License for Victualling
Recently added to the considerable culinary collections here in Special Collections are three alehouse licenses. They were all granted in the county of Kent, England, allowing their owners the right to “Keep a common alehouse or victualling-house.” Of course they also require the owners to “suffer no disorder to be committed, or unlawful games used,” something even modern-day alehouse patrons can relate to. These legal documents, like many at the time, are printed on vellum (more durable than eighteenth century paper) and can be viewed at the links below:
Robert Allen at the Sign of the Bull, September 4, 1756
William Tupp at the Sign of the Wheatsheaf, September 3, 1763
John Mannering at the Sign of the Bell, September 3, 1763
They are also available to view or for classroom use in the Special Collections reading room.
