The Boat Inn Redbrook, and other local breweries (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Monday, October 22, 2012, 21:31 (4414 days ago) @ unknown

Hi Julia,
thanks for your most interesting albeit sad reply. Searching this forum shows a few drownings at Redbrook, which initially surprised me as the Wye "seems" quiet compared to the Severn that I do know can be very treacherous indeed, however on retrospect it's perhaps not surprising given it was a busy village then plus the river can be difficult especially in winter, I recall visiting the Boat back in the late 90s not long after the river flooded it !.

So he was the licensee in 1917, must admit I'd assumed it was a little before that and he was maybe a WW1 victim. Do you know which month Caleb drowned ? (I too have paper clippings, sometimes the date is clipped off too unfortunately).
Given the tinworker reference I guess I was correct wrt the 1911 Census ?. If so then he hadn't been at the Boat too long it seems. I would have thought running a pub in a busy industrial village would be a fulltime job, especially given his heart problems which presumably had kept him out of the War, sadly not luckily it seems.. I guess the tinworker reference perhaps should have read "retired" ?. I wonder if he was in temporary charge of the Inn while the normal incumbent MAY have been at war ?.

Either way this doesnt answer your question, not sure we ever will, although my gut feel is that he was not the pub owner.

Have you researched him on Ancestry etc, they seem to have all sorts of useful items on top of the norm?. I presume you don't have a Will, or don't know what their sons were doing, normally they'd be helping run the pub so would continue after Caleb's death ? Maybe there are property sales records which would indicate who owned the Inn, especially if it were found to be "for sale" after his death ?.

I guess you do need to access the official Licensing Records which I imagine would be in Monmouth in this instance, if they exist, I'm not sure at all but I imagine they would include an indicator as to the pubs owner ?. That said, my searching (see below) gave a few examples that discussed the "minefield" of LV regulations, and suggests there have been many supposed "National Associations" of Licensed Victuallers etc etc, so there seems to be a lack of clarity as to which, if any, is the definitive National body who might hold old records etc etc....

By Googling "Licensed victuallers family history" I've found several promising hits, many to forums including Ancestry. (I've found dozens of excellent speciallist websites in this manner in the past and can only suggest you try the same).
These webpages look a good start for both of us, if you do find anything helpfull at all please do keep us posted, thanks, Jeff.

http://www.sfowler.force9.co.uk/page_27.htm
http://www.buildinghistory.org/buildings/inns.shtml

Once again careful (not too many search words!) searching TNA may be worthwhile.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O29803