After the death of her husband in 1913, Ellen Booth would
have had no choice but to carry on. Not only was the pub her main source of
income but, as they lived above the pub, this was the home for her family and
also for members of pub staff. Quite a few pubs were run by widows but in some
areas the powers that be frowned on women licensees and brewers could not
continue the lease with the woman of the family once the husband had died.
Was it the fear that her lease might not be renewed or the
fact that she had four children between the ages of two and thirteen that led
Ellen to the altar again in 1915? It must have been a great change to have gone
from having the same spouse and business partner for 17 years to suddenly
having no one. Life was to change again with a new spouse and partner. But an
even greater, all encompassing change was already happening as war had been
declared in 1914. The Great War and
sweeping government powers led to altered circumstances for pubs and
publicans.
Sources
Monckton, H.A. A
History of the English Public House. The Bodley Head Ltd., London, 1969
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