It’s a typical autumn day. You’re with your family and have been walking for several hours now in the luminous and mystical colors of autumn. With every step you take, your excitement grows, because, you know what will be at the end of the road. Slowly but surely you are able to make out the vague contours of a building through the fog that floats through the forest. With your eyes focused on your goal, you start to make out more. The warm yellow lights that beam from the window, people moving inside, a smoking chimney and a sign outside that says something like: The Staggering Horse, Masons Arms, The Black Swan, or The New Inn.
Congratulations, you’ve reached the pub. You swing the door open and get greeted by the amazing smell of a wild stew that has been sitting over the fire for several hours now, burnt wood and beer. With your last energy, you walk up to the barman and ask him kindly for a pint. There it is, your hard-earned pint.
Last weekend I’ve visited London with two good friends of mine. And even though our daily plans weren’t as intense as described above, we visited a lot of pubs during the weekend. At a certain point, I started wondering: Why are pubs called pubs, and what makes a pub, a pub? Why can’t a bar not be a pub and why can pubs only be found in the UK? Many questions and nobody could answer them, so here we are. This week we’re heading into the history of pubs.
Hail, Caesar!
Quite surprisingly, the Romans are in some ways accountable for the pubs. When the Roman Empire started expanding, roads had to be built in order to transfer the army and supplies as quickly as possible. Every 30 miles or so there would be a “Tabernae” or “Tavern”. Soldiers, merchants, and colonists could take a break from walking here, quench that thirst and fill up their stomachs with some hearty food. These Taverns also functioned as hostels where one could get a night’s rest and enjoy the company of others.
Quite recently, archeologists found one of these Roman Taverns in Lattes, France that dates back more than 2000 years ago. The discovery included large bread ovens, wine cups, serving platters, and the remains of fish, sheep, and cattle.
What’s cracking Romans?
When the Romans crossed the Canal and made it to the British Isles, they encountered a well-established ale-making culture already in place. Brewing ale was a domestic duty at that time in the British Kingdom, a task primarily done by women. The two cultures fitted like a glove and soon we saw many women around the British Kingdom opening their own taverns where they could sell their homemade ale.
As the Roman Empire collapsed and Roman influence retreated, these taverns evolved into Ale Houses. Ale Houses quickly became a place for community gatherings, socializing, and meetings for the common folk. Some of the other taverns evolved into Inns and Hostels for travelers.
No Romans in Ireland
However, if paid attention in your history classes, you know the Roman Empire didn’t cover the whole British Isles. Scotland and Ireland were left untouched by the greedy Roman hands. Ireland independently developed their own tavern-like establishments. In ancient Gaelic culture, Chieftains were required to have their own “Bruigu” or “Brewer.” These brewers not only brewed Irish Ale but also ran hostels that followed the strict laws of Gaelic hospitality. The Bruidean (Hostel) had to be open 24 hours a day, have torch bearers so that travelers would always be greeted with a warm welcome, and have food and drink at the ready.
The Public House
The two tavern cultures met eachother during the Norman invasion that began in the 11th century. The Normans brought not only the Ale House tradition initiated by the Romans with them but also their love of wine. The Taverns, Inns, and Alehouses evolved into the “Public House.”
Inns also served military purposes; one of the oldest datings from 1189 AD is Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham which is said to have acted as a recruitment center for volunteers to accompany King Richard I (The Lionheart) on his crusade to the Holy Lands.
The word ‘Pub’ is simply a shortened version of the name ‘Public House.’ The word ‘Pub’ was introduced during the reign of King Henry VII (1485-1509) A little later, in 1552, an Act was passed that required innkeepers to have a license in order to run a pub.
By 1577 it is estimated that there were some 17,000 alehouses, 2,000 inns, and 400 taverns throughout England and Wales. Taking into account the population of the period, that would equate to around one pub for every 200 persons. To put that into context, that same ratio today would be approximately one pub for every 1,000 persons. Throughout history, ale and beer have always formed a part of the staple British diet, the brewing process itself making it a much safer option than drinking the water of the times.
The Irish Pub
By 1760, there were 2,300 public houses in Dublin, a city that became famous for its public houses and their colorful names. Most people during that time period were illiterate, so pubs were identified by the bright symbols on their signs that would eventually become their names. Names like The Flying Horse, The Sots Hole, Three Candlesticks, and the Blue Leg. Each pub would acquire its own regular clientele who would affectionately call the pub their “local”. Pubs would have a reputation for attracting certain groups like tradesmen, poets, politicians, businessmen, and revolutionaries. This can still be seen today.
Also during this time period were two other types of drinking establishments in Ireland, the “Spirit Grocer” and the “Shebeen”. In 1791 the spirit grocer license was approved, which allowed grocers to obtain a license to sell ale and spirits for off-premises consumption. Regardless of the license, many grocers turned their stores into pubs when the authorities weren’t looking and, unlike true public houses of the time, they allowed women to drink there.
A “shebeen” was an illegal drinking house usually found in a tenement building and served ale, wine, and spirits at all hours of the night. These lower forms of drinking houses would eventually affect the evolution of the pub; in 1817 the Grocers and Publicans joined forces thinking that their combined strength would better protect their political and legal interests. This created pubs with a small grocery businesses selling basic commodities.
Pubs Today
During the 19th century, pubs began to feel and look more like the pubs we know and love today. They became the center of the community and social life, and they hosted wakes, weddings, christenings, and holiday celebrations. Barmen were required to be mediators for debates, sports and political commentators, confidants, and above all else, hospitable.
Between 1845 and 1855, 1.5 million Irish immigrated to the United State due to the Great Hunger, with many more to follow in the coming decades. When Irish immigrants arrived in the United States they were often told to go straight to the local “Irish Pub”. Their fellow Irish immigrants could help them settle, find work or locate family members. The Irish pub in the United States was just as much a center of a community, and often times it was a way to connect with the culture of Ireland and a lifeline back home. Irish immigrants opened pubs in Boston, Chicago, NYC…all over the United States, and eventually all over the world.