Hi John, Dating the restriction on hours is more difficult. I have a licence from 1826 that says : "... nor permit or suffer any drinking or tippling in any part of his, her or their premises during the usual hours of Divine Service on Sundays; nor shall keep open his, her, or their House or other Premises during late Hour of the Night, or early in the Morning, for any other purpose than the reception of Travellers, but to keep good Rule and Order therein, according to the Purport of a Licence granted for selling Ale, Beer, or other Liquors by Retail ...." Debatable whether that constitutes licencing hours as such, I guess. Pity the poor law enforcer who has to decide what "late Hour of the night" or "early in the Morning" mean ! Best wishes, Mike -----Original Message----- From: leicestershire-plus-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:leicestershire-plus-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of JOHN RILEY Sent: 24 March 2008 21:31 To: Leicestershire FHS Subject: Re: [LEI] pub licence I imagine George's information is probably referring to licensing hours, rather than licensing of vendors or premises. John Riley ----- Original Message ---- From: Mike Gould <mike.gould@ndirect.co.uk> To: LEICESTERSHIRE-PLUS-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Monday, 24 March, 2008 8:33:17 PM Subject: Re: [LEI] pub licence Hi George, I'm afraid you're way out. I quote from Ancestral Trails, by Herber: >From 1552 Justices of the Peace at Quarter Sessions were authorised to select the persons (victuallers) who should be permitted to keep alehouses. Victuallers obtained a licence from the Justices and submitted a bond of surety (or recognizance) for the orderly keeping of such houses. Of course, very few of these early licences have survived, although often the Quarter Session records have. Best wishes, Mike