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John Warne Tucke
was granted a publican's license for the Commercial
Hotel in High Street in April 1847. In
July he was one of two publicans fined for selling
liquor after hours. Constables
Rushton and Solomon
had first attended James Richard Muir's hotel where they
found several people drinking and gambling. They
then moved on the Tuck's Commercial Hotel where,
entering through the back door to the parlour they
found a dozen people, inhabitants of the town, with
glasses of liquor before them. Tuck later testified
in court that the only glass that was drawn after
nine o'clock was for a lodger. The Bench stated that
the Liquor Act imposed a penalty for liquor being
drunk after nine o'clock and that it did not matter
when it was drawn. John Tucke and James Muir were both fined £2
and 5/6- costs.
This fine did not
deter Mr. Tuck from serving alcohol after hours as
in October 1847 he was before the bench again
charged with having allowed ale to be consumed after
nine and a second charge of refusing to admit
Constables
George Wood and George Hood into his
house at 11.15pm.
Richard Meadows,
Mary Cranfield
and William East were at the Commercial when the
Constables arrived and their voices could be heard
within. Constables Wood and Hood first went to
the bar door, which opened into the street; the door
was closed, however a light was seen. When the
Constables announced themselves the voices ceased
and the lights disappeared although
Mr. and Mrs. Tuck could be heard talking in the passage inside.
John Tuck was once again convicted of the charges
and fined 40/- for each charge plus costs.
In February 1848
he was once again before the Bench for breaches of
the Licensing Act. Richard Peach was running a
billiards table at The Hotel at this time and
several people were gathered in the billiards room
when constables Rushton and Bradbury approached.
Tuck was fined 40/- for allowing liquor to be served
after 9p.m. when the constables observed him serve
Alfred Mango a brandy; and 40/- for a
breach on yet another night for allowing ginger beer
to be consumed after nine o'clock.
William Wade applied for and was refused a publican's
license in June 1848. The license was obtained
by
William Drew and in July Mr. Drew announced he was taking
over the Hotel. Soon after this John Tuck appeared
in court again charged under the Masters and
Servants Act when ex employee James Haywood claimed
he had not been paid his wages. However Mr. Tuck had
kept his books up to date and when he produced them
in Court it was found that Haywood had consumed a
large amount of liquor which Tuck had fortunately kept note of.
William Drew's
application for a license was refused in April and he left
the Inn in June 1849 as he had 'decided to retire
from business.' He sold his household furniture including cane seated
chairs, cedar chairs, telescope table, sofas, chiffoniers, pictures,
mirrors, bedsteads, mattresses, candlesticks, silver cutlery, kitchen
utensils a beer engine, rum, brandy, lamps and bar tables.
(William Drew
took over the
Wool Team Inn at East Maitland in March 1850 and was
granted a license for the
Lamb Inn in West Maitland in April 1851,
however tried his luck at the gold fields soon after and did not return
to Maitland until October.)
James Hayward was
employed at the Commercial Hotel for 3/- per week in 1849 and Henry
Cummins who arrived on the Mount Stewart Elphinstone in 1849 was
employed as a cook in 1850 although he forfeited his ticket of leave in
1850 when he attempted to escape from the colony.
Thomas Thomas was
granted a publican's license for the Commercial in
May 1849
John Warn Tuck was
granted the license in 1859
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