The Licensing Act of 1904 was a controversial Act of the British Parliament regulating the closure of

public houses 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 was ...

(pubs) in England and Wales. It was introduced by

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, supported by Prime Minister

Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, (, ; 25 July 184819 March 1930), also known as Lord Balfour, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As F ...

. and passed by his

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. The issue helped the

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win the

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by a landslide. The Licensing Act of 1904 aimed to reduce the number of pubs. It proposed to compensate brewers for the cancellation of their licence, through a fund the brewers themselves would have to pay into. This led many Nonconformists who adhered to

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

to denounce it as a "brewers' bill". Meanwhile, the brewers themselves were generally dissatisfied, and they let their customers know.Paul Jennings, " 'Grasping a Nettle': The 1904 Licensing Act" in ''Biographies of Drink'' ed by Mark Hailwood and Deborah Toner (2015), pp.30–48.

Notes

* Jennings, Paul. " 'Grasping a Nettle': The 1904 Licensing Act" in ''Biographies of Drink'' ed by Mark Hailwood and Deborah Toner (2015) pp. 30–48
online
* Jennings, Paul. "Liquor licensing and the local historian: the 1904 Licensing Act and its administration", ''The Local Historian'', 39 (2009), pp.24–37. * Jennings, Paul. ''A History of Drink and the English, 1500-2000'' (Routledge, 2016). * Jennings, Paul. ''The local: A history of the English pub'' (The History Press, 2021). * Nicholls, James. ''The politics of alcohol: A history of the drink question in England.'' (Manchester University Press, 2013). pp 142–151. * Yeomans, Henry. ''Alcohol and moral regulation: Public attitudes, spirited measures and Victorian hangovers'' (Bristol University Press, 2014
online
* Yokoe, Ryosuke. "Alcohol and politics in twentieth-century Britain." ''The Historical Journal'' 62.1 (2019): 267–287
online

Primary sources

* ''The Annual Register 1904'' (Longmans, Green, 1905)

External links

Alcohol law in the United Kingdom Pubs in the United Kingdom

See also

Notes

Further reading

Primary sources

External links