The Licensing Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict c 94) is an
Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
. It is one of the
Licensing Acts 1828 to 1886 and was one of the
Licensing (Ireland) Acts 1833 to 1886. It enacted various regulations and offences relating to alcohol, particularly licensing of premises. Most parts of the Act have been superseded by more recent Licensing Acts, but some parts remain in force. In particular, the Act creates an offence of being drunk in public with a maximum fine of level 1 on the
standard scale (£200 ); and of being drunk in a public place while in charge of a
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
, a
cow
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
(or other cattle), a
steam engine, or a carriage, or in possession of a loaded
firearm, with a possible penalty of a fine of up to level 1 on the standard scale or 51 weeks in prison. "Carriage" has been interpreted as including
mobility scooters, though exemptions apply under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970;
s are covered by their own offence in the
Road Traffic Act 1988
The Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, concerning licensing of vehicles, insurance and road regulation.
Contents
Part I contains a number of traffic offences including causing death by dangerous drivi ...
.
This Act:
*restricted the closing times in
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
s to midnight in towns and 11 o'clock in country areas.
*regulated the content of beer – one of the most common practices was to add salt to the beer, which increased thirst and therefore sales as well.
*said that licensing hours were to be determined by local authorities.
*gave boroughs the option of becoming completely 'dry' i.e. banning all alcohol.
These policies were enforced by the police.
It was an unpopular Act for the
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
es and there were a number of near riots when police tried to enforce closing hours. Brewers resented what they saw as an attack on their independence and profits; others disliked the Act because it interfered with personal liberty.
See also
*
Cundy v Le Cocq
Further reading
*
Lowe, Norman, ''Mastering Modern British History'', Macmillan Press LTD, 1998
References
*
External links
UK Legislation
*
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1872
Alcohol law in the United Kingdom
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