Wigan Album

This invoice is now101 years old. It was found under the floorboards of the Crispin Arms when it was being demolished in 1955. It was an invoice for the landlord of the Crispin, Mr William Atherton for a beer delivery from the John Sumner Brewery at Haigh.

By the early 1930’s Greenall’s had bought the pub but by the time this invoice arrived the pub was probably no more than 20 to 30 years old and was owned by the John Sumner Company who had the Haigh Brewery.

Here are some details I found on the internet about the turbulent beer price rises. The price in 1911 charged to Mr Atherton was 42 shillings for a 36 gallon cask. On the front of the invoice were long numbers which identified the casks, apparently if they were stolen a charge could be imposed, cask stealing seemed to be prevalent around this time. Here’s some history taken from newspapers in those days.......

Beer had been 3d a pint, in 1914 (just over a penny in today’s money). The average weekly wage varied from 26s. 4d. per week to 34s. 4d. Half the women employed were paid from 10s. to 15s. per week. By 1920, the average price had doubled to 6d per pint - imposed by Prime Minister Lloyd George.

His government's emergency measures, rushed through in the "national interest", in 1917 when WW1 was raging, determined the relationship between the Briton and his pub for the rest of the century. But by 1911 when this bill arrived at the Crispin Arms for Mr Atherton the beer rise had not been imposed.

I know today’s publicans really do have a very difficult time but, apart from increasing the price dramatically, Lloyd George’s measures had the effect of halving the volume of beer brewed, more than halved its strength, increased excise duty by 600%, doubled the price and slashed pub hours by two-thirds.

Little wonder there were protests around the country for instance in 1917 in Manchester and Salford pickets were stationed near many beer houses in the industrial areas, and the takings of hundreds of licensees decreased by over 50 per cent.

In Liverpool there was a boycott. There was a great drop in the trade and, contrary to expectation, the workmen showed no sign of buying beer at the new price. At Sunderland the premises of one publican who declined to advance the prices and charged 4d. a pint were crowded to the doors, while people intending to enter premises were charged 6d. and 7d. were assailed with cries of "Come out, you blacklegs" from pickets.