Publicans

[Big Andy]

I have only just started researching my family history and have found that an ancestor of mine, William Gutsell, was a Publican / Licensed Victualer in Arlington, East Sussex in the late 1830s.

I am not sure how to go about finding more details of his day to day life.

I would think that a Publican in those times would have had quite a colourful life and I would love to find out more.

I don't suppose that there would have been big chains of Breweries back then like there are now who would possibly have any records so what should my next step be ?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[houseworkfairy]

I think there is an article on that in this month's Ancestors magazine which your local library should take. I suggest you check that out.

Your ancestor should be listed in trades directories for his area try

http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/ and you will see what other inns there are nearby and also beer house keepers which are often listed separately

it is a bit early for newspapers to have mentions of such as inquests which were often held in inns but the trades directories will also have info about carriers operating from innyards and of course mail coaches also ran from inn yards.

I think the difference between beerhouses and inns is that the beerhouses were where the workers drank and the inns catered to a better class of customer!!!

There may also be records in the local record office as to victuallers license applications.

You may also be lucky enough to find his pub still exists!!!!!!

Good hunting

[Big Andy]

Thanks for your help, houseworkfairy !

[Big Andy]

I have found out that there is a Pub in Upper Dicker called "The Plough Inn".

Does anybody know if there are any more Pubs in Upper Dicker ?

How would I go about finding out if my relative was the Publican at "The Plough Inn" ?

[ksouthall]

I have had a quick look and cannot find any reference to any other pubs in Upper Dicker. You may be able to confirm whether or not your ancestor was inn keeper at The Plough through parish records or the place of residence on any relevant BMD certificates.
There may have been other pubs at the time and it is also possible that the censuses for Upper Dicker may have included Lower Dicker and even parts of Arlington. I do not know exactly which areas were included in Upper Dicker in the censuses but East Sussex Records Office may be able to help you with that.
I was interested to see that in the 1841 Census a David Smith, cordwainer, and his wife Ann were living in the property listed before William Gutsell. I think David Smith was my great-great-great-great-uncle. I have not been able to find them on this census before. Thanks for your enquiry which has helped me find out more about my own family.
I also noticed a Richard Gander living near the Gutsells in one of the later censuses. He is also a distant relation. It looks like your ancestors were neighbours of several of mine.
I will keep a look out for the Gutsells when I am looking into my own family tree and will get back to you if I find out anything helpful.

[Big Andy]

I have subsequently found out that there was only one pub in Upper Dicker - The Plough. In the 1850s it was owned by Edward Monk & Sons of The Bear Brewery in Lewes. The East Sussex Record Office in Lewes has all the papers which relate to The Bear Brewery, so this could be a good source of information.

I have also heard that there is a book by L Smith called A History of the Dicker (2003) which may be useful.

Information about the previous owners and occupiers of the property could be found by using the Ordnance Survey 6 and 25-inch sheets, c1875-1930s, parish tithe map, c1840, land tax assessments, rate books, valuation lists, licensing registers, locally proved wills before 1858, electoral registers, 1832-1992, census returns, 1841-1901 and local directories, 1855-1938.

For a novice like myself, the amount of research sounds quite intimidating.

On the plus side, I guess that with this amount of data available,
I should be able to find something.

[Big Andy]

Eureka !

Just found the following :-

Valuation book BUR/2/1/201 Oct 1870 - Aug 1871

These documents are held at East Sussex Record Office

Contents:

p.92 Arlington, Upper Dicker, Plough Inn: trade, household and farming (Gutsell), 1870

[ksouthall]

I have just found a reference to William Gutsell appearing as a witness at a court hearing in 1848. He says "I keep a public house on the "Dicker" called the "Plough"." He was claiming that some of his geese and a gander had been stolen.

If you send me a message, I can email you a copy of the newspaper extract.