The links above are to excerpts from the Maitland Mercury and
Sydney Gazette with information about Inns and Hotels and the Publicans operating them in the Hunter Valley in the
1840's.
The early 1840's were a difficult time to be in
business. As well as financial insecurity, innkeepers
were subject to strict regulations via
the Licensing Act. They could be taken
before the Bench of Magistrates for infringements of
the Act and often the fines incurred were heavy; enough in
some cases perhaps to put the innkeeper out of
business.
Licensing meetings were held
annually. In Newcastle and Singleton they were
held in the Police Office and in Paterson at the
Court House. Notice of forthcoming meetings was
given a month in advance in the Government Gazette and applications for
licenses were lodged with the clerk of the Bench a
fortnight before the meeting. Publicans were required to lodge their certificates with
the colonial treasurer within two months, otherwise
the licence was regarded as null and void. Only those applicants who met requirements (and could produce the fee - £30 before 1847)
would be issued with a licence.
After applying for his
license the publican would attend the quarterly meeting of the bench of
Magistrates. His name would be called and he was required to answer any
inquiries made by the Magistrates and provide proof of having complied
with any preliminaries required by the Licensing Act. The Chief
constable was examined on oath respecting the applicant's character, the
site of the Inn and the state of the accommodation offered before the
granting or transfer of the license was approved by the Bench
In Singleton in 1849
innkeepers assembled at the Police Office on the
posted date and with their sureties, only to find
that there was only one Magistrate, Dr. Glennie, in
attendance. The meeting was adjourned until
the following week and the innkeepers, (some of
them travelling up to 20 miles) were required to return. On this
occasion, after receiving their
certificates, the publicans were sworn in as special
constables.
In the early 1840's
opening hours were from 4am to 9pm in summer. In winter the Inns were
open from 6am to 9pm. After 1847 opening hours were between 5am and
11pm. Lamps were required to be lit throughout the night and
innkeepers risked heavy penalty if they allowed them to extinguish.
Heavy fines were also
imposed for other breaches of the Licensing Act.
Infringements such as playing cards, selling liquor
on the Sabbath or after hours, allowing an
unlicensed person to sell liquor were all punished
by fines and in some cases resulted in forfeiture of
their license at the next annual meeting.
Wives of publicans played an important role in
the business as well, often taking over the running
of the hotel effectively when their husbands died or
were imprisoned, although they probably had
assistance from family members and friends. In
some cases when his wife died, the publican left
the Inn soon after, unable to manage alone.
There was a lack of public
facilities in early Hunter Valley townships and Inns were used in many of
the activities of the day. The larger Inns often
became the venue for
public meetings, balls, celebratory dinners, horse
races, pigeon shooting, fairs, cricket and raffles.
They provided accommodation and sustenance for
visiting Magistrates, lawyers, theatrical troupes, travelling portrait painters and later photographers
offering Daguerreotypes. Arrangements for churches, hospitals, clubs,
and societies were often planned in one of the many
Inns throughout the Valley and inquests by the coroner J.S. Parker were
also
often held at the nearest Hotel.
See below for links to
Inns and Innkeepers. Additional information about many of the Innkeepers
can be found
here.
