Licensed Victuallers Database

The database is searchable in two different ways; either by indexes or by a free text search. The indexes show the information in alphabetical order by parish, victualler’s surname, bondsman’s surname and year.

Each entry has a notes field, where additional information may be entered. The information recorded in the registers of victuallers’ recognizances varies over time.

Browsing the indexes

• Use the drop-down menu under ‘view’ to choose how to organise the index.
• You can filter the results by clicking on a letter or by typing part of a word and clicking filter.
• Click on an arrow in the results to further refine and click on an entry to see the full entry.

The original spellings of place and personal names have been transcribed. You may need to look at several different entries for a parish or personal name in the index.

In the surname index of bondsmen, the parish cited is the parish in which the premises were located. The residence of the bondsman is given in the record showing the full details of a particular entry. Many victuallers stood as bondsmen for each other so the majority of bondsmen will also appear in the surname index of victuallers.

Free text search

This can be useful if you want to find a specific pub name, residence or hamlet/street. The parish field has a pick list, so you can also try searching for the different variations of the parish name.

Tips on searching

• A wildcard is automatically added to the start and end of your search string, so you can search for the first or last few letters of a name or parish.
• If you don’t get enough results, try a less specific search, entering fewer terms or widening the date span.
• If you get too many results, try refining your search by entering more terms and a narrower date span.