The Beer House Act 1830 allowed a householder, of reputable character, assessed to the poor rate, to retail beer and cider from his own house on payment of an annual fee to the Excise of 2 guineas. The purpose of this legislation was to popularise beer at the expense of spirits, which with wines, as well as beer, were sold by Publicans. This Act opened the floodgates to a spectacular proliferation of decidedly downmarket drinking-dens, most of them in the front rooms of terraced houses. The Act was repealed in 1869. The 1869 Wine and Beerhouse Act (32 and 33 Vic. c.27) re-introduced the stricter controls of the previous century. It was now necessary for retailers selling beer and wine to obtain their licenses from justices, and in addition, it was also necessary to obtain similar licenses to sell alcohol off the premises. The Intoxicating Liquor (licensing) Act 1872 re-enforced this legislation and importantly obliged the clerks of the licensing divisions to keep a register of all licenses granted. In general, the new licensing divisions constituted the areas formed by the Petty Sessional Divisions.
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