But first, something about people pretending to be travellers to get a drink outside licensing hours.
IN AID OF THE LICENCE HOLDER.—Falsely Pretending to be a Traveller, &c.—A person who, by falsely representing himself to be a traveller or a lodger, buys or obtains, or attempts to buy or obtain, at any licensed premises any intoxicating liquor during prohibited hours is liable to a penalty of £5.
Brewers' Almanack 1915, page 311.
Not exactly sure what is meant by a "traveller" here. Opening hours didn't - and still don't - apply to anyone lodging in a pub. Something I've taken advantage of a couple of times myself.
A publican could get some use from the police. For example, with help in chucking out a customer who was causing trouble.
Calling in the Police.—All constables are required, on the demand of the licence holder, or his agent or servant, to expel or assist in expelling from the licensed premises any person who is drunken, violent, quarrelsome, or disorderly, or any person whose presence on the licensed premises would subject the licence holder to a penalty. Such force may be used in the expulsion as is required for that purpose.
Any such disorderly person who, on the request of the licence holder or his servant or agent, refuses or fails to quit the licensed premises is liable to a penalty of £5; but it is necessary that he should have been actually disorderly at the time that he was requested to leave.
This remedy is in addition to and not in derogation of the licence holder's ordinary right as a householder to expel from his premises any objectionable person who will not leave when requested.
Brewers' Almanack 1915, page 310.
And, of course, publicans could refuse to serve anyone and ask them to leave. The fine, £5, for failing to leave when asked, was a considerable sum. The equivalent of 600 pints of Mild. Which was probably more than a year's worth of drinking. Even for a committed pisshead.
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3 comments:
Until the early 1960’s in Ireland we had the bona fide traveller law which meant anyone who travelled three statute miles from where they had last slept was entitled to be able to drink in a public house outside of normal hours. Needless to say it was widely abused.
Oscar
My dad talked of when he was a student in Edinburgh "bona fide travellers" could drink in pubs on a Sunday. You had to provide evidence that you were a certain number of miles from where you lived and one village with a handy train station was very popular with Edinburgh residents!
Under the Licensing Act 1872 and similar, people travelling for business or pleasure, as long as the purpose was not just going to the pub, so-called “bona fide travellers”, were permitted to be served with alcoholic drinks outside of normal hours. This was of course very difficult to police.
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