gin consumption.
- Beerhouse Act (1869): The Act, also known as the Wine and Beerhouse Act 1869, tightened regulations again, bringing licensing back under the control of local magistrates Under the Act, magistrates were given powers to impose stricter conditions and close disorderly premises. This brought an end to the rapid, largely unregulated growth of beerhouses.
The courts continued to issue and regulate licences for centuries and it is from these records that the majority of publican records originate. Licences were usually granted annually and meant that large quantities of records survive. A key challenge is that licensing records are frequently arranged by the name of the pub and not by landlord’s name with others organised by licensing district.
Recognizances and Licensing Records
When applying for a licence, landlords had to declare that they would not operate a disorderly pub and enter into certain obligations before the court could issue a license. This form of legal pledge or obligation is known as a Recognizance or Bond. The relevant information may appear under the heading of ‘Register of Recognizances of Licensed Victuallers’ or’ Alehouse Recognizance Books’. Publicans who failed to adhere to these terms would appear before the Quarter or Petty Sessions on charges of ‘keeping a disorderly house’. The registers are valuable for publican research as they can often be followed year by year at the same premises.
Types of Establishments
The type of establishment can affect what records survive:
- Alehouses/Beerhouses: These were typically small, selling ale or beer only. Beerhouses after the 1830 Beerhouse Act were often little more than private houses licensed by Excise to sell beer, sometimes home‑brewed.
- Taverns: These premises were licensed to sell a wider range of beverages such as wine and spirits. Taverns were usually more substantial than simple alehouses and sometimes offered food and lodging.
- Inns/Coaching Inns: These were larger establishments offering comfortable lodging, meals and stabling.
Depending on the size and type of establishment, several different kinds of staff were employed such as the landlord (who ran or held the licence for the pub), barmaids, kitchen maids or scullery maids, ostlers (who looked after customer’s horses), cooks, potboys (young boys doing cleaning and menial tasks), cellarman or cellar boy (looking after beer in the cellar, cleaning and changing barrels) and waiting staff carrying food and drink to tables or private rooms.
Key Research Resources
- Trade and Street Directories: Directories list pubs and beerhouses, usually under the name of the licensee and/or the house. They are useful for identifying pub names and locations and tracking landlords over time, but note many publicans held secondary professions or trades at the same time.
- Electoral Registers: Registers can help confirm the address of a pub and identify the registered occupier, who may be the licensee or a member of the licensee’s household. They rarely name the house as a pub, so an address from other sources first is usually needed.
- Newspapers: A public house or publican may feature in a local newspaper story. Local newspapers often report on licensing sessions and offences, court cases, pub sales or auctions, pub closures, local events held at pubs and the activities of prominent publicans.
- Census Returns: The returns list individual’s occupations and usually show publicans, innkeepers and licensed victuallers, often with the name and address of the pub. They also record the wider household, including family members, servants and boarders, who may have worked in the business.
- Rate Books and Valuation Office Records: These records show occupier, owner and rateable value of the premises, including public houses.
- Maps: Ordnance Survey maps are useful for locating the building on the ground and seeing its surroundings over time. If the pub had land attached to the premises, even a small piece of land, a description of should appear in Tithe and Enclosure Maps. Fire insurance maps offer a further option for descriptions and ownership details.
Licensed Victuallers Associations
Publicans and hotelkeepers often joined regional or national Licensed Victuallers’ Associations. These trade organisations represented the interests of publicans and other licensees, lobbying on licensing law and regulation. They also operated welfare and support schemes for members and their families. These bodies appeared under a variety of titles, including local ‘Licensed Victuallers’ Associations’, ‘Licensed Victuallers’ National Council’, ‘Licensed Victuallers’ Society’, or ‘Society of Licensed Victuallers’. Records are usually kept in local archives and typically include membership lists, minute books and correspondence and welfare or benevolent records for members.
The ‘Licensed Victuallers’ Official Annual’ was in print from at least the mid‑1890s to the late 1930s, produced for people who held licences to run pubs, inns and other drinking establishments. Each volume functioned as a combined legal handbook, trade directory and working diary for licensees. It usually included up‑to‑date licensing law and other legal guidance and other practical reference material for running a public house. The Annual is long out of print but individual years survive in libraries, archives and from second‑hand book dealers.
Brewery Records
From the 17th century onward, breweries in London and other major cities increasingly acquired public houses, requiring publicans to sell only the brewery’s beer. By the 19th century most pubs became ‘tied’ to a specific brewery. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, about 90-95% of English pubs were brewery-tied, leaving only a small proportion as independent ‘free houses’. Brewery names often appeared prominently on pub signs and can be used to track the brewery owner if not known.
Surviving brewery records include:
- tenancy agreements
- wage books
- architectural plans for pub buildings
- brewery estate maps
- staff or shareholder lists
Brewer Apprenticeship Records
Brewers and brewery workers often entered the trade through apprenticeships, particularly in London, where the Worshipful Company of Brewers and other City of London livery companies enrolled apprentices to masters in the trade. Apprenticeship records to brewers are found in the Guildhall Library for City of London livery companies and in national series at The National Archives for apprenticeship stamp duty payments. Further records of local apprenticeship agreements for brewing trades can be found in county record offices.
Additional Resources
The following GenGuide sources could assist in researching publicans and public house histories:
Where Found
County Record Offices
Victuallers and publicans licence registers and recognizances records are usually found among Quarter Sessions, Petty Sessions (later Magistrates’ Courts). Other sources include deposited brewery company archives and Licensed Victuallers’ and trade association records.
Period Covered
1522 – Onwards
Genealogical Value
- Name and address of the licensee.
- Pub name (inn sign).
- Address of pub, often just the parish.
- Names and occupations of two guarantors (register of recognizances).
- Details of a disqualification of the premises and of the licensee and a record of any convictions.
Further References
- Akeroyd, Alan & Clifford, Caroline. Huntingdonshire Pubs Through Time: Amberley Publishing, 2012
- Arnot, Chris. Britain’s Lost Breweries and Beers: Thirty Famous Homes of Beer that have Brewed their Last Pint: Aurum Press, 2012
- Barber, Norman; Brown, Mike; Brown; Smith, Ken. A Century Of British Brewers 1890 to 2012: Brewery History Society, 2012
- Brandon, David. London Pubs: Amberley Publishing, 2010
- Brandwood, Geoff & Davison, Andrew & Slaughter, Michael. Licensed to Sell. The History and Heritage of the Public House: English Heritage, 2004
- Brown, Mike. LONDON BREWED: A historical directory of the commercial brewers of London from circa 1650: Brewery History Society, 2015
- Brown, Ron. The Pubs of Portsmouth From Old Photographs: Amberley Publishing, 2009
- Clark, Peter. The English Alehouse: A Social History, 1200-1830: Longman, 1983
- Cornell, Martyn. Beer: The Story of the Pint: The History of Britain’s Most Popular Drink: Headline Book Publishing, 2003
- Cornell, Martyn. Strange Tales of Ale: Amberley Publishing, 2015
- Cornell, Martyn. Brewing in Hertfordshire: Amberley Publishing, 2024
- Cullen, Sam. London’s Lost Pubs: Pen and Sword Books, 2025
- Edgell, Tim. Dorset Pubs and Breweries: Amberley Publishing, 2009
- Edwards, Mervyn. Stoke-on-Trent Pubs: Amberley Publishing, 2014
- Ford, George. Thornbury Pubs: Amberley Publishing, 2010
- Fowler, Simon. Researching Brewery and Publican Ancestors. 2nd ed: The Family History Partnership, 2009
- Gee, Stephen. Halifax Pubs: Volume Two: Amberley Publishing, 2011
- Gee, Stephen. Halifax Pubs: The History Press, 2008
- Gibb, Forbes The Brewers and Breweries of Stirlingshire: Lomax Press, 2008
- Gibb, Forbes. The Brewers and Breweries of Linlithgowshire: Lomax Press, 2010
- Gibb, Forbes. The Brewers and Breweries of Fife: Lomax Press, 2012
- Gibb, Forbes & Close, Rob. The Brewers and Breweries of Ayrshire, Buteshire and Renfrewshire: Lomax Press, 2013
- Gibb, Forbes & Close, Rob. The Brewers and Breweries of Ayrshire, Buteshire and Renfrewshire: Lomax Press, 2014
- Gibson, Jeremy. Victuallers’ Licences. 3rd ed: The Family History Partnership, 2009
- Girouard, Mark. Victorian Pubs: Studio Vista, 1975
- Gorevan, John. Glasgow Pubs & Publicans Book: Tempus Publishing, 2013
- Gorham, Maurice. The Local: Little Toller Books, 2010 (1939)
- Griffiths, Philip: Cirencester Pubs Through Time: Amberley Publishing, 2013
- Halliwell, Stephen R. Preston Pubs: Amberley Publishing, 2014
- Haydon, Peter. The English Pub: A History: Robert Hale, 1994
- Haydon, Peter. Beer and Britannia: An Inebriated History of Britain: Sutton Publishing, 2001
- Hill, Peter. A History of Hostelries in Northamptonshire: Amberley Publishing, 2010
- Jeaffreson, John Cordy (ed). Middlesex County Records. 4 Vols: Greater London Council, 1972 (1886) (Volumes available to download and view at the Internet Archive or at British History Online)
- Jennings, Paul. The Local: A History of the English Pub: The History Press, 2011
- Johnson, Peter and Jefferis, Catherine. Conwy & District Pubs: Amberley Publishing, 2016
- Jones, Brian. Alehouse Calendars of Recognizance: West Riding of Yorkshire, Staincliffe and Ewcross Wapentakes, 1771, 1773, 1778, 1781 and 1803 Morley Wapentake, 1771, 1773 and 1778
- Map Of Victorian London Showing the Public Houses in the Metropolis 1886, Old House Books
- Nottingham Alehouse Recongnizances 1756-1769: Nottinghamshire Family History Society; Volume 94 of Records Series, 1994
- Peaty, Ian. English Breweries in Old Photographs: Sutton Publishing, 1988
- Potts, James & Cullen, Sam. What’s in a London Pub Name?: Capital Transport Publishing, 2022
- Putman, Roger. Beers and Breweries of Britain: Shire Publications, 2004
- Richmond, Lesley & Turton, Alison. The Brewing Industry: A Guide to Historical Records: Manchester University Press, 1990
- Sandles, Geoff. Forest of Dean Pubs Through Time: Amberley Publishing, 2012
- Sandles, Geoff. North Cotswold Pubs Through Time: Amberley Publishing, 2012
- Sandles, Geoff. Cheltenham Pubs Through Time: Amberley Publishing, 2012
- Sandles, Geoff. South Cotswold Pubs Through Time: Amberley Publishing, 2012
- Sandles, Geoff. Stroud Valley Pubs Through Time: Amberley Publishing, 2012
- Sandles, Geoff. Gloucester, Tewkesbury & Severn Vale Pubs Through Time: Amberley Publishing, 2013
- Smith, Gavin. British Brewing in Old Photographs: Sutton, 2004
- Smith, Ken. Brewing in Britain: An Illustrated History: Amberley Publishing, 2016
- Tames, Richard. The Victorian Public House: Shire Publications, 2003
- Thorburn, Gordon. Pocket Guide to Pubs and Their History: Remember When, 2010
- Tuffrey, Peter. Doncaster Pubs: Amberley Publishing, 2010
- Tuffrey, Peter. Doncaster District Pubs: Amberley Publishing, 2011
- Waters, Colin. A Dictionary of Pub, Inn and Tavern Signs: Countryside Books, 2005
The EurekA Partnership: Various titles containing transcriptions of Licensed Victualler records covering Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Warwickshire and Worcestershire
Websites
Brewery Heritage Centre
The National Brewery Heritage Trust. The collection contains an unrivalled array of historical archives and artefacts that relate to brewing. This includes an extensive archive of ledgers, books, plans, photographs and film from the breweries around the UK; a library containing brewing-related books and journals and objects that include paintings, ceramics, glass, bottles, cans, beer mats and Inn-signs.
The National Brewing Library
Oxford Brookes University. The library is an English language collection relating to brewing and distilling, other alcoholic beverages and dependent trades. The collection aims to be the primary and most comprehensive source of information in the UK on the scientific, technological, historical and social aspects of the above.
Pub History Society
Facebook community for people interested in pub history, especially historic pubs, their architecture, stories and local heritage.
Historic England
Pubs Hub: England’s Historic Pubs. Welcome to our ‘Pubs Hub’, giving you information about historic pubs and how to care for them. You’ll find fascinating stories about some of England’s most historic and much-loved public houses, nostalgic images from our archives as well as practical advice on saving pubs at risk.
The Brewery History Society
The Society was founded in 1972 to promote research into all aspects of the brewing industry, to encourage the interchange of information about breweries and brewing and to collect photographic and other archive information about brewery history. The BreweryPedia database contains tens of thousands of pages of text and photographs about brewing companies of all sizes, from historic firms to more recent operations.
Researching Historic Buildings
Researching the history of pubs, inns and hotels.
Inn Sign Society
The society exists to bring together persons who share a common interest in inn signs, pub names and local history. The website is dedicated to pub and inn signs in the UK and related history and heritage. The site highlights different styles and types of pub/inn signs, along with examples and brief background information as well as popular pub names and their origins.
Grace’s Guide
The Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. The aim is to provide a brief history of the companies, products and people who were instrumental in industry. Grace’s Guide to Brewers hosts information on 423 historic brewing companies and brands.
CAMRA
Historic Pub Interiors. Guide to the nation’s most important historic pub interiors. The list has been compiled by CAMRA’s and identifies pubs with intact traditional interiors or which have features and rooms of national importance.
CAMRA
Historic pub interiors. A note on documentary research.
The London Archives
Research Guide. Brewery Records The history of brewing in London is well-represented at The London Archives, and we hold the records of over 20 major breweries including Courage, Truman, Watney Mann, Whitbread, and Fuller, Smith and Turner.
PubWiki
The story behind UK pubs and their history. The site offers advice on researching a pub and historic directory listings of public houses. You can also search the entire site by pub name, surname, county, street name, district or parish. For many pubs it lists past licensees, name changes, dates of opening or closure, demolitions, and notes drawn from historical directories, recognizances, and other archival sources.
PubWiki
London Historical Street Directories and Pub History. The site has a number of London directories of publicans, beer retailers, beer houses, hotels and coffee houses as well as listings of Licensed Victuallers
Dead Pubs
What the site covers early London coffee houses and taverns with transcriptions and data drawn from Samuel Pepys’s diary, highlighting the taverns and inns he mentions
The site hosts large collections of tradesmen’s tokens (c. 1648–1672) associated with public houses and other premises, often identified by sign and location.
Lost Pubs Project
The archive highlights pubs in England that have closed over time. Visitors can browse by county or area for a listing and history of lost pubs with photos covering counties across England.
Lost Pubs In Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire has a rich history of pubs, many of which have closed over the years. The site documents these lost pubs across various towns and cities within the county, highlighting their names, years of closure and addresses.
Gloucestershire Pubs
Pubs and Breweries in Gloucestershire Past and Present compiled by Geoff Sandles and Dave Hedges. The site aims to document and describe all the known pubs in the county of Gloucestershire, both past and present.
Old Glasgow Pubs
The site records local public houses and provides as much information on the pub as possible and a brief history on the pub. The site also records all the publicans who held the licence for the establishment. Search by the name of pub, address or name of publican.
The Scottish Brewing Archive Association
The association is an independent body run by industry experts and brewing enthusiasts. The archives collects and preserves the records of the brewing industry in Scotland including the archives of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries. It supports the Scottish Brewing Archive, a comprehensive collection of historical records, artifacts and documents related to the Scottish brewing industry, held by the University of Glasgow Archives and Special Collections.
Breweriana UK
Brewery Collectibles. The Facebook group is for the enjoyment of Brewery Memorabilia Collectors and anyone else who appreciates Breweriana Collecting. Members can share information about their collections, items for sale or exchange, or general information for interested members such as up coming memorabilia, auctions, sales or exhibitions.
Historic UK
The Great British Pub. Discover the origins of British and English Pubs and Inns.
Joseph Holt Brewery
A Little Look Into The History of Pub Names.
Sky History
Drink up! The 2,000-year history of British pubs.
Sheffield Libraries and Archives
Sources for the Study of the History of Sheffield’s Public Houses.
Online Databases
- Dorset, England, Alehouse Licence Records, 1754-1821. These records include both licences and recognizance lists for alehouses.
- West Yorkshire, Alehouse Licences, 1771-1962. Many registers contain the name of the person who held the licence, the name and location of the public house, dates the licence was issued and renewed, and whether the licence was transferred.
- Surrey, England, Licensed Victuallers, 1785-1903. Register of recognizances taken by Justices of the Peace at Quarter Sessions.
- Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, Pub Blacklist, 1903-1906. Photos and descriptions of individuals deemed ‘habitual drunkards’ who were legally prohibited from being served alcohol.
Findmypast
Cambridgeshire, Licensed Victuallers, 1764-1828. Search records of individuals authorised to open and run licensed premises in Cambridgeshire. The records have been photographed and transcribed by members of the Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society. Each record normally includes the name and abode of the victualler, the name of the alehouse, tavern or inn and the name and abode of the person providing surety.
Warwickshire County Record Office
Victuallers Database. The database contains details of the licensed victuallers in Warwickshire from 1801-1828, taken from the series of registers of calendars of Victuallers’ Recognizances in the Warwickshire Quarter Sessions collection.
Sheffield Archives and Local Studies
Sources for the Study of the History of Sheffield’s Public Houses
Sheffield Archives and Local Studies
Index to Register of Beerhouses, c.1870-c.1935. Search the catalogue using the reference number X379.
Sheffield Archives and Local Studies
List of Licensed Victuallers’ premises in Sheffield, c.1870-c.1935 (ref. MC/7/2). Each page in the original register lists the name of the licensee(s) of each pub and any convictions (such as allowing drunkenness or gambling on the premises).
Heritage and Culture Warwickshire
Licensed Victuallers Database. This database contains details of the licensed victuallers in Warwickshire from 1801-1828. The information comes from the series of registers Victuallers’ Recognizances, QS 36/13-17. The database was created by record office volunteers.
Brewerypedia
The Brewery History Society. The BreweryPedia database contains tens of thousands of pages of text and photographs about brewing companies of all sizes, from historic firms to more recent operations. The database relates to breweries both large and small, old and modern. Search by company name, town or county. Expect to find company histories including details of trading names and dates, addresses, brand details, labels and trade-marks.
The Guinness Archive
The Archive preserves the historical records of the Guinness Brewery at St. James’s Gate in Dublin from 1759 to the present. The collection includes over 20,000 individual personnel files and records of past employees dating from the 1880s to the late 1990s/early 2000s. The Archives catalogue provides access to descriptions for a large section of our catalogued archival materials relating to all aspects of Guinness history
A Pint of History Please
Exploring the History of Ceredigion’s Pubs. This is a project about pubs in Ceredigion (formerly Cardiganshire). The database will include records for all the known pubs, taverns, inns, hotels, beer shops, railway station refreshment rooms and other premises in Cardiganshire which were licenced to sell alcohol.
Mary Evans Picture Library
Historic images from Britain and the rest of the world from collections such as The National Brewery Centre Archives
Pickard’s Pink Pages for Warwickshire
Warwickshire Inns, 1874. Brian’s list of Inns and Taverns in Warwickshire in 1874.
CD Roms
Hitchmough’s Black Country Pubs
site is about the people, life and times of pubs in England’s Black Country region. It offers over 5,500 individual pub histories as free PDF downloads, organised mainly by modern districts such as Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall, and Wolverhampton, then subdivided into older townships.
Shropshire Family History Society
Shropshire Inns of 1828. A file giving details of the Maltsters, Liquor Dealers, Inns, Taverns and Public Houses, and Wine and Spirit Merchants taken from the Salop Directory published by Tibham & Co. Shrewsbury 1828. Please note all names and addresses are spelt as per the original document.
